The Department of Early and Middle Grades Education offers undergraduate and post-baccalaureate programs for those who wish to be certified to teach children from pre-kindergarten through grade eight. The Department also offers two programs leading to a master's degree-the M.Ed. in Applied Studies in Teaching and Learning and the M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education. We are proud of our programs, our faculty, and our students who exit our undergraduate and graduate programs prepared for success as teachers and teacher leaders in various education contexts. We invite you to explore our programs and opportunities for our students.

Please contact the Department or faculty program coordinators to learn more about your potential for growth and development as teacher candidates, teachers, or early childhood professionals.

NCATE Accreditation

• All of our programs are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).
• Our programs that lead to teacher certification have been approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE).

Varied Opportunities

• Field experiences begin during the candidate's first semester and culminate in a semester-long, student-teaching experience.
• Candidates have opportunities to participate in supervised field experiences in urban, suburban, and rural school districts-all within one hour of our campus.

Faculty Experience

• Classes at West Chester are taught by faculty-not by graduate assistants.
• Our faculty have a wealth of experience in education and are respected in their fields.
• Field experiences are supervised by faculty with extensive experience in PK-12 schools as teachers, supervisors, directors, principals, curriculum directors, and superintendents.

Student Experiences

• In 2008-2009, over 10,000 documented hours of community service were provided to area agencies and organizations.
• According to survey data of 2007-2008 teacher-education graduates, over 90% have positions in education-related fields within one year of graduation.
• Our undergraduate candidates participate in community-service experiences that benefit children and their families.