About

Are you interested in teaching children from birth to third grade? The Early Childhood Education (ECE) program will prepare you to work in a variety of early care and education settings, such as public and private schools, local Head Start agencies, child care centers, and preschools.

Why Early Childhood Education?

  • Courses focused on preparation for work with culturally and linguistically diverse children and families.
  • Degree attainment with or without Wisconsin teacher licensing, and easy access to add-ons such as English as a Second Language (ESL) and Bilingual certification (Spanish, Hmong, and Lao).
  • Classroom-based field experiences in a variety of settings in Milwaukee and the surrounding metropolitan area.
  • Flexible scheduling options that include day and evening courses, summer and winter break offerings, and full and part-time options.
  • Innovative teacher education curriculum taught by highly-qualified faculty.

Who Should Consider the Program?

  • Undergraduates or transfer students.
  • Career changers who already hold a bachelor’s degree.
  • Those who hold an associate’s degree in ECE and would like to complete a degree and a Wisconsin teacher license.
  • Those who would like to attain Master’s level credits with certification, or a Master’s degree.

How to Apply

Undergraduate Program

Refer to the Curriculum tab for more information regarding the program, admission criteria and to fill out the Admission Review Form.

Post-Baccalaureate Program

Follow the steps listed in the Early Childhood Education Post-Baccalaureate Program Application (PDF). Applications must be received by April 30th for Summer admission, July 15th for Fall admission and December 15th for Spring admission. Refer to the Curriculum tab for more information regarding the program and admission criteria.

Graduate Program

Please contact Dr. Nancy File, Program Chair and Kellner Professor for more information at eceprogram@uwm.edu. This is a focus area in the Curriculum and Instruction MS Degree program. See C&I Master’s degree program.

Curriculum

Undergraduate Program

Program Sheet

Undergraduate Program Sheet (PDF)

Admission Criteria – With or Without Certification

Teacher candidates are admitted to the ECE major upon declaring the major or transferring from another institution. Candidates can be admitted to the certification track(s) of the major upon:

  • Successful completion of 30 credits.
  • Completion of UWM competency requirements in English and Mathematics.
  • Completion of Currins 501 and Currins 240 with a grade of “C” or better.
  • Cumulative GPA of 2.5 or better.

Admission Review Form

Post-Baccalaureate Program

Program Sheet

Post-Baccalaureate Program Sheet (PDF)

Admission Criteria

  • Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
  • Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 on all coursework completed for undergraduate credit.
  • Submit application materials by April 30th for summer admission, by July 15th for fall admission and by December 15th for spring admission.

Post-Baccalaureate Program Application (PDF)

Explore the Program Further!

Students who already hold a bachelor’s degree can earn their teaching certification by successfully completing our post-baccalaureate teaching certification program. It’s possible that coursework completed as part of your bachelor’s degree could be applied towards our program. Please complete the web form below to find out if any of your previous course work can be used to fulfill certification requirements.

Request for Transcript Evaluation Form

Graduate Program

Please contact Dr. Nancy File, Program Chair and Kellner Professor for more information at eceprogram@uwm.edu. This is a focus area in the Curriculum and Instruction MS Degree program. See C&I Master’s degree program.

Contact Us

Questions about the program and/or admissions?  

Maggie Kaczmarek
eceprogram@uwm.edu

Contact an Early Childhood Education Program Academic Advisor

Office of Student Services Advising
(414) 229-4721
soeinfo@uwm.edu

(Last names A – L) – Andrea Azarian

(Last names M – Z) – Nikki Claas

Early Childhood Education Program Director & Student Teaching Coordinator

Elizabeth Smith
essmith@uwm.edu

Faculty

profile photoLeanne M. EvansAssociate ProfessorTeaching and Learning(414) 229-7324levans@uwm.eduEnderis Hall 377
profile photoNancy FileProfessorTeaching and Learning(414) 229-4197nfile@uwm.eduEnderis Hall 373
profile photoChristine GwiazdowskiSenior LecturerTeaching and Learningcstarr@uwm.eduEnderis Hall 379
profile photoAnita OsvaticLecturerTeaching and Learningosvatic@uwm.eduEnderis Hall 385
profile photoLynn SedivySenior LecturerTeaching and Learning(414) 229-4840sedivy@uwm.eduEnderis Hall 389
profile photoElizabeth SmithSenior LecturerTeaching and Learning(414) 229-7195essmith@uwm.eduEnderis Hall 387

Research

Faculty guided undergraduate and graduate research opportunities are available. For more information about faculty research please visit the profile pages of Nancy File and Leanne Evans.

Career

Our graduates are employed in a number of professional settings—for example, Milwaukee Public Schools, Racine Unified School District, Kenosha Unified School District, Oak Creek-Franklin School District, West Allis-West Milwaukee School District, Waukesha School District, UW-Milwaukee Children’s Learning Center, local Head Start Agencies, Next Door, community-based child care centers, and more.