Degree Requirements
The program requires a minimum of 42 credit hours, including a thesis or a final internship. Candidates must complete the following required courses to earn the Master of Science in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in Early Childhood Education.
Thesis
Each candidate for the Master’s degree must submit an acceptable thesis or complete a semester-long internship. Credit equal to that of one full course (three semester hours) will be granted when a thesis is accepted and successfully defended. It is expected that candidates will register for ECI 698 : Thesis Conference while working on the thesis and register for ECI 700 : Thesis course only during the semester in which the thesis will be defended. However, a student may enroll in an additional three hour course, if necessary, to complete the thesis.
The Thesis Committee Chair must approve thesis proposals. The completed thesis is defended orally before the candidate’s thesis committee and an external person.
The preparation of the thesis is a research experience. It should show the capacity of the student, under guidance, to accomplish independent investigation, and it must demonstrate mastery of the technique of research. It is not expected or required that the thesis shall, in every case, be an original contribution to knowledge. The student, in the preparation of the thesis, is concerned with the materials of knowledge and the evidential basis on which the knowledge rests. The thesis proposal will be prepared in ECI 692 .
The original and three copies of the thesis must be inspected in the Education Office for compliance with the requirements of form and style. The documents must then be deposited in the Division of Education and Social Work not later than the date specified in the academic calendar. All requirements, including the oral examination and the thesis, must be completed by the dates listed in the academic calendar for a student to receive his/her degree during the desired semester.
Internship
In lieu of a thesis, candidates of the master’s program may choose to do a semester-long internship. Internships will require a total of 50 hours of supervised experience working within organizations or agencies that serve young children and families. The internship must be consistent with the theoretical content apparent in the student’s course of study and be designed in consultation with the student’s University Internship Advisor.
Students will have designed their internship experience in ECI 678 Twenty-first Century Leadership in Early Childhood Education and implement it in the 6-hour credit course ECI 702 Internship in Early Childhood , upon approval by the student’s advisor. The internship should be related to the student’s particular area of interest and address how goals and learning outcomes of the internship are compatible with the learning objectives of the program. Upon completion of the internship experience in the student’s final semester, the student will present to the Graduate Committee. All requirements for the internship must be met in order for the student to receive his/her degree.
Research Using Human Subjects
Shaw University has established an Institutional Review Board (IRB). The function of the IRB is to review projects and activities that involve human subjects. The IRB determines if subjects will be placed at risk for each activity planned and conducted. Shaw University is in the process of developing a policy for research using human subjects.