Early Childhood and Elementary Education Double Major

Welcome to the site for the Double Major in Early Childhood/Elementary Education, a program in the Department of Teacher Education, housed in the Seidel School of Education and Professional Studies at Salisbury University. Our faculty and staff members are committed to preparing prospective teachers and we look forward to working with you.

Our work is guided by a conceptual framework centered on knowledge, skills and dispositions, critical for today’s educators to promote student success. You can find information about our Conceptual Framework’s specific themes and associated learning outcomes at http://www.salisbury.edu/Seidel/cf.html.

Salisbury University is distinguished in offering three nationally accredited programs: Elementary Education (Grades 1-6), Early Childhood Education (Grades Pre-K-3) and the Double Major in Early Childhood/Elementary Education (Grades Pre-K through Grade 6). Middle grades certification can be obtained by taking the Praxis II in a specific content area.

Becoming a teacher is a very important career. Teachers touch the lives of many children, helping them to become life long learners and positive citizens of the world. If one is considering entering the teaching profession, it should not be taken lightly. The role of the teacher is one of the most meaningful careers anyone can pursue and it takes a dedicated person to read critically, understand the development of children, and continually seek best practices to provide the best enriching, stimulating environment in which our children can learn and grow physically,  socially, emotionally and cognitively.

Many students assume that having a double major will make them more marketable when seeking employment in the teaching profession. This may often be true, but an even truer reality is that students with the double major may also feel obligated to accept a position outside of their comfort zone due to their certification in teaching within a broad range of children’s ages.

Before students seek a Double Major, consider this:

  • Can you see yourself teaching Pre-Kindergarten?
  • What about accepting a position teaching 6th Grade?
  • If you truly can see yourself being excited about teaching the very young child as well as the intermediate student, then by all means, this degree may be just what you are looking for.
  • On the other hand, if you are a bit uncomfortable teaching the very young, or equally uncomfortable teaching the intermediate grades, you may want to focus more on either the elementary education degree or the early childhood degree.

The time frame for completing the double major is approximately 4 ½ years. Considering students are certified in two areas, the additional semester is well worth it. If time is an issue, taking courses during summer and winter sessions will help to shrink the extra semester to fit more in the realm of a 4-year program. The internship for the double major requires three 7-week placements; all placements will be within the same semester, concurrent with one another. Interns in this program during Block D (see attached checklist) will be placed in a Pre-K or K classroom, a first, second or third grade classroom and a 4th grade or higher classroom to complete the program; additionally they  will begin earlier and end later during the semester of internship than those students seeking a single certification. Double major students are required to complete 100 days their senior year, as is required in the other 2 programs.

Please peruse the web site for early childhood education and elementary education before making a choice. For more information about the double major, contact the director of Early Childhood Education, Dr. Chin-Hsiu Chen, TETC 281g; cxchen@salisbury.edu.

We encourage you to carefully review all information in the Academics Menu and note the following important links: 

Although you are expected to meet regularly with your assigned faculty advisor to discuss your progress, you are responsible for meeting all Elementary and Early Childhood Education requirements, as well as the general requirements outlined in the University Catalog.