TCNJ’s Early Childhood Inclusive Education program prepares students to teach grades P–3 in diverse, inclusive classrooms. The major combines education coursework with a required dual major in a liberal arts or STEM field, ensuring both strong content knowledge and teaching skills. Students gain early and extensive field experience, culminating in a full semester of student teaching, with opportunities for global placements. Graduates are eligible for New Jersey P–3 teacher certification and can pursue additional endorsements in areas such as special education, ESL, or teaching the deaf and hard of hearing.
Early Childhood Inclusive Education Requirements (30 course units total)
College Core (7 course units)
- ELE 099: Education Seminar
- FYS 1XX: First Year Seminar
- MAT 105: Structures and Algorithms for Education
- BIO 104: Inquiries in the Life Sciences
- HIS 198: Teaching American History
- ECE 102: Multicultural Children’s Literature
- IDS 401: Music, Movement, and Creative Arts in Early Childhood
Professional Education (15 course units)
- ELE 203 Foundations of Inclusive Education
- SLP 102: Speech and Language Development
- ELE 201: Child and Adolescent Development
- SPE 214: Building and Sustaining Inclusive Classroom Communities
- SPE 322: Assessment, Planning, and Methods for Inclusive Practices
- ECE 202: Theories and Philosophies of Early Childhood Education
- RAL 220: Methods of Teaching Literacy I: Foundational Skills in Reading & Writing
- RAL 320: Methods of Teaching Literacy II: Comprehension and Composition
- ECE 302: Math and Science in Early Childhood
- ECE 301: Clinical I
- SOM 203: Teaching Social Studies from a Multicultural Perspective
- SPE 326: Models of Early Intervention
- ECE 490: Clinical II (2 course units)
- ECE 498: Inquiry into Learning
Content Major Requirements (8 course units*)
Select one of 13 approved content areas for the dual major: African American studies; art; biology; English; environmental studies; history; integrative STEM education; mathematics; music; psychology; sociology; Spanish; or women’s, gender, and sexuality studies.
*The psychology major requires 10 course units, and the Spanish major requires 9 course units.
Advising
- Inclusive Education Advising Sheets (restricted to TCNJ)