Approval has been received to offer the Birth-Kindergarten program in Fall 2013 at the  Appalachian Center at Burke.

Be sure to create an acccount so once approval has been recieved, you will receive notification that we are accepting applications!

Program Description:

The Bachelor of Science in Child Development with teacher licensure, combines the skills and competencies offered within the areas of child development, early childhood education and special education. Visit the academic department program page for more information.

Program Structure:

The program is part-time, year-round, and is cohort-based; meaning the group of identified students who enter this program will begin together and continue together through the specified sequence of required courses leading to the degree. The courses in each cohort will be offered only once, so a student must be prepared to take the courses as they are made available. The program is approximately 2 1/2 to 3 years in length.

Generally, two courses will be provided each term (including summers). Each face-to-face course will be conducted either during the evenings (e.g., 6:00-9:00 pm one evening a week for 15 weeks) or on weekends (e.g, Friday evenings and/or Saturday mornings). During the final term of the program students are required to student teach, which is a full-time experience for the term.

As this is a transfer program, the Junior and Senior level courses required for the BS degree in Child Development: Birth through Kindergarten will be delivered to the designated off-campus site. Appalachian State University faculty will teach each course, and a combination of instructional strategies and course delivery systems may be employed. The modes of delivery may include: the instructor's being present at the site; occasional web-based instruction; and/or live interactive two-way, audio-video sessions via the North Carolina Information Highway (NCIH) network.

Admission Requirements:

Step 1: Admission to Appalachian: Appalachian State’s Undergraduate Transfer Admission Requirements

The application for admission must be complete (online application submitted, the fee paid, and all required supporting documents received) and ready for review by the applicable deadline. Please continue to log into your application to check for missing items until you receive notice that you have been admitted to Appalachian State University.

Since this is a transfer program, no test scores (ACT or SAT) are required for admission.

Step 2: Admission to cohort:

In addition to meeting the University's Admission requirements (re: Step 1), to enter this distance education transfer program, students must also meet the cohort entry requirement of 30 transferable hours.

To determine if your coursework transfers to Appalachian, please visit the transfer equivalency screen.

Do you have an AAS in Early Childhood Education (ECE) from a NC community college?

Check out the ECE to BK program of study!

Note: If a cohort receives more applications than seats available (waitlist), students who have met the PRAXIS I requirement will be given priority consideration for acceptance into the cohort. The PRAXIS I is discussed as part of the Teacher Education Admission Requirements (next section).

Program Requirements:

1. General Education

Although not required for admission to the cohort, individuals planning to enter this program are strongly encouraged to complete the NC 44 hour (CAA)/transfer core, AA or AS degree through a NC community college prior to enrollment in this program. Completion of one of these three options will automatically complete Appalachian's general education requirement. Note: students who begin the cohort program without having the NC 44-hour transfer core or AA or AS degree complete, will need to complete it prior to the last semester in the program.

2. Admission to Teacher Education

After a student begins the off-campus program, s/he must meet the requirements for admission to teacher education. Admission to Teacher Education is required by the end of the first year in the program.

3. Major courses (the majority will be delivered by Appaalchian to the cohort. Courses not delivered by Appalachian are listed under #4)

Child Development: Birth-Kindergarten major checksheet

4.  Major specific courses to be completed outside of cohort program (North Carolina Community College course numbers are listed in parenthesis):

• General Psychology, PSY 1200 (PSY 150)
• Child Development: Birth-2 years, FCS 2101 (EDU 144)
• Child Development: 3-K years, FCS 2104 (EDU 145)
• Child Study & Guidance, FCS 2102 (EDU 146)
• Foods & Nutrition for Children, NUT 2201 (EDU 153)

5. Student Teaching:

Student Teaching is completed during the last semester of the program, and is full-time in a classroom setting.

Career Options:

Graduates of Appalachian's B-K program are currently employed in a variety of settings, both publicly funded and privately sponsored. They work with infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and older children. Some graduates work exclusively with children who have disabilities or developmental delays; some work in classrooms with children who are developing typically; many work in inclusive settings. Click here for a list of career options associated with this degree. For more information about career opportunities contact: Dr. Patricia Hearron , Coordinator of Appalachian's Birth through Kindergarten Program.

B-K graduates with "A" licensure are, also, eligible to pursue graduate degrees in not only B-K but also elementary education or middle grades education.

Read about an Appalachian State University Distance Education Birth-Kindergarten graduate. An inspiring story of determination!

Financial Aid resources:

• Financial Aid Information for Prospective Appalachian Students
• Financial Aid FAQs for Distance Education Students

Request Information

• Create an AppConnect account to stay up to date on important program information and announcements!
• Click here to review upcoming cohorts and application periods

Distance Education Program Manager: Ms. Bronwen Sheffield
Email: sheffieldbl@appstate.edu
Toll-free Phone: 800-355-4084
Local Phone: 828-448-6142
Fax: 828-448-6713

Academic Program Coordinator: Dr. Patricia Hearron, advisor for upper division coursework – e.g. courses delivered to cohort, practici and student teaching questions hearronpf@appstate.edu, 828-262-2660