Early Childhood Education - Certificate of Completion

33 credits

The requirements for the Certificate in Early Childhood Education at NMSU Grants also meet the requirements of the one-year vocational certificate awarded by the State of New Mexico, Office of Child Development.

This Certificate is 100% embedded in, and leads to the Associate of Early Childhood Education at NMSU Grants.

Requirements and Limitations

• Students in the Early Childhood Program are required to complete and pass a security background check in order to take practicum courses and field experiences. Practicum Courses ECED 2121 and 2131 require a Criminal Background Clearance in order to complete 60 hours of practicum per course.  Past criminal violations may prevent a student from completing the degree and from being hired by school systems or other childcare facilities upon graduation.
• Students must complete ENGL 1110G Composition I with a C or better.
• Students must have a 2.0 GPA to apply for this certificate. However, 2.75 GPA is required for acceptance into the Teacher Education Program at NMSU.
• Any education course more than seven years old taken at NMSU, NMSU community colleges or other institutions will not be counted toward the student’s baccalaureate program. It is highly recommended that students request a review of their cumulative coursework by the appropriate department at NMSU. The student must repeat any course not approved.

Completion of all requirements does not guarantee acceptance in the NMSU Teacher Education Program. Please see the NMSU College of Education Advising Center for more information.

A Suggested Plan of Study

This roadmap is only a suggested plan of study in order to complete this Certificate in 2 or 3 semesters. A 3 semester completion plan may work best due to the required ENGL 1110G, Composition I as a prerequisite for the Curriculum and Practicum I and II courses. It is not intended as a contract. Course availability may vary from fall to spring semester and may be subject to modification or change. Students are advised to earn a C or better to avoid repeating courses.  A 2.75 GPA is required to apply to a Teacher Education Program at NMSU. This plan presumes the student is ready for ENGL 1110G, as determined by the English Placement test, an ACT score, or passing the prerequisite course.