Early Childhood & Special Education

Graduates of the Early Childhood/Special Education program will enter the teaching profession poised to meet the challenges of current and future classrooms.

Why study Early Childhood & Special Education at Coastal Georgia?

The Bachelor of Science in Education with dual majors in Early Childhood and Special Education prepares candidates for a career teaching prekindergarten through grade five (P-5) in both fields.

Working in a dynamic cohort model, teacher candidates learn to teach through practice-based coursework, extensive field-based learning in P-5 classrooms, community-based experiences, and the development of research-based and responsive teaching practices. Dedicated faculty engage teacher candidates in service-learning, undergraduate research, grant work, and professional presentations.

Our teacher education programs at the College of Coastal Georgia are approved by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC).

What will I learn?

The Early Childhood and Special Education program integrates a focus on child development and responsive pedagogy in literacy, mathematics, special education, and interdisciplinary teaching in grades P-5. Throughout the program and under the mentorship of faculty and P-5 educators, teacher candidates participate in variety of diverse field experiences. During the final year of study, teacher candidates engage in a year-long clinical teaching experience.

What can I do when I graduate?

Our graduates are in high demand and are poised to begin teaching careers in schools and/or pursue a higher degree in the profession.

Admission

Prior to enrolling in the semester that begins the teacher candidates professional education sequence of coursework, students are required to be admitted to the Teacher Education Program. Applications for admission are due on or before March 1 prior to the junior year, fall semester. Admission is competitive in nature, and successful prospective teacher candidates must meet the minimum criteria:

a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher on all coursework
completion of the GACE Georgia Educator Ethics Assessment
a grade of C or better in all Area F courses
completion of areas A-F in the core curriculum
submission of three Teacher Candidate Disposition Evaluations (at least one from an EDUC professor)
proof of insurance for tort liability purposes
completion of a GaPSC Pre-Service Certification Application
a successful criminal background check (conducted by the GaPSC)
completion of a Lawful Presence Affidavit

Graduation Requirements

Complete all courses in the major with a grade of C or higher.
Satisfactory performance in all field experiences, including the on-going demonstration of professional dispositions required of teachers as professionals.
Attempt the GACE content assessments associated with the degree field. *An “attempt” requires that assessment scores are received by the Department of Education and Teacher Preparation prior to program completion/graduation.
Overall grade point average of 2.5.

Student Spotlight: Lexie Downey

Lexie Downey graduated in 2019 with a dual major in Early Childhood and Special Education. Since then, she has been doing an amazing job of teaching, and is now pursuing graduate work at Perdue University.

“My experience with the teacher education program at CCGA was excellent. There are very few programs that offer the option to earn a dual certification in both early childhood and special education simultaneously.”