Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Studies (Completion Program)
Transfer your credits and gain a full understanding of early childhood development and behavior.
The Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Studies (Completion Program) is a degree designed for students who have earned an associate’s degree, or a minimum of 60 college credits, looking to earn their Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Studies. This program equips you with the skills needed to begin, or advance in, careers in childcare and early childhood studies (from birth through age eight or third grade). The program is not designed as a teacher certification program, nor does it lead to state licensure.
This program provides childhood education professionals with a degree to pursue growth and promotion opportunities in administration, management, or specialized areas. The Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Studies is aligned with the professional standards in the field, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). This program provides you with multi-disciplined knowledge, insights, and strategies that you can apply to the job right away. Students receive a comprehensive education that comprises foundational general education courses as well as specialized courses covering ECS-specific topics such as child development, educational psychology, and curriculum design.
Successful completion of the program may enable graduates to work with age-appropriate childcare organizations, preschools, private kindergartens, private elementary schools, and Head Start programs.
If you do not have an associate’s degree or 60 college credits, Aspen offers a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Studies program that provides a general education foundation in addition to the business curriculum.
Enjoy Flexibility– 20 online courses with program start dates every 2 weeks
Choose Where You Learn– Online courses
Affordable Monthly Payments
Focus on Your Passion– Choose your capstone project
Why More Students Are Choosing Aspen
BSECS Courses
Aspen’s early childhood studies curriculum features 20 courses designed to equip you with broad, practical skills related to the early childhood studies field. Taught by experienced educators from diverse industries, you’ll have the opportunity to apply new knowledge directly to your field through the integration of your BSECS capstone project.
View the course schedule for this program: BSECS Completion Degree Plan
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SBS200 - Human Development
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COM220 - Management Communication
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ECE302 - Children with Exceptionalities
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ECE407 - Infant and Toddler Mental Health
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ECE304 - Curriculum for Young Children
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MAT350 - Quantitative Methods
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ECE307 - Early Childhood Research
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ECE303 - Language Development
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ECE403 - Promoting Literacy in Preschool
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ECE401 - Guiding Preschool Behavior
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ECE402 - Strategies for Classroom Management
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ECE400 - Play and Learning for Young Children
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ECE406 - Quality Early Childhood Programs for Infants and Toddlers
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ECE409 - Developmentally Appropriate Practices in Infant and Toddler Settings
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ECE405 - Developmentally Appropriate Practices in Preschool and School Age Settings
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ECE410 - Bridging: Assessment in Early Childhood Settings
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ECE411 - Early Cognition and Learning I: The Preschool Years
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ECE412 - Early Cognition and Learning II: The Early Years
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MGT424 - Leadership in Organizations
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ECE499 - Senior Capstone
Using an interdisciplinary approach that emphasizes culture and family, Human Development challenges students to understand development from a broader perspective. Students draw on their own experiences as they weigh the research and ideas presented in the course. The course explores controversies about human development, often within a specific cultural context. Florida Course Numbering System Equivalent: DEP 2004
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course focuses on the skills and strategies that managers need in today’s workplace. The role of communications will be explored, as well as an examination of effective communications in hiring and promoting, conflict management, presentations, routine messages, and reporting and proposals. Studies consistently report the importance of communication to business success, and managers frequently correlate communications proficiency with career satisfaction and progress. This course builds that ability central to managers as they pursue goals and objectives.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course identifies how to modify learning activities for both the early childhood and special education student. Students develop and understand a variety of education practices for teaching the early childhood student with exceptionalities. This course allows the student to develop greater versatility in his/her chosen field as they explore alternative early interventionist careers in the field. Early childhood students with exceptionalities are now enrolled in a variety of settings and are served by professionals and paraprofessionals with diverse backgrounds and expertise in the field. Our objective now is to present a course that plays a major role in the development of all who serve early childhood students.
3 CreditsRequired Books
The factors addressed in Infant and Toddler Mental Health prepares future professionals who work with Infants and Toddlers with exceptionalities with specialized knowledge, training, and experience. This course provides an excellent overview for the beginning professional in this field. In looking toward the future of early intervention and early childhood special education, the core values and approaches early childhood specialists and developmental psychologists have long advocated for, continue to guide the development and evaluation of effective practices in working with both students and families. In the era of accountability, this course prepares professionals who work with early childhood students with exceptionalities how to demonstrate that the services provided result in improved outcomes for students and families.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course was written for early childhood professionals of students from birth to 8 years of age. It was prepared in response to the need for present and future professionals to understand the role of the early childhood student’s development within the curriculum. In this course, the curriculum discussed is planned for the early childhood stages. Attention is given to increased legislation and mandatory testing that affects how teachers are expected to teach early childhood students. This course explores national and state goals and standards in the language arts and mathematics with strategies for how these specific standards may be met with appropriate learning activities.
3 CreditsRequired Books
The quantitative approach involves using numbers to help define, describe, and resolve a wide range of business problems. Quantitative Methods is an overview of statistical techniques used in business decision-making. Students examine research design, statistics, data analysis, and research methodology.
3 CreditsRequired Books
The purpose of this course is to provide students with current information for developing an integrated approach to curriculum in the early years of education. This course intends to bridge the worlds of child-care and early education, as well as those of preprimary and primary programs. In addition, it addresses early childhood education professionals working in settings with young children from birth to age 8. The ideas in this course have been extensively field tested and found to be effective. All are designed to give students a cohesive view of the what, why, and how of developmentally appropriate practices. This course is valuable to a broad range of early childhood professionals.
3 CreditsRequired Books
The purpose of the Language Development course is to provide early childhood professionals with a foundation of knowledge needed to develop learning environments where language development is enhanced. This course is designed to examine effective learning activities that are appropriate for the early childhood student’s motivation and development. This course reviews language acquisition assessments used to determine the early childhood student’s level of progress and the appropriateness of each learning experience. Students review how to recognize the beginning of the early childhood student’s language development and communicative competencies through the critical nature of parent-infant interactions established through eye contact, shared reference, and turn-taking,. Students analyze early attempts at writing by invented spelling, while reflecting on how to respond to the writing and provide learning activities that enhance the development of literacy.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course focuses on how literacy develops in young children and the ways in which early childhood professionals can encourage the natural emergence of early reading and writing. This course emphasizes multicultural children's literature and introduces professionals to a variety of multicultural children’s books. This course provides practical supports and strategies for early childhood professionals, such as how to set up a literacy friendly environment, and it provides many suggestions for using classroom materials and centers to support literacy. This course also discusses in detail articles from various researchers in the field, and analyzes a variety of topics that affect the early childhood professional. This course offers an effective approach for guiding early literacy in preschool, and is applicable to most early childhood professionals.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course is a practical guide to understanding and using a child-centered philosophy. The philosophy presented in this course is balanced, and child-centered. This course addresses the developmental needs and abilities of early childhood students and enables professionals to implement high standards for behavior. The problem solving philosophy analyzed in this course emphasizes the early childhood student’s ability to solve their own problems when they are trusted and encouraged to do so. It contains the basic theoretical information needed to understand problem solving, yet its emphasis is on application, on working with groups of children in early childhood settings on a daily basis.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course explores creating and managing a developmentally appropriate early childhood settings. Topics include young children's growth and development, long-term and short-term planning, room arrangements, center ideas, and scheduling and management.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course examines the vital importance of play as a developmental tool, supporting all those who work in the early childhood field and who care in developing and implementing the highest quality play experiences for young children.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course combines a child-centered philosophy with problem-solving strategies and a thorough discussion of diversity. This is an ideal introduction to curriculum and care for infants and toddlers. This course reviews the Ten Principles that are the underlying framework for early childhood studies and reviews respectful techniques on the part of caregivers. In addition, this course emphasizes honoring diversity and infant-toddler exceptionalities while analyzing the latest research in brain development.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course provides a guide for thoughtful consideration of classroom and caregiver practices in preschool & school age settings. The two periods covered in this course are the prenatal period (9 months) and infancy and toddlerhood (birth to 2 years of age).
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course builds on the foundational principles presented in ECE 409 (Developmentally Appropriate Practices in Infant and Toddler Settings) with an introduction to early child development. The focuses of this course include appropriate assessment practices during these developmental years. The two periods covered in this course are the development of young children and children are of school age (middle childhood).
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course is designed for individuals who are preparing to become early childhood educators. This course prepares students to measure or evaluate early childhood students and analyzes the differences between assessing this age range versus that of older students. This course includes discussion of assessment in the early childhood years written from a developmental perspective.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course covers observation techniques for assessing child development in the emotional, social, physical, cognitive, language, and creative areas of development. Students learn methods and techniques for assessing child development supplemented with exercises and study of how to best apply an understanding of early cognition in order to develop a nurturing and beneficial educational setting for young children.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course focuses on early childhood studies by examining theories related to development and learning and provides examples of methods and practices best implemented to ensure healthy, well-rounded development of children in the early childhood education setting. This course also presents current education legislation related to testing, assessment and curriculum development and the effect that this legislation has on the field of early childhood. Students study nutrition, play, and the importance of creativity with a focus on practices designed to assist children with exceptionalities. This course examines cultural awareness in the classroom and how to be aware of multi-cultural issues in a diverse classroom. Students complete assignments to ensure comprehension of the material presented in the course as well as field activities in the classroom or with children in a variety of settings.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course provides a basic foundation of skills needed to equip students for future leadership activities. It introduces the history, philosophy, theories, and concepts of leadership and its relationship to the management of organizational change. Students identify and hone their own personal characteristics that will help them develop into effective leaders.
3 CreditsRequired Books
The purpose of this individualized capstone experience is to enable students, to develop an original, comprehensive research project on a topic of professional or personal interest. This project-based course is designed to encourage students to draw upon knowledge and experience gained over the course of program. The project allows students the opportunity to integrate additional related educational or professional development activities. Projects are intended to be of applied and pragmatic nature, producing valuable research outcomes and findings either in connection with the student’s organizational situation, or in the exploration of entrepreneurial opportunities. This course satisfies the Proctored Exam requirement for this program.
3 CreditsRequired Books
“One day, I stumbled upon Aspen University, whose monthly payment plan was interest-free and provided the opportunity to avoid financial debt. It allowed me to continue my childcare job in New York and take online classes to fit my schedule.”
Zaria B.
BS Early Childhood Studies (Completion Program), graduated October 2024Cost & Time to Completion
The Best Fit for Working Adults
We understand the difficulties in pursuing your bachelor’s degree when you have a demanding work schedule. The 8-week courses at Aspen University allow you to complete your program in as little as 2 years.
Our Monthly Payment Plan Makes Us Different.
Paying for your bachelor’s degree shouldn’t be complicated. Our Monthly Payment Plan makes it easy for working professionals to finance their BSECS program.
Tuition Rates
| $15,000 | Tuition |
| $2,325 | Fees |
| $3,000 |
Estimated
Textbook
Costs
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| $20,325 | |
Other Ways to Finance Your Degree
Students who have served, or are currently serving in the United States Military and their legal spouses are eligible to receive a Military Affiliation Discount from Aspen University.
Aspen University is currently approved by the U.S. Department of Education to offer federal student aid for the BSECS program.
Aspen University maintains employee tuition discount partnerships with a large and growing number of organizations. Tell your enrollment advisor where you work and ask them to check for you prior to enrolling.
Aspen offers several payment plans for students to fund their education.
Admission Requirements
Application – A completed application; Aspen does not charge an application fee
High School Diploma or GED – Official Transcript demonstrating a valid high school diploma or GED; this requirement is waived if you have completed at least 15 credits of college-level coursework (see Catalog for more information)
Career Outlook
A Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Studies equips graduates with a comprehensive understanding of child development and early education. This degree typically includes an in-depth study of educational theories, child psychology, and practical teaching methods. As awareness of the significance of early childhood education continues to expand, so does the demand for highly qualified professionals in this field.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for preschool teachers is expected to grow by 4% from 2023 to 2033. Graduates with a BS in Early Childhood Studies are well-prepared for careers as preschool and kindergarten teachers, childcare center directors, and early childhood education consultants. They may also find opportunities in areas such as special education, educational policy, and family support services. The broader educational foundation provided by a bachelor’s degree also opens pathways to roles in curriculum development, educational program administration, and advocacy.
Ultimately, obtaining a BS in Early Childhood Studies offers a rewarding career path focused on fostering young children’s cognitive, emotional, and social development, ensuring their successful start in life and education.
Average Annual Salary for Preschool Teachers
$37,130
Data pulled from the Bureau of Labor Statistics in Fall 2024. Salary can vary widely depending on geographical location and role.
BS Early Childhood Studies Frequently Asked Questions
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Who is the BSECS program intended for?
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Can I finish this degree online?
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Can students work while completing this program?
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Can I use this degree to continue my education?
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I hold a CDA certification from the Child Development Associate National Credentialing Program. Can I use that for credit in this program?
This program is ideal for individuals who are passionate about working with young children in educational or care settings, such as preschools, early learning centers, and child development programs. It’s also suited for those interested in pursuing leadership roles, advocacy, or further education in the field.
Yes, Aspen’s BSECS degree program is completed online.
Yes, this program is designed for working adults, with flexible program start dates and online learning.
Yes, this program will prepare students to pursue a master’s degree. Graduates from this program can apply to Aspen’s Master of Education program.
Applicants who hold valid and current CDA certification from the Child Development Associate National Credentialing Program are eligible to receive twelve credits in lieu of the following courses: four general education elective courses.