College of Education
GSU@GPC program available at Newton campus
4/8/2009
The Department of Early Childhood Education (ECE) will offer a Bachelor of Science in Education (B.S.Ed.) teacher preparation program on the Newton campus of Georgia Perimeter College in Covington, Georgia, beginning fall semester 2009. This is the first bachelor’s degree program offered on the campus, which opened in June 2007. This program was developed through several years of planning and gives students in the eight-county service area of GPC-Newton a new option in completing their education and certification requirements. Admission and Degree requirements are identical to those on the GSU campus in Atlanta.
The B.S.Ed. major in Early Childhood Education prepares teachers to work in classrooms with children in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. Pre-service teachers are assigned to classroom teachers in area schools each semester. “Field experience is a vital component of our teacher education program. Research tells us that students need hands-on professional experience along with the study of education theory and concepts in order to become highly-qualified, effective teachers,” according to Lynne Jordan, faculty member in the Department of Early Childhood Education and GSU@GPC-Newton coordinator. “Extensive field experiences allow pre-service teachers to learn how to select materials and activities that are well-suited for children at different age levels and in diverse settings. All this experience comes in actual classrooms under the supervision of a mentor teacher as well as a university supervisor,” says Jordan. All pre-service teachers will complete field experiences in schools within the GPC-Newton service area.
Through an agreement between Georgia State University and Georgia Perimeter College, the program will best serve the needs of many area college students who can complete the core requirements as well as program requirements for certification on one campus. For more information on the ECE degree program click here.