Graduate degrees in Curriculum and Instruction: Early Childhood Education prepare future educators for leadership roles in education. Our graduates go on serve as master classroom teachers and staff specialists in public or private school systems. Additionally, an early childhood education degree enables you to work at colleges or universities and in governmental or professional organizations.
In our early childhood education program, you will work closely with faculty members and receive a comprehensive education. Our teacher education program is a model service-learning program for the entire state of Florida. We regularly receive recognition for the quality and preparation of our graduates. We believe our small class sizes, strong faculty mentorship and resources enable our graduates to find success. Our students often remark that our program has a “small school” feel while providing the benefits of a major university.
We offer an online master’s degree as well as on-campus doctoral degrees.
In order to meet minimum University admission requirements, applicants must have:
- A bachelor’s degree with at least a 3.0 GPA – An earned bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution, or a comparable degree from an international institution, with a minimum 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) grade point average (GPA) in all coursework attempted while registered as an upper-division undergraduate student working towards a bachelor’s degree.
- A master’s or specialist degree with at least a 3.0 GPA – An earned master’s or specialist degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution, or a comparable degree from an international institution, with a minimum 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) grade point average (GPA) in all coursework attempted.
- GRE test scores*. Official test results are required from the General Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). These scores are considered official only when they are sent directly to the Office of Graduate Admissions from the testing agency. Examinee copies are not considered official. Graduate Record Exam (GRE): http://www.ets.org/. FSU Institution Code: 5219. The Educational Testing Service (ETS) do not retain scores longer than five years. If your test scores are older than five years, you may have to retake the test to have official scores sent directly to FSU from the testing agency. If you have the report that was mailed to your home address for older scores, then FSU will accept that report.
- M.S. and Ed.S. applicant target scores: Verbal – 146+, Quantitative – 140+
- Ph.D. applicant target scores:Verbal – 151+, Quantitative – 145+, Writing – 3+
- *NOTE: The GRE requirements for master’s and specialist programs have been waived through Fall 2026.
- Language proficiency test (international students only)– FSU accepts scores from TOEFL (minimum 80), IELTS (minimum 6.5), MELAB (minimum 77), Cambridge C1 Advanced Level (minimum 180), Michigan Language Assessment (minimum 55), and Duolingo (minimum 120)
- Transcripts – applicants must submit an official transcript from each college and/or university attended. Transcripts should be sent to the Office of Graduate Admissions electronically at graduateadmissions@fsu.edu or via mail in a sealed envelope:
- Florida State University
Office of Graduate Admissions
314 Westcott Building
P.O. Box 3061410
Tallahassee, FL 32306-1410 - Admission to graduate study is a two-fold evaluation process. The Office of Admissions determines eligibility for admission to the University, and the academic department, program, or college determines admissibility to the degree program. University graduate admissions requirements are found at https://gradschool.fsu.edu/admissions/graduate-admissions. Academic programs have additional requirements.
- Florida State University requires a course-by-course credential evaluation for all applicants that have degrees from a non-U.S. institution. International and domestic applicants with degrees earned from international institutions must submit their official transcripts through a NACES approved evaluator for transcripts from a non-U.S. institution. SpanTran has created a custom application for Florida State University that will make sure you select the right kind of evaluation at a discounted rate. See the “Transcript Requirement” section on The Graduate School website, https://gradschool.fsu.edu/admissions/graduate-admissions, for detailed information on University transcript requirements for graduate admission.
- Florida State University
For this program, applicants must upload the following REQUIRED supporting documents to the Admissions Application Portal:
- Statement of purpose – should describe your purpose for pursuing a degree, qualifications and long-term career goals.
- At least one (1) page for M.S. and Ed.S. applicants
- At least two (2) pages for Ph.D. applicants
- Letters of recommendation
- Two (2) for M.S. and Ed.S. applicants
- Three (3) for Ph.D. applicants
- One page resume/curriculum vitae
- Writing Sample – it is acceptable to submit a paper used in another class or one that was published.
Master’s and specialist programs:
- Fall Admissions: July 1
- Spring Admissions: November 1
- Summer Admissions: March 1
Doctoral program:
- Fall Admissions: December 1 (priority deadline); July 1 (final deadline)
If you are interested in applying, please contact STE-GradCoord@fsu.edu.
Master’s Degree
The C & I degree requires a minimum of 32 credit hours. All students completing the C&I degree must complete either a classroom-based action research project OR pass the comprehensive exam.
Core Program Categories (taken by all masters candidates)- 12-15 semester credit hours
- Curriculum (3 Semester Credit Hours)
- This category addresses critical issues of PK-12 curriculum. A broad range of scope, sequence, and integration issues would include: 1.) The historical, philosophical, psychological, and social foundations upon which curriculum is constructed; 2.) The development and use of national and state standards; and 3.) Applications in contemporary design (aims, goals, implementation, and assessment alternatives).
- Teaching and Learning (3 Semester Credit Hours)
- This category addresses considerations and decisions addressing the needs of learners, selection of teaching methods, and the social interactions necessary to enhance the quality of the learning environment. Tenets of learning theory applied as best practice (e.g., Universal Design for Learning, Response to Intervention, et. al.) would be represented in this core category.
- Instructional Technology (3 Semester Credit Hours)
- This category addresses considerations, decisions, and critical issues relevant to enhancing instructional effectiveness and efficiency through the use of web tools, social media, and immersive environments, productivity tools, project-based learning, et al. Consideration is also given to effective online/asynchronous teaching and learning best practices.
- Research and Scholarship (3-6 Semester Credit Hours)
- This category broadly addresses the interpretation, use, and conduct of research. Masters candidates will design studies, collect relevant information in a field-based environment, and interpret results that lead to instructional improvement and enhanced student achievement. Candidates specifically interested in continuing studies at the doctoral level will, in addition, complete EDF 5481 (Methods of Educational Research, 3 SCH).
Major (18-21 Semester Credit Hours)
Specialization courses in Early Childhood Education
Specialist Degree
The Specialist in Early Childhood Education Program of Study is individually planned in conjunction with the major professor and the student’s supervisory committee with course work emphasis in the areas listed below. A minor is suggested.
- Theory base for childhood education
- Evaluation
- Curriculum
- Instruction
- Special field experience
- Practicums
- Directed research
Doctoral Degree
The Doctor of Philosophy in Early Childhood Education is individually planned in conjunction with the major professor and the student’s supervisory committee with course work emphasis in the areas listed below. A minor is suggested.
- Research
- Theory base for childhood education
- Evaluation
- Curriculum
- Instruction
- Special field experience
- Practicums
- Directed research
Curriculum choices in our master’s and specialist programs are designed to enable students to become teacher leaders, college instructors, as well as curriculum specialists, state testing specialists and textbook company representatives. Doctoral program graduates are prepared to become university professors, researchers and leaders in the field.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, job outlook for early childhood teachers is expected to grow 10.5% through 2026, which equates to approximately 50,100 new jobs. The job outlook for instructional leaders/coordinators is expected to grow up to 10.5% through 2026. That translates into over 17,000 new jobs nationwide. The median national annual salary range for instructional leaders/coordinators is $64,450 per year. For university or college professors, the Bureau predicts a 10.3% increase in jobs by 2026, totaling 2,400 new jobs. The median national salary is $64,780 per year.
A career in education can be very rewarding, and a typical path offers ample opportunities for professional development and growth. Educators make a difference in the lifelong learning experience of their students, as well as, the quality and standards of the programs they teach.
On-campus programs: Veronica Houck
Online master's program: Heather Murphy
