The master's program in early childhood/elementary education is intended for certified teachers who wish to continue their study of learning and teaching in early childhood/elementary settings.  The program has five major goals:  (1) to foster a vision of learning as an active process in which students construct their own knowledge and understandings; (2) to foster a vision of teaching that promotes depth of understanding and problem solving rather than mere curriculum coverage and that recognizes children's individual and cultural differences; (3) to extend teachers' knowledge of current research and theory on learning and teaching so they can make informed decisions about educational practice and can help to bring about change in schools; (4) to encourage teachers to be teacher-researchers who reflect on and systematically inquire into their own practice; and (5) to provide an opportunity for teachers to acquire depth in an area of early childhood/elementary education that is of particular interest to them.

The master's program in early childhood/elementary education provides for (1) the study of the psychological foundations of education; (2) a concentration in one of two areas of interest (study of one or more content areas taught in elementary classrooms or study of early childhood education and applied child development)