Overview of the Online Early Childhood Education Non-Licensure Program
Bring light into the lives of children and their families. IWU’s Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education Non-Licensure program prepares you to support and connect with children in their early years of learning and development. Early childhood education has been consistently associated with positive outcomes for students, making it a high priority for education systems and state leaders. That means demand for early childhood educators is growing, leading to more opportunities for you to change or advance your career.
With multiple field experiences throughout the program, you’ll have opportunities to practice and develop your skills before graduation. You’ll also be guided by caring, dedicated professors who bring their own unique expertise to the program. Learn how to provide parental support, engage your community, manage your classroom, and help children develop so they can have the best possible childhood.
- Fully online learning format with no set login times
- Field experiences in various childhood settings
- Graduates are prepared for a variety of jobs and work environments
- Complete your bachelor’s in a little more than two years
Start Your Journey
You’ll Learn To…
- Support developmentally appropriate learning experiences for children in multiple settings, including child care, classroom, home, and more
- Execute a wide range of approaches, tools, resources, and strategies to meet learners’ needs
- Demonstrate knowledge of the dynamics of diverse families and communities
- Apply theoretical frameworks to early childhood education practice
- Integrate your faith into your profession and learning
TUITION
54 Total
Applicable fees for resources and services will be assessed throughout the program. Tuition and fees for prerequisites and required elective courses are in addition to the charges shown on the program cost sheet. Your tuition rate will remain the same as long as you remain continuously enrolled in the same program. Cost sheets may be requested from an enrollment counselor by calling 866.498.4968 or emailing iwuenroll@indwes.edu.
FINANCIAL AID
Financial aid is available in the form of grants, loans, scholarships, veterans benefits, and employer reimbursement.
COURSES
Below are the courses required to complete the program. Courses are generally taken sequentially, one at a time, until the program is complete. Full course descriptions may be viewed by clicking on the course titles below. For further information, feel free to contact us.
Prerequisite Courses
These prerequisites must be completed prior to starting the core courses:
Minor in Reading Courses
The minor in Reading is comprised of five previously completed prerequisite and core courses.
- ECED-135
- ECED-303
- ECED-325
- ECED-331
- ECED-332
Core Courses
Core Courses
REQUIREMENTS
Click on each section to expand the different requirements for this program. If you have any questions about the admissions process, feel free to contact one of our admissions representatives at 1-866-498-4968.
- Proof of high school graduation or GED certification.
- Submit a signed FERPA Release Form.
- Proof of up-to-date TB test.
- Most current vaccination record.
- A signed Field Placement Requirement Notification form.
- Applicants who do not hold a valid license in the field of education will be required to submit a criminal history background check conducted at the applicant's expense. Admission to and/or progression in designated programs will be based upon criteria set in the Criminal History Background Check Admissions Policy.
- Original transcripts from all previous college or university study at a college or university that is accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by both the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
- NOTE: Applicants should be aware that Indiana State Legislation has mandated that expanded background checks are required for those working with students in Indiana schools. Applicants will also be required to adhere to any additional State Mandates required for educators. Though candidates will be required to submit an initial background check and other documentation that is acceptable to the university as part of their application materials, those successful submissions, will only serve to gain admittance to that academic program. All accepted candidates should understand, that at the candidate’s expense, additional background checks, proof of mandated trainings, and/or health related documentation will most likely be required before participating in clinical experiences.
- Prior completion of at least 48 transferable credit hours from a regionally accredited college or university or an institution accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education is required before the candidate is eligible to start a bachelor core program.
- Completion of 120 credit hours.
- Completion of the required prerequisite and core courses with a minimum grade of "C" and a minimum GPA of 2.75.
- Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.50 or higher.
- Completion of 30 hours of general education requirements as specified.
- Successfully pass the admission, mid-program review, and program completion gateways.
- Payment of all tuition and fees is required to receive a diploma.
Program Requirements
- All BS Early Childhood Non-Licensure Program students desiring to move to the Licensure Track must meet all admission requirements from the Licensure Track and must contact the Advising Team to have this requirement verified and completed by the end of their ECED-325 course. Candidates not completing this requirement by the end of ECED-325 will not have the option to move to the Licensure Track at a later date.
- The BS-Early Childhood Non-Licensure Program is a lock-step program. Students who are unable to complete an ECED course or who receive an unsatisfactory grade for their specific program will be allowed to repeat that course with another group of students if arrangements are made with the Registration Change Counselor and the School of Educational Leadership. Tuition and fees will be charged for repeating the course.
Clinical Experience Requirements
Field experiences are required for several courses in this program. However, a student teaching experience is not included in this non-licensure track.
- Removal from any field experience may result in the candidate being permanently withdrawn from the program and being issued a failing grade.
START DATES
The B.S. Early Childhood Education Non-Licensure Program at Indiana Wesleyan University has many convenient starts throughout the year. Listed below are the next available starts. If you don’t see a start that fits your schedule, connect with our enrollment team to see more future starts.
Accreditation
Indiana Wesleyan University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission (HLC), www.hlcommission.org, 312-263-0456. Other accreditations and associations of Indiana Wesleyan University are available at www.indwes.edu/about/iwu-profile/accreditation.
Click here to view outcome measures for this and other IWU education programs.
*Effective 07-01-2023 through 06-30-2024