Liberal Arts & Sciences: Childhood Education (Utica University Transfer)

Associate in Science Degree

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This program is the first step for students seeking teacher certification in Childhood Education (grades 1-6), Early Childhood/ Childhood Education (Birth-6th grade), or Childhood Special Education. In order to earn teacher certification, students must transfer to and complete an appropriate bachelor’s and master’s degree at a transfer institution. As part of the first two years of that process, students in the Early Childhood/Childhood Education (Birth-6th grade) degree program complete 18 credits in paraprofessional and professional courses in addition to the General Education requirements. These students select a concentration when they enter the transfer institution. It is important for students to contact the college to which they may transfer in order to plan their curriculum. In some cases, it may require careful planning for students to complete a bachelor’s degree in four years. Individuals interested in becoming a Teacher’s Assistant in a public school are encouraged to complete the Birth-6th grade degree program to meet the Federal guidelines regarding educational requirements for a classroom Teacher Assistant.

Goal 1 To provide students with a core foundation of knowledge of the liberal arts

  • Students will successfully complete courses in 10 out of 10 SUNY General Education areas
  • Students will be able to demonstrate effective ways of utilizing technology as an aid to learning

Goal 2 To provide students with core concepts in multicultural education

  • Students will identify educational issues within a multicultural, diverse society
  • Students will complete 4 diversity tutorials.
  • Students will complete a minimum of 2 courses that meet the DGV requirements.

Goal 3 To provide students with core concepts in special education

  • Students will describe educational strategies used with special education populations

Goal 4 To provide students with an opportunity to explore education as a career path

  • Students will complete 45 hours of classroom observation.
  • Students will analyze teaching strategies and how they apply to teaching theory.
  • Students will analyze child behavior and apply developmental theories.
  • Students will interact with a diverse population of students.

Goal 5 To prepare students to demonstrate information literacy

  • Students will use traditional and contemporary information technology.
  • Students will identify, access, and appropriately use authoritative sources of information.

Total Credit Hours: 62

First Semester

This course is an opportunity for students to develop the skills necessary to be successful in college. Students learn the importance of the faculty-student and advisor-advisee relationship, develop time management techniques, apply effective study skill techniques, recognize the implications of living in a diverse society, utilize college resources, and explore career and transfer requirements. Collaborative projects are included. Students matriculated in a degree program must take this course in their first term of study.

This course provides a study of the philosophical, historical, sociological, ethical, and political bases of the N-12 American educational system. It includes a comprehensive introduction to the issues, laws, policies, and practices affecting the education system, teaching, learning, and assessment. It explains ways that teachers and schools can work with students and families to provide a meaningful and equitable education. Topics include diversity in student populations, school funding, high-stakes testing, school desegregation and re-segregation, technology, standardized tests, and learning standards. The history of the American educational system is discussed in relation to current issues and topics in education, teaching, and learning. A 15-hour observation in a general education classroom must be completed.

This course focuses on several kinds of writing-self-expressive, informative, and argumentative/persuasive, and others. A minimum of five essay compositions are required. The course emphasizes the composition of clear, correct, and effective prose required in a variety of professions and occupations. Prerequisites: Appropriate high school GPA or placement test score or EN090 Basic Writing Skills or SL116 ESL4: Advanced Composition or SL145 ESOL Advanced Composition

This is the first of a two-course sequence for students preparing to teach at the elementary school level. Topics include the study of real numbers through a development of natural numbers, whole numbers, integers, rational numbers, decimals, and irrational numbers, together with operations on them. Number theory is presented, along with a discussion of numeration systems including

bases other than 10. The language and nature of reasoning, together with basic elements of set theory, are introduced. Problem-solving is emphasized. Prerequisite: Appropriate high school GPA or placement test score or MA089 Arithmetic.

This course introduces the many and varied facets of psychology. Emphasis is on interactions of individuals in their cultural, social, and economic environments as determined by their cognitive, behavioral, and emotional experiences and training.

Students must complete two semesters (a six-credit sequence) of foreign language. American Sign Language counts as a foreign language in education programs at Utica College and within the SUNY System. Students who have achieved a high school average of 90 or higher in all three years of high school level language OR students who have completed an 80 or higher high school average in all four years of high school level language are exempt from this requirement; however, they must select two courses (six credits, minimum) in their chosen area of concentration to replace the foreign language courses and meet the 62-credit hour requirement for the program.

Take any Physical Education Course

Second Semester

This course examines children’s physical, social, emotional, language, and cognitive development from pre-natal to age twelve. Topics include childhood development theories and research, the recognition and understanding of significant child behaviors, the role of parenting and culture, the role of the teacher, influence of peers, and play. Students must complete a 15-hour child observation in a daycare setting, observing both infants/toddlers and preschool children.

This course encourages a deeper understanding of human nature and the human condition through the study of ideas and values expressed in imaginative literature. Emphasis is placed on the use and development of critical thinking and language skills. Library-oriented research is required. Prerequisite: EN101 English 1: Composition or EN105 English Composition for Speakers of Other Languages or EN106 English 1: Composition & Reading.

This survey course provides an introduction to American history as well as a deeper understanding of how its geography, people, institutions, and culture interact to define the American experience. It begins with Pre-Contact Societies and concludes with the end of the Civil War.

This course continues to survey the development of the American story from an agricultural, frontier society to an urban, industrial nation. Emphasis is placed on the economic revolution of the post-Civil War era, its social, political, and military aspects, and the emergence of America as a world leader. It begins with Reconstruction and concludes with the present.

This is the second of a two-course sequence for students preparing to teach at the elementary school level. Topics include elementary geometry of two and three dimensions, measurement, coordinate geometry and transformations, probability, and statistics. Prerequisite: MA171 Foundations of Mathematics 1.

Students must complete two semesters (a six-credit sequence) of foreign language. American Sign Language counts as a foreign language in education programs at Utica College and within the SUNY System. Students who have achieved a high school average of 90 or higher in all three years of high school level language OR students who have completed an 80 or higher high school average in all four years of high school level language are exempt from this requirement; however, they must select two courses (six credits, minimum) in their chosen area of concentration to replace the foreign language courses and meet the 62-credit hour requirement for the program.

Take any Physical Education Course

Third Semester

This course aids in understanding and providing for the needs and education of young children in care/educational settings. Methods and materials used to plan, implement, and assess integrated learning experiences that consider the inter-relatedness of physical, social/emotional, and cognitive development are explored. The importance of planning experiences for young children to develop intellectual curiosity and demonstrate a respect for diversity of backgrounds is emphasized. This course includes a minimum of eight hours of observation in a preschool classroom. Prerequisites: ED150 Social & Philosophical Foundations of Education and ED205 Child Development. Prerequisites must be met with a minimum grade of "C".

This course introduces early childhood curriculum development including planning, implementing, and assessment based on the New York State Learning Standards. It covers developmentally appropriate practice, methods, and materials for preschool through primary grade children. Emphasis is placed on curriculum that meets the needs of the whole child: cognitive, social, emotional, language, and physical. Knowledge is gained of early childhood curriculum that is respectful to the backgrounds of all children and families. Early childhood best practices are learned, grounded in early childhood educational theories, including Vygotsky and Plaget, and using play as the vehicle for planning, implementation, learning, assessment, and emphasizing Constructivist practice. Best practice techniques, including lesson plan and thematic unit planning, are demonstrated. This course includes a minimum of eight hours of observation in a preschool classroom. Prerequisites: ED150 Social & Philosophical Foundations of Education and ED205 Child Development. Prerequisites must be met with a minimum grade of "C".

This course is a survey of traditional and contemporary literature for children from birth through Grade 6. Literary models include picture books, traditional literature, poetry, fantasy, juvenile fiction and nonfiction, biography, and informational books. Prerequisite: EN102 English 2: Ideas & Values of Literature.

Natural Science Electives: Biology - BI103, BI105, BI141, BI216, Chemistry - CH131, CH141, Geology - GL101, Physics - PH141, PH142, PH151.

This course develops perception, understanding, and appreciation of the visual arts through an examination of the role of the artist in a diverse society. The artist is considered within cultural context through an introduction to Western and non-Western art history. Materials and techniques of art are studied with emphasis on the fundamental elements of artistic expression. A field trip to a gallery exhibit is required. Skill in art is not necessary.

This course introduces the history of art from prehistoric times through the Sixteenth Century. Topics include Classical, Medieval, Renaissance, and non-Western examples of painting, sculpture, and architecture. Art is studied within its cultural context with a focus on the interrelationship among the Arts. A field trip to an art exhibit is required. Prerequisite: EN101 English 1: Composition or EN105 English Composition for Speakers of Other Languages or EN106 English 1: Composition & Reading.

This course introduces the history of art from the Seventeenth Century to the present. Topics include Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassicisms, Romanticism, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Twentieth-Century, and non-Western examples of painting, sculpture, and architecture. Art is studied within its cultural context with a focus on the interrelationship among the Arts. A field trip to an art exhibit is required. Prerequisite: EN101 English 1: Composition or EN105 English Composition for Speakers of Other Languages or EN106 English 1: Composition & Reading.

Take any Physical Education Course

Fourth Semester

This course studies acquisition of language and literacy from birth through age 8, including theories of acquisition, the components of language, development milestones, atypical development, and ESL. Methods are covered for teaching literacy to children from infants through intermediate grades, including learning to read and write, phonics, whole language other techniques, and integrating literacy

into the whole curriculum. Topics include children’s literature and how it can be used in the classroom and curriculum. A minimum of 10 hours of observation is required, five in a Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) classroom and five hours in a primary grade classroom. Prerequisites: ED150 Social & Philosophical Foundations of Education and ED205 Child Development. Prerequisites must be

met with a minimum grade of “C”.

This course provides an overview of the education of children and adolescents with exceptionalities, focusing on those with disabilities and those with giftedness. Topics include the historical, philosophical and legal foundations of special education and other exceptionalities and their prevalence, causes, and characteristics. Educational modifications, accommodations, and teaching strategies for general and specific classrooms are addressed. Current issues and trends educating children with exceptionalities are explored. A minimum of fifteen hours of observations in a special education setting must be completed. Prerequisites: ED150 Social & Philosophical Foundations of Education and ED205 Child Development or PY212 Adolescent Psychology. Prerequisites must be met with a minimum grade of “C”.

Natural Science Electives: Biology - BI103, BI105, BI141, BI216, Chemistry - CH131, CH141, Geology - GL101, Physics - PH141, PH142, PH151.

This course introduces the nature and study of history, and covers the emergence and development of Eurasian civilization to about 1500 A.D. in the Near East, India, China, Europe, the Western Hemisphere, and Africa. Attention is given to religion in these civilizations and on the rise of the West to a position of world power during the Middle Ages.

This course is concerned with civilizations and their influences on each other in the modern world. It traces the rise of the West to a position of world dominance and its impact on non-Western societies. Emphasis is placed on the major forces that have shaped the contemporary world - industrialization, urbanization, nationalism, militarism, imperialism, democracy, and communism.

Take any Physical Education Course

A prior criminal record or a history of behavior that presents a direct risk to the safety, well-being, or health of students, faculty, or staff in PK-12 settings may make placement for mandatory classroom observations unfeasible, thereby hindering the successful completion of the program.

(a) Students must complete two semesters (a six-credit sequence) of foreign language. American Sign Language counts as a foreign language in education programs at Utica University and within the SUNY System. Students who have achieved a high school average of 90 or higher in all three years of high school level language OR students who have completed an 80 or higher high school average in all four years of high school level language are exempt from this requirement; however, they must select two courses (six credits, minimum) in their chosen area of concentration to replace the foreign language courses and meet the 62-credit hour requirement for the program. 

(b) Natural Science Electives include one course from two of the following categories: Biology—BI103, BI105, BI141, BI216; Chemistry—CH131, CH141; Geology—GL101; Physics—PH141, PH142, PH151.

(c) Fine Arts Elective: HU187, HU204, or HU205.

(d) History Electives include: HI111 American History 1492 - 1850 OR HI112 American History 1850 - Present.

(e) History Electives include: HI101 History of Civilization 1 OR HI102 History of Civilization 2.

*Students are required to earn a minimum grade of “C” in all educational courses to graduate from the AS program.

Notice: Students transferring to Utica University must follow this curriculum roadmap and earn a 2.75 GPA for acceptance.