A Degree in Early Childhood Education with Teacher Licensure
If you enjoy interacting with children and helping families, you may enjoy studying early childhood education. You will take classes about specific stages of child development and how family, community, and culture play a role. You will learn how environmental and social factors affect physical, cognitive, and emotional development in children ages 0-8 (infants to 3rd grade).
This program is housed in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies. The first two years of your program can be completed on-campus or online. The final two years are foundational coursework needed for your teacher licensure and must be completed on campus. Please check tuition rates as online and on-campus vary.
Please see below for additional information and an overview of the structure for first-year and transfer students.
Early Childhood Education with Teacher Licensure Important Program Information
Major in Early Childhood Education with Teacher Licensure Curriculum
Program Overview
The ECE-L major is offered through the Department of Human Development and Family Studies and the Colorado State University Educator Preparation program. Current and transfer students apply to participate in teacher licensure cohorts. More information can be found in the CSU Course Catalog.
Application for Education Coursework
For current and some transfer students, there is a process for joining the School of Education teacher licensure cohort. Here is the application for the next cohort.
The deadline to apply for the Fall 2026 cohort is Feb. 6, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. MST.
Credits and GPA
Students must complete 120 total credits, including 42 upper division credits (300/400 level courses), of which 30 upper division credits must be completed through CSU. Fifteen of the last 30 credits must also be completed through CSU. Both the cumulative GPA and AUCC GPA must be at least 2.0. To apply for teacher licensure through the state of Colorado, you will need a minimum GPA of 2.75 and 60 applicable credits; you can talk about this with your adviser to determine if credits are applicable.
Curriculum and Foundational Courses
Online Course Offerings
Online tuition is paid to CSU Online and is separate from on-campus tuition. Different policies and deadlines apply. Before taking online courses students should consult with Student Financial Services, financialaid.colostate.edu/.
Transfer Credits
Transfer courses may be applied to this degree program. A maximum of 64 credits will be accepted from a community college. Students must verify course transferability ahead of time by using Transferology or through consultation with the Registrar’s Office as well as their academic adviser if courses are not directly equivalent. A minimum grade of C- must be earned for transfer credit. Transfer courses are not calculated in students’ CSU GPA nor applied towards eligibility for graduation with distinction.
Important Dates
Pre-Application
- Info Session: Wednesday, Oct. 15, 5-6:30 p.m. | Behavioral Sciences Building 103 | Join via Zoom
- ECE-L Support Workshop – Application for Education Coursework #1: Thursday, Nov. 13, 11 a.m. – noon | Eddy 117
- ECE-L Support Workshop #2: Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026 | Join via Zoom
Post-Application
- Applications Due: Friday, Feb. 6, 2026
- Students receive notification: Friday, March 6, 2026
- Mandatory ECE-L Orientation: Wednesday, April 8, 5-6:30 p.m. | Location TBD
Path to Consider Master of Education + Early Childhood Education
If you already have a bachelor’s degree and are interested in pursuing a master’s degree as well as your teacher licensure, we invite you to explore our M.Ed. and ECE Teacher Licensure hybrid program offered through CSU Online.
