Earn Your Degree in Elementary Education with an Add-On in Certification in Early Childhood Education

A handful of children sit at a semicircular table. You sit with them, guiding them through a reading lesson. You talk about the pictures in their books, asking questions to help the students make connections and understand unfamiliar words.

Some will quickly begin reading on their own, while others will require additional instruction. By the end of the year, you know you will have helped your students earn a valuable skill they will carry with them throughout their lives.

It’s so important for children get off to a good start in school. Expand your knowledge and develop the skills to energize young minds through Anderson University’s evening program: Elementary Education with Add-On Certification in Early Childhood Education

Pre-K through sixth grade

This program can increase employment opportunities for adult students who want to teach young children. With the early childhood education add-on, you’ll be equipped to teach at any level from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. You’ll study teaching theories and methods while also gaining an understanding of these students’ learning characteristics.

Graduates can seek certification to teach in public or private school classrooms. While the vast majority become teachers, some grads head to the mission field, working inside and outside of the classroom. Others work with education-focused nonprofits.

One-on-One Learning

You’ll enjoy small class sizes and one-on-one interaction with caring faculty who’ll share their experiences from the very types of classrooms you’ll be teaching in one day, enabling you to marry academic understanding with practical know-how.

You’ll graduate with a Bachelor of Science in elementary education and recommendation for elementary and early childhood certification through the South Carolina Department of Education. Many other states will also recognize this teaching certification, so if you plan to teach elsewhere, check with that state’s department of education to verify acceptance. In addition, our College of Education is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.

Progress at Your Own Pace

As a student in the evening program, your classes will meet once a week for three to four hours at a time or twice a week for one to two hours each. Evening students average 12 credits per semester but you can take as many or as few credits as you wish.

Between 134-135 credits are required to graduate, typically eight semesters for a full-time student taking 15-18 credits per semester. Additionally, we are expanding our online and summer education course offerings.

Real-World Training

AU teaching grads have a reputation for being a step ahead of graduates from other colleges. A big reason is our emphasis on getting you out in real-world classrooms early and often. You’ll perform field observations within your first two semesters. By your final semester, you’ll be spending full days in the classroom, observing teachers while also taking turns in front of students yourself.

As an adult student, it may be a challenge to fit classroom observation and student teaching around your busy schedule. We have a full-time placement coordinator who can work with you to get you in a classroom with a highly recommended educator.

Christ-Centered Educators

At AU and in the College of Education, we do our best to show how the integration of your faith into serving your students will help them reap academic rewards. We take to heart Jesus’ words “let the little children come to me.” As early childhood and elementary teachers, you can be the hands and feet of Jesus and help shape the minds—and character—of future generations.