Early Childhood Education (Graduate Certificate)
If you’re looking to advance your career as an early childhood educator, consider Creighton University’s Early Childhood Education Graduate Certificate.
In this program, you’ll learn to create healthy, respectful, supportive and challenging learning environments for all children. You’ll understand the importance of developing partnerships with families and learn to build relationships that support and empower children and families.
Creighton offers guaranteed scholarships for all current educators to help support and encourage teachers to continue to their education. See tuition and fees section below for more details.
“In my own experience as a student, Creighton's education programs are very user-friendly and easy to work into a busy schedule. They are incredibly practical, enabling you to bring what you're learning in class right to your classroom and life experiences.”
—Jean Hearn, EdD | Associate Professor and Program Director, College of Arts and Sciences
Creighton’s early childhood education graduate certificate program goes far beyond the administrative aspects of the classroom. You’ll learn to model Jesuit values such as the importance of compassion, relationship-building, reflection and humility in your work. Through hands-on, project-based learning experiences, you’ll also gain experience that will prepare you for a successful career in early childhood education.
This early childhood certificate program provides practical learning opportunities in clinical, community and school practicum settings. Your field experience, combined with exposure to a wide variety of teaching and assessment strategies, will prepare you to understand and implement developmentally appropriate practice in your own classroom.
A graduate certificate that fits your lifestyle
We know that a graduate education is no small investment of your time and money, so we make sure that your investment in your early education credential is a smart one—and one that you can fit in your schedule. This 18-credit program is designed to meet the needs of busy professionals and can be completed online in about a year.
Program Details
Program Goals and Curriculum
The Early Childhood Education graduate certificate program is designed for students who have obtained a bachelor’s degree and wish to work as an early childhood educator.
To earn this certificate, you must complete 18 credit hours:
- Foundations and Best Practices of Early Childhood Education
- Investigating Critical and Contemporary Trends and Issues in Early Childhood Education
- Content and Methods Specific to Early Childhood Education
- Significant Concepts for Early Childhood Education
- Assessment, Observation, Screening and Evaluation in Early Childhood Education
- Becoming an Early Childhood Teaching Professional
Faculty
Creighton’s education programs are nationally recognized as excellent by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and by the Higher Learning Commission. This reputation is earned thanks to Creighton’s carefully designed program curricula and standards, as well as the talented faculty who apply Jesuit values to ensure student success.
Professional licensure requirements are determined solely by each state and may change without notice to Creighton. While our information is updated annually, Creighton cannot guarantee continuous accuracy. Current and prospective students can find program-specific PDFs on our Academic Regulations page or consult the appropriate licensing agency in the state where they plan to practice to confirm updated requirements for their program.
Creighton also cannot guarantee that any student will attain state-established licensure or certification in any field or jurisdiction.
Admission Requirements
To be considered for admission to the Early Childhood Education Graduate Certificate program, applicants must:
- Complete an application
- Include an updated curriculum vitae or resume
- Provide an official transcript from the institution that granted the Bachelor’s degree. Read more about sending transcripts
- Teaching license required
- Submit a personal statement of interest in the graduate certificate
A personal interview may be requested in addition to the above requirements. The interview may be conducted in-person or virtually.
Due to the specific features and requirements of this program, international students cannot be admitted. Unique situations may be discussed with your enrollment specialist.
Tuition & Financial Aid
Financial Aid
To help make your graduate studies at Creighton University more affordable, we encourage you to file the FAFSA to apply for financial assistance. We also encourage you to apply for available graduate student scholarships and fellowships.
Have questions? Email or call a friendly financial specialist at 402.280.2731 for any additional questions you may have.
Dates and Deadlines
The table below details the enrollment deadlines and starting dates of courses for the current academic year. If you have any questions about dates, deadlines, or application materials, please contact an admissions advisor for personalized assistance.
ONLINE
| START CLASSES IN | APPLY BY |
| August | August 1* |
*Applications for this program are open in even years only. If you are interested in pursuing your education sooner, please explore our MS in Educational Specialist Areas.
