Pre-Early Childhood General and Special Education & Lower Elementary Education: Birth through Grade 3, A.A. (Western Michigan University)

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Academic Plan Code: 648

This program lays the foundation for students to transfer into the Birth to Third grade Pre-Early Childhood Pre-General and Special Education and Lower Elementary Education bachelor’s degree program at Western Michigan University. The Birth to Grade 3 (B-3) major at WMU is designed for students seeking to teach and direct programs in a variety of early care and classroom settings serving infants through school age children, both in general settings and special education settings such as preschool classes, lower elementary classrooms, childcare centers, Head Start Programs, Early Intervention home visiting programs, and special education settings from birth to 3rd grade. The program at WMU is a standalone major that leads to certification for Birth to 3rd grade (B-3). The program’s general and special education curriculum provides students with the skills, dispositions, and knowledge needed to be a leader in Birth to Third grade education.

The Birth to Grade 3 B.S. degree is accomplished by completing this A.A. program at GRCC and transferring seamlessly to complete the Early Childhood General and Special Education B-3 degree at WMU. By declaring this Articulated Pre-Major, students are on track to graduate with both an associate of arts degree from GRCC, as well as a bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University. Following completion of the WMU curriculum, graduates will be eligible for credentialing as early childhood general and special education (B-K) and early elementary (PK-3) teachers under MDE regulations.

General Transfer Notes & Michigan Transfer Agreement

The coursework needed to complete this program is listed below. The courses transfer and satisfy requirements at Western Michigan University.

Students should contact Western Michigan University to obtain additional detailed information about transfer requirements. Western Michigan University ultimately makes the decisions about how each course will be used to meet the bachelor’s degree requirements. Students should also review the specific admission requirements for Western Michigan University and this Early Childhood General and Special Education & Lower Elementary Education: Birth through Grade 3 program.

GRCC advisors and faculty are available to help students navigate transfer resources and create an individualized transfer plan, including selection of elective courses, which meets all GRCC and Western Michigan University requirements.

Graduates of this program will earn an Associate of Arts degree from GRCC and may be eligible to earn the Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) credential.

General Education Courses

Select a minimum of 30 credit hours of coursework from the General Education course list. Select coursework as directed below. Use transfer resources available and advising to select coursework based on Western Michigan University requirements.

English Composition and Communications

EN 101 - English Composition I Credit Hours: 3
COM 131 - Fundamentals of Public Speaking Credit Hours: 3
OR
COM 135 - Interpersonal Communication Credit Hours: 3

Humanities

Select one (1) Humanities General Education Elective from a subject other than EN.

EN 250 - Exploration of Children’s and Early Adolescents’ Literature Credit Hours: 3
Humanities General Education - Elective Credit Hours: varies by course

Social Sciences

Select two (2) Social Sciences General Education Electives from two (2) different subject areas.

Social Sciences General Education - Elective Credit Hours: varies by course
Social Sciences General Education - Elective Credit Hours: varies by course

Natural Sciences and Mathematics

Natural Sciences

PH 111 - Physics of Everyday Life Credit Hours: 5
SCI 201 - Integrated Life Science Credit Hours: 4

Mathematics

MA 124 - Mathematics for Liberal Arts Students Credit Hours: 4

General Education Total Credit Hours

30 (minimum)

Program Courses

EDU 118 - Human Growth and Development I Credit Hours: 4
EDU 205 - Foundations of Early Literacy Instruction Credit Hours: 4
EDU 200 - Introduction to Education Credit Hours: 3
EDU 210 - Infant/Toddler Development Credit Hours: 4
EDU 212 - Observation, Documentation, and Assessment Credit Hours: 3
EDU 218 - Early Childhood Program Administration Credit Hours: 3
EDU 227 - Early Childhood Curriculum and Implementation Credit Hours: 4
EDU 230 - Introduction to Early Childhood Special Education and Inclusion Credit Hours: 4
EDU 260 - Emergent Literacy Credit Hours: 3
EDU 285 - Professionalism in Education Credit Hours: 2

Total Credit Hours

64 (minimum)

In What Order Should I Take Classes?

Please select courses from the Priority I list. Select courses based on the number of credits you are taking in the semester, for example, if you are a part time student you do not have to take all of the courses listed. If you are unable to schedule Priority I courses, move to and select from the list of Priority II, Priority III, and Priority IV courses.

Priority I	Priority II
EN 101 - English Composition I SCI 201 - Integrated Life Science General Education Course EDU 118 - Human Growth and Development I EDU 200 - Introduction to Education	EN 102 - English Composition II OR COM 131 - Fundamentals of Public Speaking OR COM 135 - Interpersonal Communication MA 124 - Mathematics for Liberal Arts Students EN 250 - Exploration of Children’s and Early Adolescents’ Literature EDU 212 - Observation, Documentation, and Assessment EDU 210 - Infant/Toddler Development
Priority III	Priority IV
General Education Course General Education Course EDU 227 - Early Childhood Curriculum and Implementation EDU 230 - Introduction to Early Childhood Special Education and Inclusion PH 111 - Physics of Everyday Life	EDU 260 - Emergent Literacy EDU 285 - Professionalism in Education EDU 205 - Foundations of Early Literacy Instruction EDU 218 - Early Childhood Program Administration

NOTE: This priority schedule assumes the student is prepared to take the courses listed. If prerequisites are required, additional semesters may be required to complete this degree.

Meet with an Academic Program Advisor and consult my Academdic Progress for specific degree requirements.