Online Bachelor's Degree Programs in Early Childhood Education

Liberty University's Bachelor of Science in early childhood education is offered in a 100% online format. Students have the option, however, of including a field experience capstone course. If they choose to do so, they'll gain hands-on experience and will be able to pursue certification through the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI). Graduates interested in pursuing careers as teachers can continue on to earn a Master of Arts degree in teaching; this degree is required to obtain teaching licensure. Liberty University is a private, Christian-affiliated institution with its main campus in Lynchburg, Virginia.

The Bachelor of Science in early childhood education offered by the University of Montana Western is a hybrid program combining online coursework with in-person field experience. Successful completion of 120 credit hours is required to earn this degree, including 70 credits related specifically to the major subject. Students can pursue an area of emphasis and have a dozen options from which to choose. Degree requirements also include completion of a practicum consisting of supervised field experience in the student's area of emphasis. Example career options for graduates of this program include early childhood teacher, early childhood program administrator, parent educator and early childhood trainer.

South Dakota State University's Bachelor of Science in Early Education and Care is a hybrid program that combines online courses and in-class observation and evaluation experiences. The program is offered through the Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance, or Great Plains IDEA, a partnership of 20 public universities that gives students access to online courses from a wide range of partner institutions. The degree can qualify graduates to work in a variety of early childhood education settings, such as child care homes and centers, Head Start programs, infant/toddler and pre-school programs and before- and after-school programs for children ages 8 and younger.

For students interested in earning their degrees online and working in the field of early childhood education, Bemidji offers a Bachelor of Science in elementary education. The degree program is available in a hybrid format, combining online courses with 3 face-to-face meetings in the Minneapolis metro area. An associate degree or completed MN transfer curriculum with a cumulative 3.0 GPA is required for admission. Bemidji's elementary education bachelor's degree prepares graduates for careers in a range of early-childhood-education-related positions, including preschool and kindergarten or elementary school.

Mayville State University offers two early childhood education-focused bachelor's degrees that can be earned partially through online study. Mayville's Bachelor of Science Education in early childhood education degree is a composite of both early childhood education and elementary education and qualifies graduates to apply for birth-through-3rd-grade teacher licensure. Mayville's Bachelor of Arts in early childhood degree is designed to prepare students to work in a number of early childhood education-related leadership occupations, including preschool teachers, administrators, curriculum specialists and more. Both degrees feature a combination of online coursework and in-person activities (field experiences, internships, student teaching).

The online Bachelor of Applied Science in early childhood education offered by Northern Arizona University is a blended online/in-person degree-completion program designed for individuals who have previously earned associate degrees from community colleges and wish to expand their knowledge and skills in early childhood education. Students must complete 120 total credit units, which include 64 units in an associate degree transfer block (75 units accepted from Arizona community colleges), and 21 units in specialized early childhood education coursework. This degree does not lead to teacher certification, but graduates should be able to pursue career opportunities with preschools, state agencies, nonprofit organizations and other similar venues where specialized skills in early childhood education are utilized.

The University of Nebraska Kearney's online Bachelor of Arts in early childhood inclusive program was created to allow assistants in preschools, in-house teachers, Head Start staff members and other students unable to attend regular classes on college campuses to earn their degrees and become eligible for their teaching certificates. The degree is offered in a hybrid format that combines online coursework with school-based experiences and student teaching. The degree takes 120 credit hours to complete and prepares students to work with children from birth to age 5 in special education or from birth to age 8 in regular education classrooms.

Western Carolina University's birth to kindergarten (BK) program offers two distinct online bachelor's degree concentrations. The first option is a professional education concentration is designed for those interested in teaching in public school pre-K, North Carolina pre-K and/or kindergarten settings. Coursework is completed online and students are required to complete in-person internships. Internship placement is limited to North Carolina pre-K, Head Start and kindergarten classrooms. The second option is the early childhood concentration, which is geared to those students interested in working with young children and their families in settings other than public schools, as students are not certified to teach in these settings. Coursework is completed online for this concentration, but there is no internship requirement. Students must, however, complete 18 credit hours of action research, in which they must participate in person in an early childhood setting. An alternative licensure option is also available. This option allows students who have previously earned 4-year degrees to participate in internships and other experiences in order to qualify for teaching licensure.

The University of Toledo's bachelor's degree in early childhood education is a non-licensure, degree-completion program that combines online coursework with field experiences. Students must have an associate degree in early childhood education or child development with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.7 to be admitted into this program. An applicant must also be employed at an early care or education program for a minimum of 20 hours per week. Graduates with this degree typically pursue early childhood education-related employment in support and administrative positions in schools, public and private agencies and similar organizations, or go on to pursue master's degrees in the field, leading to professional licensure and positions as preschool and kindergarten teachers.

Judson College is a private, Baptist-affiliated, all women's college located in Marion, Georgia. Women interested in working with young children, including those at the preschool level and younger, may want to consider Judson College's online Bachelor of Science in elementary education. This hybrid degree-completion program combines online coursework with in-person field work experiences. Courses follow a cohort model, which requires students to start and complete classes on the same schedule as their on-campus counterparts. This degree prepares graduates for employment as teachers at the K-6 grade levels, but may also be applicable to early childhood education settings. Judson College certifies Alabama degree candidates only, and field experience and clinical practice observation placements for this degree program are made exclusively with Alabama schools.