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University of Montana Catalog 2025-2026

Early Childhood Education Graduate Certificate

General Graduate Program Requirements

Graduate School policies and standards can be found on the Graduate School Policies page

The minimum GPA for any graduate program is 3.0. Individual programs may require more than a 3.0 to remain in good standing. 

The minimum grade for a course to be accepted toward any master’s or doctoral requirement is C. The minimum grade for a course to be accepted toward a certificate program is B-. Individual programs may require higher grades for specific courses.

Online Program Option

This program may be completed in an online format. Students interested in pursuing an online degree or certificate program are strongly encouraged to contact the offering department to discuss specific program and course modalities and create a plan of study with an academic advisor. The course requirements listed below may not be consistently offered via online delivery.

Graduate Certificate - Early Childhood Education

This graduate endorsement is only for currently licensed elementary education teachers who already hold a master’s degree in education or an education-related field and are seeking an early childhood education (P-3) endorsement.

Course Requirements

Complete all of the following courses:
EDEC 508Early Childhood Principles and Practices3
EDEC 515Educational Professionals Working With Families Experiencing Adversity3
EDEC 520Meeting Standards Through Play-Based Environments3
EDEC 530Social and Emotional Development in Young Children3
EDEC 540Neuroscience and Its Impact on Child Development3
EDU 588Action Research in Classroom3
Total Hours18