This 30-unit program consists of 7 required courses and a choice of 3 electives. The required courses provide students with advanced preparation in child growth and development, cultural and linguistic diversity, early childhood curricula, equity, and social justice, in addition to research methodologies. The program places a special emphasis on teacher research as a primary methodology of inquiry for all early childhood practitioners. Coursework also focuses on understanding child development within varied social and cultural contexts, culturally responsive teaching and curriculum development for diverse populations, and providing family and community support. The culminating experience requirement for the M.A. in early childhood education is the completion of a thesis or field study. Students are encouraged to be working or volunteering in ECE settings during their course of study.

Study Early Childhood Education at San Francisco State University, a Master degree offered at its main campus in San Francisco, United States of America. This Full Time program is delivered on campus in English and takes approximately 2 years to complete. Students benefit from a structured learning experience designed to build both theoretical knowledge and practical experience. The next intake is scheduled for August 16, 2027.
About Master of Early Childhood Education
- Articulate how theories and practices in one or more of the major early childhood theoretical frameworks come to be accepted, contested, changed, and implemented in the early childhood field.
- Evaluate the quality of early childhood curricula and assessments on the basis of their sources and the methods used to generate that information.
- Analyze educational, social, and cultural issues as well as ethical dilemmas that arise out of early childhood research, discoveries, and applications.
- Construct coherent and sound inquiry and reflection goals and practices with support from multiple sources, including online and library resources as well as other existing resources in the field of early childhood education.
- Analyze issues of equity, access, and social justice related to children's learning and teaching and leadership practices in early childhood contexts. Apply this analytical knowledge to their own lives and to ways in which they can contribute purposefully to the well-being of their local educational institutions and communities.
- Apply the methods of practitioner inquiry and analysis characteristic of one or more of the education disciplines related to the study of child development, teaching practices, leadership, and curriculum as related to the appropriate cultural, linguistic, and educational contexts.
Requirements and Admission Criteria for Master of Early Childhood Education at San Francisco State University
Entry Requirements
Eligible Degrees: Bachelor's degree.
Required Academic Documents: Degree certificate and transcript (record of subjects taken and marks earned) If your academic record is not in English, an English translation must accompany all academic documents. Academic documents must be university issued and sealed.
GPA Equivalency: a GPA of "B" or higher is required for graduate study 70 - 79
English Requirements
- PTEMin 59
- IELTSMin 6.5
- TOEFLMin 80
Tuition and Fee Information for Master of Early Childhood Education at San Francisco State University
How to Apply for Master of Early Childhood Education at San Francisco State University
Before Applying
- Spend time reviewing your desired program's information
- Note your program deadline for application. Applications are due by 9:00 pm the day of your application deadline. Refer to the lists below to determine your application deadline.
- Review the minimum university requirements for admission for domestic or international students.
- Gather your transcripts, test scores, and additional program materials that can be uploaded online. At this time, you may use unofficial copies, however, official copies will be required for formal review.
- International students should also gather uploadable versions of their TOEFL or IELTS scores.
- Provide notice to your recommenders prior to completing your application.
Submitting Your Application
- Go to the Cal State Apply portal, select semester from dropdown menu, create an account or login with account credentials
- Upload and attach all required materials under the four quadrants
- Once you have submitted names and emails for recommendations, recommendation requests are automatically generated.
- Complete payment for application: $70. All fees are non-refundable and non-transferrable.
- Once your application and payment have been submitted, you cannot add documents.
Cal State Apply
San Francisco State Graduate program applications are submitted through Cal State Apply. Cal State Apply is a Centralized Application Service (CAS) that simplifies the process of applying to CSU programs. You will only submit one application for the university and the graduate program.
Quadrant I: Personal Information
- Complete all of the required fields in the 7 sub-sections
- Fields noted as optional may be skipped
Quadrant II: Academic History
- Colleges attended: Add all previous institution information and dates attended
- Standardized tests: Standardized tests will be reported under Program Materials, click on "I am Not Adding Any Standardized Tests"
- GPA entries: Graduate Studies will calculate your GPA from your previous institution transcripts, click on "Don't have a GPA to add"
Quadrant III: Supporting Information
- Experiences: You may opt out of all supporting materials, unless your intended program instructs you to use these fields. Select "I Am Not Adding Any Experiences" in this section of the application.
Quadrant IV: Program Materials
- Program materials is composed of 4 separate tabs. Carefully read the Home tab as the program lists all required materials and important information on this tab.
- Questions: All required questions must be answered
- Documents: All required documents must be uploaded. Attach documents that are legible. You may need to resize any scanned PDFs so that you do not exceed the MB limit for each document.
- Recommendations: Once you have submitted names and emails for recommendations, recommendation requests are automatically generated.
- Do not wait for recommendations to be returned. Continue with the application process in order to meet your deadline.
After Submitting
- Applications will be sent electronically to the program once all materials have arrived and evaluators have evaluated the minimum requirements are met.
- The program reviews applications and makes their recommendations to the Graduate Division.
- You will receive an email notifying you that a decision is ready.
- Log into your Student Center to review the acceptance checklist. If you have not already arranged for submission of official copies of transcripts, test scores and degree certificates, you will need to make these arrangements.

United States of America, San Francisco