Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Administration

Description and Outcomes

The Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Administration builds on the foundations of early childhood development best practices while preparing you to administer early childhood programs focusing on children from birth through age 8. Foundation coursework concentrates on growth and development, applied theory, health and nutrition, lesson planning, business administration, program leadership and advocacy, current issues and trends, ethics and professionalism, and strategies for building family and community relationships in a diverse society in the early childhood field.

The course curriculum blends theory and practice, and provides a general education foundation in ethics, critical thinking, and communication skills to support leadership roles and responsibilities in diverse environments.

A field experience component will require students to spend time working on project-based learning assignments in an early childhood setting (preschool, home childcare setting, or childcare center). Students may be required to show proof of a background check, immunizations, and additional site-specific requirements as part of securing the site for the field experience component.

This program is intended for students who wish to advance their career by assuming a leadership or administrative role in an early childhood development setting. This program is not intended for individuals who are pursuing a license to teach early childhood education in a public or accredited private elementary school.

If you have already completed an associate’s or bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, you may be eligible for degree requirements to be waived and replaced with advanced start credit. Refer to Advanced Start Credit in Bachelor’s Degrees for details.

Graduate Program Pathways

If you are interested in earning both a bachelor's and master's degree, consider a graduate program pathway.

Program Length

The Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Administration program consists of a minimum of 180 quarter credit hours. Upon successful completion of the program, you will be awarded a bachelor of science degree.

Program Outcomes

Discipline-Specific Outcomes

  1. Knowledge Base: Apply knowledge through active participation in coursework and review of current practices in child development, learning theory, program administration, leadership competencies, and financial management in early childhood programs.
  2. Child, Family, and Community Relationships: Formulate strategies for building family and community relationships in a diverse society.
  3. Observation and Assessment: Evaluate developmentally appropriate observation and assessment techniques to administer and inform instructional planning for children and their families.
  4. Learning Environments: Evaluate developmentally appropriate principles, tools, and practices to create effective learning environments for young children.
  5. Ethics and Professionalism: Demonstrate use of professional standards, ethical values, critical inquiry, and advocacy practices of the early childhood field through the review of case study scenarios.
  6. Individuality and Cultural Diversity: Illustrate the importance of individuality and cultural diversity of children and their families to learning and development.

General Education Literacies and Professional Competencies

In addition to the discipline-specific outcomes, general education literacies and professional competencies are integrated throughout your academic program. You can review the general education literacies and professional competencies associated with your academic program in the General Education and Professional Competency Requirements section of this Catalog.

Program Availability

For program availability, please refer to the U.S. State and Other Approvals section and Program Availability Information.

Policies

Please refer to school-specific policies and the Policy Information section for general Purdue Global policies.

Certification, State Board, and National Board Exams

Certification and licensure boards have state-specific educational requirements for programs that lead to a license or certification that is a precondition for employment. Prospective and current students must review Purdue Global’s State Licensure and Certifications site to view program and state-specific licensure information.

Licensure-track programs may limit enrollment to students in certain states; please see Purdue Global’s Program Availability Information to determine enrollment eligibility.

You are responsible for understanding the requirements of optional certification exams. Such requirements may change during the course of your program. You are not automatically certified in any way upon program completion. Although certain programs are designed to prepare you to take various optional certification exams, Purdue Global cannot guarantee you will be eligible to take these exams or become certified. Your eligibility may depend on your work experience, completion of education and/or degree requirements, not having a criminal record, and meeting other certification requirements.

Kentucky Students

Please be advised that this program is not accredited in Kentucky by the Education Professional Standards Board and is not recognized for initial, additional, or renewal of certification or salary enhancement (rank change) for P–12 educators in Kentucky. For more information, please visit the Education Professional Standards Board’s website at: http://www.epsb.ky.gov/mod/page/view.php?id=12.