Find top-ranked online bachelor’s in early childhood education degree programs to help students focus on the practical, pedagogical and developmental challenges of working with young learners.
Early childhood education is a perfect career choice for those who have a passion to guide younger children, especially during their most crucial stages of development. The commitment needed when pursuing this degree is very significant, but most professionals in the field believe that pursuing an early childhood educator’s career is a truly rewarding investment.
Most of the job roles surrounding early childhood education need a relevant bachelor’s degree. In fact, teachers are typically required to secure a state-issued teaching certification on top of their degree in early childhood education.
Like the kindergarten/elementary teacher discussed above, this degree track usually requires a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood with Elementary Certification, and an additional graduate level program to receive the special education certification. However, there are some programs that combine the bachelor’s and master’s coursework into one program that can be completed in about five years.
Special education teachers are highly trained and skilled in helping children with different emotional, social, and intellectual needs. Most of the time, they create lesson plans based on a student’s individualized program. From there, they help students learn and develop the crucial life skills they need outside of academics.
Online BA Early Childhood Education, STEAM Specialization: This program offers a broader scope than STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), because it includes arts and design. Students in this specialization are introduced to a STEAM model in early childhood education wherein children are encouraged to learn through spatial thinking, investigation, group discussions, and observation. To qualify for the program, you need three credits of Action Research, plus observation in different early childhood education settings.
Online BA Early Childhood Education, Trauma Studies: Professionals in the field of early childhood education should be able to recognize signs of trauma and must know how to properly address these with care and understanding. This specialization will provide you the foundation on how to correctly provide support and guidance to children who are facing/have faced different forms of trauma like divorce, abuse, bias, immigration, discrimination, and many more.
This online bachelor’s degree takes four years to complete and usually requires 120 credits. While this is an online class, most programs will still require students to have a classroom practicum. After completing the program, students will take the qualifying exam for teachers in most states.
Anyone passionate about helping young children learn and achieve developmental milestones is an excellent candidate for an early childhood education program. Geared toward future teachers and childcare workers, a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education will focus on the practical, pedagogical and developmental challenges of working with young learners.
Back to TopEarly childhood education majors will take classes in developing assessments, teaching methods, and classroom management. Most programs require a semester-long teaching assignment so that students can learn firsthand what to expect in a classroom.
Back to TopA typical program can be completed in 4 years, with 120 required credit hours, although there are accelerated programs and online opportunities that allow students to earn their degree over a shorter duration.
Back to TopBenefits of an online program include convenience, flexibility and personalized, web-mediated interaction with instructors.
Back to TopLearn more about how to major in education.
Bachelor’s in early childhood education programs are offered thru a web-based format by numerous colleges. A few, however, stand out because of their program features that, ultimately, equip students (and future early childhood educators) with the most up-to-date learning tools and resources.
Characterized by rigorous coursework, the online programs aim to address the issues and requirements of today’s practice involving child development and education, by producing the most skilled professionals.
At the bachelor’s level, early childhood education prepares online students for a master’s program in the same or related discipline, making them better qualified for higher and better-paying jobs. Similarly, these online programs also serve as every student’s springboard for career eligibility at an entry-level capacity.
What’s an online program without the most qualified and experienced early childhood educator to impart the lessons? On our list are the online degrees with top-notch faculty, consisting of teaching professionals who have had significant experience or contributed to the field thru their research and published works.
Choosing an accredited online college matters, too! Our list of the best online bachelor’s in early childhood education are all regionally accredited, abiding by today’s highest academic standards.
The following graph depicts the average salaries of Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary for each percentile in the U.S.
Source: U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
SVG Attribution: Wikipedia
Tuition + fees
$11K
Acceptance
77%
Graduation
73%
Student body
26K
Median SAT/ACT
1215/26
Tuition + fees
$12K
Acceptance
87%
Graduation
64%
Student body
40K
Median SAT/ACT
1220/25
Tuition + fees
$12K
Acceptance
85%
Graduation
73%
Student body
34K
Median SAT/ACT
1225/26
Tuition + fees
$12K
Acceptance
79%
Graduation
72%
Student body
35K
Median SAT/ACT
1200/27
Tuition + fees
$12K
Acceptance
75%
Graduation
62%
Student body
17K
Median SAT/ACT
1160/24
Tuition + fees
$12K
Acceptance
68%
Graduation
63%
Student body
36K
Median SAT/ACT
1155/24
Tuition + fees
$7K
Acceptance
64%
Graduation
67%
Student body
49K
Median SAT/ACT
1185/26
Tuition + fees
$10K
Acceptance
81%
Graduation
66%
Student body
22K
Median SAT/ACT
1215/25
Tuition + fees
$23K
Acceptance
99%
Graduation
62%
Student body
79K
Median SAT/ACT
1145/25
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
91%
Graduation
48%
Student body
11K
Median SAT/ACT
1135/23
Tuition + fees
$12K
Acceptance
78%
Graduation
59%
Student body
25K
Tuition + fees
$7K
Acceptance
82%
Graduation
48%
Student body
15K
Tuition + fees
$10K
Graduation
29%
Student body
49K
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
99%
Graduation
45%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1145/21
Tuition + fees
$3K
Graduation
36%
Student body
17K
Tuition + fees
$12K
Graduation
24%
Student body
7K
Tuition + fees
$36K
Acceptance
75%
Graduation
51%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1055/27
Tuition + fees
$15K
Acceptance
55%
Graduation
7%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
938/17
Tuition + fees
$26K
Acceptance
71%
Graduation
46%
Student body
9K
Tuition + fees
$13K
Acceptance
55%
Graduation
47%
Student body
25K
Tuition + fees
$8K
Student body
<1K
Tuition + fees
$8K
Graduation
22%
Student body
1K
Tuition + fees
$19K
Acceptance
41%
Graduation
62%
Student body
7K
Median SAT/ACT
1080/25
Tuition + fees
$12K
Graduation
23%
Student body
10K
Tuition + fees
$3K
Graduation
39%
Student body
15K
If this is your first time taking an online course, the experience may require a time of adjustment. Although you’ll typically learn the same material and take the same exams as your on-campus peers, going online will require greater independence and responsibility than going in person. You’ll be accountable for your own time management, for harnessing the online educational technology that you’ll need to use, and for completing the course requirements, such as listening to lectures, learning lessons, reading texts, and handing in assignments. This means you’ll need to create a suitable workspace for yourself, maintain a realistic schedule, and take the initiative in building relationships with your instructors and classmates. With online college, your goal is to find a balance between independence and engagement.
No. The only part of online education that’s easier than campus-based education is ease of access: all you need is a computer and an internet connection for online education. But even this seeming advantage of online education can be misleading: what’s easier, studying online with your computer and internet connection from your home where you need to cook, clean, pay rent, and maintain a job? Or studying on campus in a dorm where all your living needs are handled by the school, and college staff are there to help you every step of the way?
If you take the commute to campus out of the equation, campus-based education is easier. All the support structures available on campus for students, especially with real people to help you in person, are not there online. The demands on you as an online student will largely be the same as for your campus-based counterpart, but without the same helps.
In general, your online courses will present the same material and test you in the same way as traditional in-person courses. In many cases, you’ll even have the same instructors as your on-campus counterparts. In fact, if you are adjusting to the experience of independent learning with remote educational technology for the first time, online college may be considerably more challenging than campus-based college. For a few insights on how to manage this new online experience, check out our 10 Tips for Adjusting to School Online.
Accreditation is especially important when it comes to online college. This is because the online education landscape is a mix of highly-reputable non-profit institutions on the one end and less-than-reputable for-profit institutions on the other end. Accreditation gives you the power to identify the more reputable actors in online education. Accreditation is a stamp of approval from an independent accrediting agency indicating that a college or university is meeting standards of quality and credibility. School-wide accreditation falls into two major categories: regional and national accreditation. Regional accreditors generally hold jurisdiction only over schools in the states comprising their region, whereas national accreditors hold jurisdiction over schools in all states. Regional accreditation is widely regarded as a more rigorous standard of quality and credibility than national accreditation.
Attending a college or university that is not regionally accredited could limit your opportunities. For students seeking an online education, we strongly recommend that they opt for regionally accredited schools. Regional accreditation ensures eligibility for federal loans and grants, ensures your college credits can be transferred between schools, and ensures that your degree credits can be accepted if you wish to earn an advanced degree. For more on this important topic, check out our What is Accreditation and Why Does It Matter? College & University Accreditation Guide.
As long as your online college degree is regionally accredited (see the previous point), you should have little difficulty transferring most of your credits or credentials to another regionally accredited undergraduate school. Every school carries its own standards and procedures for granting a transfer of credits. In many cases, you will encounter some bureaucratic haggling in which some of your credits will be transferred and others may be refused. However, provided that you have attended an online school with recognized regional accreditation, you should be in good shape in transferring your credits earned online.
In most cases, as long you graduate from a well-regarded, regionally-accredited online college, prospective employers won’t look sideways at your degree. In fact, unless you attend an exclusively online college or university, there will likely be no specific indicator on your degree, transcript, or resumé differentiating your school from its brick-and-mortar counterpart. This means that your employer will likely only differentiate between an online and in-person degree if you mention this distinction.
Some employers may express the concern that because you did your degree online, you may need to transition from an online education experience to in-person workplace experience. But in an age of Covid, that concern seems much diminished. The fact is that much employment these days is remote. And collaboration increasingly happens online over Zoom. Many employers will therefore view your online degree as evidence of valuable 21st century professional skills such as independence, self-motivation, time management, and tech savvy.
If you are a student who thrives on the dynamic energy of in-person discussion, who requires the physical surroundings of a classroom to feel engaged, or who considers the social aspects of education to be of equal importance to the actual content of your courses, online education will be less than ideal for you (though depending on your circumstances, it may also be the only viable option).
While there is much in traditional campus-based education that can be substituted or simulated through the online medium, some students may find that there is nothing that can replace the conversation, collaboration, and motivation that occur in an actual in-person classroom setting. As you transition to online education, one of the biggest challenges you will likely face in getting the most out of your online classes is overcoming this difference between “real reality” and “virtual reality.” Fortunately, we’ve got some great Tips for Online Education Beginners.
The advantages of online classes are many. Above all, online courses give you the freedom and flexibility to attend class from anywhere that works for you, whether you’re at home, in a coffee shop, or in a quiet conference room at work. In many cases, you’ll also enjoy the convenience of asynchronous learning opportunities-educational experiences that you can complete at your own pace and on your own schedule. This may include pre-taped lectures, ongoing chat-board discussions, and 24/7 access to digital materials. And of course, just as there are some learners who prefer the energy of a live classroom, there are those who learn best when working in their own personal space, free from distractions. If this sounds like you, you might find the solitude of online learning to be a major advantage.
Whether you’re just getting started on your college search, you’re looking for survival tips on your way to a bachelor’s degree, or you’re preparing for the transition into grad school, we’ve got guides, how to’s and tons of other valuable resources to keep you moving forward in your educational journey.