MEd in Early Childhood Education (EC16)

EDUC This multidisciplinary program, offered by the Faculty of Education, is a collaboration among multiple departments. Learn more about Faculty-wide graduate programs administered by the Office of Research in Education (ORE).

Offered Online | September 2016

The MEd in Early Childhood Education program, offered online, includes opportunities for participants to inquire into their professional practice with young children. This engaging graduate program offers opportunities to explore issues in early childhood research, theory, and practice.

The early childhood graduate program is an interdisciplinary cross-departmental program that consists of core courses in early childhood education (ECED) and related courses in other departments. This MEd program requires a minimum of 30 credits, including the seven online graduate courses (3 credits each) and 3-credit graduating project (24 credits) posted in the schedule.

To complete their programs, students choose a minimum of 6 credits of electives. These may include 3-credit graduate or undergraduate courses at the 300- and 400- level, many of which are offered online, or on-campus courses; for example the ECED 565 Summer Institutes. These electives require pre-approval from the program’s advisor.

  • Listen to our podcast interview of Dr. Mari Pighini, MEd online advisor, discussing what you can do with an MEd in Early Childhood Education (advance to minute 9:28 to start interview with Dr Mari Pighini)

INFORMATION SESSION

Tuesday, September 29, 2015
3:45 – 5:30 pm (Pacific Time) | online info session

If you missed the online session on September 29, 2015 you can view the recorded session here:

SUBSCRIBE HERE

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Proposed Schedule

While you can complete this program entirely online you may take electives, such as the summer institutes, on campus. Schedule is subject to change.

Year Courses
1 2016 Winter 1 (September – December 2016)

  • EDUC 500 (3 credits) Research Methodology in Education

2017 Winter 2 (January – April 2017)

  • ECED 508B (3 credits) Review of Research in Early Childhood Education

2017 Summer (May – August 2017)

  • ECED 530B (3 credits) Early Childhood Education Development, Intervention, and Inclusion in Early Childhood Education
2 2017 Winter 1 (September – December 2017)

  • ECED 585E (3 credits) Advanced Seminar on Research in Early Childhood Education: Sociocultural Perspectives on Early Childhood Education

2018 Winter 2 (January – April 2018)

  • LLED 556 (3 credits) Theory and Research in Early Literacy

2018 Summer (May – August 2018)

  • ECED 531B (3 credits) Supporting Young Children’s Social Emotional Development in Early Childhood Education
3 2018 Winter 1 (September – December 2018)

  • ECED 585F (3 credits) Advanced Seminar on Research in Early Childhood Education: Leadership and Policy in Early Childhood Education
  • ECED 590* (3 credits) Graduating Project

2019 Winter 2 (January – April 2019)

    • ECED 590* (3 credits) Graduating Project (completion)

*ECED 590 is a 3-credit course, but the course encompasses two terms (Winter 1 and Winter 2).

In addition to 7 courses and the graduating project, students take 2 approved electives. These electives require pre-approval from the program’s advisor. Students may select:

  • 300 or 400-level courses offered on campus (list of ECED courses and recommended electives)
  • 300 or 400-level on-line courses (list of ECED online courses)
  • The IECER Summer Institute (ECED 480 or 565), and the IDSC Summer Institute (ECED 380/565)  that are two-week, intensive courses held on-campus. The subjects for both institutes are new each summer; information is available in the late winter and early spring each year.

Eligible students may apply to transfer a maximum of 6 credits (2 courses) at senior undergraduate level towards the master degree. Students’ eligibility to transfer 6 undergraduate credits towards this Master of Education degree will be assessed after they are accepted in the program.

Courses that have already been used for application may not be used again as electives


All students must meet the requirements for this program, which include:

  • An approved Bachelor of Education degree, OR
  • An approved four-year undergraduate degree in a related field*,
  • An overall average of 76% (B+) or better in all third- and fourth-year courses,
  • Minimum of two years professional experience working with young children in an appropriate setting.

*Related Fields include, but are not limited to: Child and Youth Care, Nursing, Psychology, Social Work, Family Studies and Sciences.

Applicants whose degree is in an unrelated field (e.g., Arts, Commerce, General Studies) may be accepted if they have completed a college or university certificate program in early childhood education from a UBC-approved institution.

Reference Letters & Writing Sample

Applicants are required to submit 3 reference letters (preferably 2 academic and 1 professional) and a writing sample with the online application.

For those students who have no access to a previous paper completed in the last 15 years, or to a publication, or report, please select one of the two articles uploaded here; provide a scholarly summary of the article with your own reflections and connections to practice. This summary has a word count of 500 words, in addition to the reference list that matches references provided in text (preferably using APA format; at the same time, MLA and other formats are acceptable).

  1. Educators’ Social and Emotional Skills Vital to Learning, by Stephanie M. Jones, Suzanne M. Bouffard, and Richard Weissbourd (May 2015). Kappan Magazine, available at http://www.casel.org/research#Pub
    • Reference:  Jones, S.M., Bouffard, S.M., & Weissbourd, R. (2013). Educators’ social and emotional skills vital to learning. Kappan Magazine, May 2013, 62-65. Retrieved from http://www.casel.org/research#Pub
  2. “Today I Had Fun!” Playing Outside A Box Inside A Role Drama (2010) by Scott Hughes. Retrieved from http://einsights.ogpr.educ.ubc.ca/v14n01/articles/hughes/index.html
    • Reference: Hughes, S. (2010). “Today I had fun!” Playing outside a box inside a role drama Educational Insights, 13(4).

Reference letters are very important in the application process and students are urged to find two academic and one professional letters that speak to their academic potential and their professional qualities. At the same time, some applicants may encounter serious difficulties in retrieving these letters. The following options are presented for these applicants:

  1. Academic reference(s): In the event of an applicant not being able to obtain two academic references, one of them could be substituted for a second professional reference that also speaks to the applicant’s capacity to articulate ideas and to support them with the appropriate references when writing reports, summaries, lesson plans, and/or any work related resources. For teachers, academic advisors (teachers who supervised them during their practicum) may be asked to write this letter, should the applicant have no access to another faculty member.)
  2. Professional reference: In the event of an applicant not being able to obtain a professional letter of reference (for example, for those applicants who have been employed for a number of years) a letter from a board or committee overseeing their current place of employment, or a letter from a professional in an agency that has collaborated with their program (for example, from a consultant and coordinator from programs like the Supported Child Development Program, if working with a child or children with special needs) will be acceptable.

ALL APPLICANTS PLEASE NOTE:
The minimum degree requirement for admission is a 4-year bachelor degree. This is a Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies requirement that cannot be waived, regardless of professional experience.

Eligibility for candidates with a 3-year baccalaureate will be assessed on a case-by-case basis by the academic department and the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Please contact Yvette Kharoubeh to discuss your individual case, and for an unofficial preliminary assessment of your credentials.

International Applicants

  • Please refer to the UBC Minimum Academic Requirements for international students posted here.
  • We also recommend that you review the English Language Proficiency Requirements posted here to ensure you meet the English language requirements.

If you require assistance with your application as an international student, please contact the Senior Program Assistant.

Application Status: Apply for the 2017 program here.


1. ONLINE APPLICATION

  • Navigate to grad.ubc.ca/apply/online/.
  • When you are ready to apply, click “Apply Online”.
  • Read the instructions, and either log in with your CWL or create a CWL if you have never attended UBC.
  • Once logged in, on the “Degree Program Selection,” type the 4-character cohort designation EC16 or Early Childhood Education – into the “Program Keyword” field.
  • Under the search results, Vancouver Campus, select the program name, Early Childhood Education, M.E.d. – Professional Cohort.
  • When you reach the “Experience & Interests” page, please select the appropriate program, Early Childhood Education (EC16)
  • When finished entering your information, you must click “Declare & Submit”.
  • You will automatically receive an email acknowledgement, with instructions on documentation and deadlines.

References:

  • When adding your references to your application, you will be asked whether they are professional or academic references. Academic references are those who know you in an academic capacity (e.g. former professors). Professional references would include your principal, vice-principal, or someone who has supervised you.
  • You are required to submit electronic letters of reference. Simply fill in the email addresses of your three referees when completing the online application (an email address is required).

Once you submit and pay for your online application, your referees will automatically receive an email with a link and instructions for completing the electronic reference form.

A letter can take the place of the reference form as long as it addresses the questions posed in the reference form. Despite the apparent size of the text box, referees may type as much as they want.


2. SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

Please have the following ready to upload when you apply:

Transcripts, degree certificates (if applicable), English language assessment report (if applicable), statement of intent, and an up-to-date resume must be uploaded to your application.

important In addition to those uploaded to your online application, you must also submit two (2) sealed transcripts from every post-secondary institution you attended (except UBC), even institutions where you did not complete a program to:

Yvette Kharoubeh
UBC Faculty of Education
Professional Development & Community Engagement
Scarfe Building
1304 – 2125 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4


ASSISTANCE

If you require any assistance with the application process, please contact:

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Program tuition will be divided into eight (8) installments of $1,748.49 plus applicable student fees, payable in September, January, and May of each year. The program total is $13,988 plus applicable student fees.

Tuition fees are in Canadian dollars, are reviewed annually by the UBC Board of Governors, and are subject to change. Historically, this change has been a 2% increase per year (beginning in May). The figures quoted above are current for the 2015-2016 academic year.