EARLY CHILDHOOD/EARLY CHILDHOOD SPECIAL EDUCATION

Bachelor’s Degree Program

Communities everywhere have a critical need for highly trained early childhood educators and childcare professionals. Today’s education profession also demands the ability to teach in inclusive settings.

In response to these needs, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater offers dual licensure in Early Childhood Education and Early Childhood Special Education. Our blended program is the first of its kind in the UW System.

What can you do with an Early Childhood/Early Childhood Special Education degree?

This bachelor’s degree program will prepare you to work with children from birth through age 8. More specifically, you’ll be qualified to apply for a license through the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction to teach regular and special education at the early childhood development level. You’ll be prepared to teach in community childcare facilities, birth-to-three programs, Head Start, preschool, 4- and 5-year-old kindergarten, and grades one through three in public and private elementary schools.

4-year plan Apply

Job success

100% of our early childhood/early childhood special education majors were employed or enrolled in graduate school a year after graduation (2023-24 research survey respondents).

On-campus Children's Center

UW-Whitewater’s award-winning Children’s Center — an accredited, year-round, full-day childcare facility for area families — partners with students and faculty from the Early Childhood and Special Education program. The center recently celebrated 50 years of service and earned the 2024 Academic Staff Excellence Award from the Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents.

Read about this award

Hands-on experience

Early Childhood/Early Childhood Special Education majors are in the field gaining experience their first year and each semester thereafter.

We’re also ranked No. 1 for value among schools in the Universities of Wisconsin!

Why study Early Childhood/Early Childhood Special Education at UW-Whitewater?

We might seem like a large university, but our program size is just right. When you select this major, you’ll be part of a cohort. This means you’ll move through the program with the same group of peers, allowing you the chance to build relationships and a solid support network.

Here are a few other advantages to earning your degree in Early Childhood/Early Childhood Special Education at UW-Whitewater:

Expand your knowledge with courses focused on assessment; social emotional development; and identity, culture and social justice
Access an Early Childhood Education resource room with teaching supplies
Collaborate with a dedicated librarian who specializes in education
Explore the library’s robust curriculum collection, complete with innovative games, technologies and books
Participate in team-building programs each semester of the program

What our students do

Gain first-hand teaching experience in local schools

Pursue research with faculty mentors

Travel and participate in international and cross-cultural field and student teaching placements

Clinical experiences

A UW-Whitewater student, wearing a Warhawk football jersery, reads a book to a classroom of children.

Early Childhood/Early Childhood Special Education majors at UW-Whitewater engage in hands-on experience, from observing local Head Start classrooms to applying everything you’ve learned as a student teacher.

Clinical placements with all age levels and in multiple environments during your first five semesters prepare you for your final student teaching experience.

Each year, at our annual Project Showcase and Graduation Celebration, teacher candidates share their student teaching work and other accomplishments with their peers, families, friends, community, faculty and staff members.

Campus involvement

A smiling student stands at a table outdoors with a sign that says Aspiring Educators.

Early Childhood/Early Childhood Special Education majors often join campus organizations such as:

Best Buddies

As part of this national organization, our chapter matches college students with people with intellectual disabilities for one-on-one friendships.
Learn more about Best Buddies »

Aspiring Educators of Wisconsin

Provides educational and social opportunities to future teachers, and is a branch of both the National Education Association and the Wisconsin Education Association Council.
Learn more about Aspiring Educators of Wisconsin »

Undergraduate Research Program

Apply your knowledge outside of the classroom, working alongside a mentor as a student researcher, or creating an independent, student-led project with a mentor's help.
Learn more about Undergraduate Research »

Cross-cultural experiences

As an Early Childhood/Early Childhood Special Education major, you have the chance to spend part of your student teaching semester abroad; recent students have traveled to Ecuador, Jamaica, Mexico and Sweden.

Our students also have the unique opportunity to study within Wisconsin’s Ojibwe community.

Explore international options

What our graduates do

Classroom teachers, kindergarten through third grade

Lead teachers, infant to preschool classrooms

Blue icon of a building filled with people.

Center director or owner

Early Childhood/Early Childhood Special Education jobs: Career success

Our graduates find success in a variety of careers, from leading classrooms to working with students one-on-one to running their own businesses.

Here are just a few typical jobs in Early Childhood/Early Childhood Special Education:

Child care/day care centers and programs in a variety of locations, formats, affiliations and types, including
- private
- nonprofit
- religious/faith-based
- corporate
- university/college lab
- employer-sponsored
Preschools
Elementary schools
Home school settings
Head Start programs
Early Head Start programs
County birth-to-three agencies
Home visiting programs
State or non-profit organizations focused on policy or adult education

Many of our graduates continue on to graduate school, such as earning a master’s degree in special education or education leadership.

Contact us

Want to learn more about Early Childhood/Early Childhood Special Education at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater? education@uww.edu

Our faculty

Since our program is interdisciplinary, you’ll work with faculty and staff members from both our Special Education and Curriculum and Instruction departments.

Our faculty and staff members have expertise and research interests in many areas, including:

assessment
evidence-based practices
early intervention
social-emotional development
emotional/behavioral disorders
literacy
race, culture and identity in early childhood education

We are published authors, research mentors and principal investigators on past and new grant-funded projects.

Meet our faculty

Programs and degree requirements

UW-Whitewater offers the following Early Childhood/Early Childhood Special Education degree:

Bachelor of Science in Education — Early Childhood/Early Childhood Special Education

Our program follows a structured 4 year plan that will prepare you for state licensure; this includes traditional coursework and clinical placements. Here’s a small sample of classes you will take:

Working With Children and Families in a Diverse Society
Language Development and Disorders in Children
Art in the Early Years
Curriculum, Methods, & Materials for Children with Multiple Disabilities
Medical Aspects of Disability
Integrated Curriculum
Leadership in Early Childhood Education

While you can declare Early Childhood/Early Childhood Special Education as your major when you enter the school, you’ll need to be admitted to Professional Education separately. This requires:

completion of 30 credits
a GPA of at least 2.75 with the top 30 students, by GPA at time of application, admitted to the program
passing all three pre-professional skills tests
attending all required program meetings/orientation

How to apply

To apply, you’ll complete the UW-Whitewater application for admission and indicate your interest in earning a degree in Early Childhood/Early Childhood Special Education.