Learn to work with children from birth to age 8 by majoring in early childhood education. In class, you'll discover how children develop during their early years, which will help prepare you to educate them from birth to third grade. Our program emphasizes diverse experiences and populations with a focus on early literacy and early mathematical and scientific development. From the moment you step on campus, you'll gain field experience in numerous areas that will help you hone your teaching skills. In addition, University partnerships with several local school districts will give you necessary hands-on experience with different populations. Your classes will range from infant and toddler development to methods courses in major areas -- such as literacy, math, science, language arts, social studies and curriculum. We encourage all our students to develop a global perspective by participating in cross-cultural experiences.
Early Childhood Education
About
Our goal is for you to develop and apply a home-school-community perspective with an appreciation of diverse family structures, customs and beliefs. We want you to understand child development and curricular applications for infants, toddlers, and preschool and primary child populations.
After gaining an appreciation of the field's history and how it has evolved, you'll be prepared to analyze and critically examine different curricular models and approaches and the theoretical and applied elements of each. You'll become familiar with early learning standards at the state and national levels, and will develop appropriate instructional and assessment plans and strategies for children from infancy through third grade.
Time will be spent developing your skills to accommodate English language learners and students with special needs. In addition, you'll learn to recognize the importance of early intervention, IFSPs, IEPs and co-teaching with other professionals.
When you graduate, you'll leave Clemson with knowledge about integrated content and teaching strategies in mathematics, science, social studies, reading and language arts, and creativity. You'll be able to apply appropriate principles of assessment and develop diverse methods of assessment. In addition, you'll be prepared to engage in diverse practicum experiences and complete relevant assignments and field-based requirements to meet certification in early childhood education in South Carolina.
Requirements
Entry Requirements
For the 2022 admissions cycle, Clemson has adopted a test-optional policy. Applicants are not required to submit a standardized test score to be considered for admission to Clemson for the 2022-2023 academic year.
If you choose that test scores should be used, your scores must be submitted electronically by the respective testing agency. Clemson’s institutional code for SAT is 5111, and the code for ACT is 3842. Clemson super-scores both the SAT and the ACT. For the SAT, this means that the overall total SAT score will then be derived by taking the highest of the evidence-based reading and writing/math scores.
According to The ACT, superscoring at Clemson means that we “consider a student’s highest ACT section (or subtest) scores regardless of test date. The super composite ACT score is calculated as the average of the best ACT English, Reading, Math, and Science subject scores and is used as one of multiple factors in admission and financial aid.”
English Requirements
- IELTSMin 6.5
- TOEFLMin 80
English Program Requirements
Fee Information
How to Apply
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Review important dates and deadlines.
The Clemson application opens August 1. Students must submit their application and all required credentials by May 1 for Fall entry or October 1 for Spring entry.
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Complete the application.
Submit your application through the Clemson Application, Coalition Application or the Common Application No preference is given to any application in the admission review process.
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Pay the application fee.
There is a $70 application fee. Clemson accepts all major credit cards.
Submit your academic credentials.
- If you are a transfer student, submit translated course descriptions for any coursework to be evaluated for Clemson academic credit.
Clemson University requires first-year applicants to self-report their high school transcripts. Students who are admitted to Clemson will be required to send official transcripts prior to enrollment. After submitting your application, a link to the SRAR system will be available in your Applicant Portal.
Learn more about how to complete your Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR)
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