About the B.S. in Early Child Care
Texas Tech University, in collaboration with six other universities, offers this 100 percent online bachelor’s degree via the Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance (GPIDEA). To be admitted, students must have completed at least 30 credit hours applicable to graduation requirements earning at least a 2.5 grade point average in designated prerequisite courses, that must include one course in Lifespan Human Development. Students may be admitted to the program at any one of the participating universities, and the admitting university becomes the student’s “home” (degree-granting) institution. Students will register for all courses at the home institution, although faculty at any of the member institutions may teach offered courses.
The degree consists of 12 core courses and three practica totaling 51 credit hours, and additional hours may be needed in order to meet credit hour and other graduation requirements at the degree-granting university. This bachelor’s degree program will prepare students to work in early childhood settings with young children ages birth through eight years of age, especially those whose family members are highly mobile. Employment will typically be in a variety of programs that offer early care and education in the community and on military installations. Students will not receive teacher certification as part of this online bachelor’s degree, but can seek post-baccalaureate or alternative certification upon completion.
Communication Literacy Requirement. Students attending Texas Tech University for the first time in the Fall 2017 term or later will complete a Communication Literacy requirement in their program(s) of study.
Texas Tech University’s transition from the Writing Intensive requirement to the Communication Literacy requirement signals the university’s awareness that in addition to the fundamental role that writing plays in enabling students to explore, develop, focus, and organize a message, other types of communication must also be taught as appropriate for a student’s discipline. Throughout each program of study, then, students must be given ample opportunity to develop their skills in forms of communication central to that program. The Communication Literacy courses for the Early Child Care major include HDFS 3310 , HDFS 3312 , and HDFS 3686 .
The Bachelor of Science in Early Child Care at Texas Tech (listed as Early Childhood Education in a Mobile Society on the GPIDEA website) prepares students to work in early childhood settings with young children whose family members are highly mobile. When students complete the program they will be qualified to work in a variety of programs that offer early care and education for children birth - age 8 and particularly those with highly mobile populations such as military installations. For more information see www.depts.ttu.edu/elearning/bachelors/early-child-care/.
