WCU's fully online Birth-Kindergarten Program leads to a B.S. degree with a concentration in either early childhood or professional education as well as North Carolina licensure. This online, undergraduate degree is designed for students who have earned their Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree and are interested in pursuing state licensure to teach early childhood education. The program sets out to provide students with the skills to meet children's social, emotional, physical and intellectual needs from birth to kindergarten in a variety of settings.
The BK Undergraduate Degree Program offers the following concentrations:
Students who choose the professional education option are interested in possibly teaching kindergarten, public school pre-k or NC pre-k. Students must pass Praxis I and complete two semesters of internship. The course work between the professional education concentration and the early childhood concentration differ greatly. In order to obtain NC teaching license in Birth to Kindergarten, students will be required to complete 2 semesters of internship. Approved internship placement sites are limited to public NC Pre K, HeadStart, and Kindergarten classrooms (this does NOT include Early HeadStart). The internship for professional education is 6 credit hours for Internship I and 12 credit hours for Internship II.
Professional Education Concentration
Liberal Studies (42 hours)
Birth-Kindergarten Core Courses (30 hours)
Professional Education Concentration Courses (39 hours)
Guided Electives (9 hours)
Download checklist for professional education
Download checklist for North Carolina Statewide Articulation Agreement for professional education
Students who choose early childhood are not certified to teach in the public schools. They are generally interested in working with young children & their families in settings other than public schools. There is no internship for the early childhood concentration. Students are required to complete 18 credit hours of action research, in which they need to be in an early childhood setting.
Early Childhood Concentration
Liberal Studies (42 hours)
Birth-Kindergarten Core Courses (30 hours)
Early Childhood Concentration Courses (30 hours)
Guided Electives (15 hours)
Download checklist for early childhood
BK Early Childhood Bachelor Degree Plan
泫圖弝けapp's open the door for those who already have degrees and are ready for the challenge of teaching. Our programs are designed to recruit, train, and support recent college graduates, mid-career professionals, and retirees as they enter the teaching profession.
As a student in Western's alternative licensure program, you will many opportunities to observe and work with public school master teachers. We have dedicated faculty with strong public school partnerships.
Eligibility: Baccalaureate degree with a cumulative 3.0 GPA.
Results: Recommendation for a Birth-Kindergarten teaching initial or add-on license.
Instructional Format: Online asynchronous format. Each course requires some type of field experience component. One full semester of intern/student teaching is required, in the subject & grade of the licensure concentration, and should be fulfilled after all other course work is successfully finished. Approved placements for the internship are limited to public NC Pre K, Headstart, and Kindergarten classrooms (this does NOT include Early Headstart). The internship is not a paid internship. However, lateral entry teachers may complete internship using their own classroom.
Admission: Students may begin Spring or Fall semester. Application deadline for the B-K program is November 1 for Spring term, and April 1 for Fall term.
The Department of Human Services offers a Bachelor of Science degree through the Birth Kindergarten Distance Learning Program. Birth Kindergarten Distance Learning courses are accessed through the Canvas learning management system. All instructional activities such as lectures, group interactions, reading assignments, class projects, presentations, submission of assignments, e-mail exchange, test administration, and other course functions occur within the Canvas environment.
All Distance Learning students should follow WCU guidelines for specifications. In addition, all Distance Learning students should be able to perform common computer functions such as e-mailing, chat, discussion boards, browsing the Internet, zipping and unzipping files, downloading and uploading files, keyword searching, and be able to use Microsoft Office products including Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.
Chat Rooms synchronous (at the same time) communication with others in the class
Discussion Boards asynchronous (not at the same time) communication with others in the class
Drop Boxes electronic tool(s) for uploading and submitting written assignments and files
Online Tests self-administration of timed quizzes and exercises
Email communication between two or more members of the class
To be accepted into the Birth-Kindergarten Distance Learning Program, a prospective student must meet the application requirements of the University and:
A minimum of 120 semester hours are required. This requirement is comprised of:
Early Childhood Concentration
Liberal Studies (42 hours)
Birth-Kindergarten Core Courses (30 hours)
Early Childhood Concentration Courses (30 hours)
Guided Electives (15 hours)
Professional Education Concentration
Liberal Studies (42 hours)
Birth-Kindergarten Core Courses (30 hours)
Professional Education Concentration Courses (39 hours)
Guided Electives (9 hours
See Program of Study information for:
Yes, students can transfer 12 semester hours of community college courses into the Birth-Kindergarten degree. There are four courses that can be transferred into the program and include:
EDU 144 and 145 or (PSY 244 and 245) |
= BK 363 |
EDU 146 |
= BK 462 |
EDU 259 |
= BK 470 |
EDU 221 |
= SPED 240 |
EDU 234 |
= BK 366 |
Other courses taken at the community college will be used to satisfy elective courses needed for the major.
A list of the required Liberal Studies courses can be found at the following website .
Students have the option of completing the 44 General Core requirement offered by the community college system in place of the WCU Liberal Studies requirement. The General Education requirements are somewhat different than those of WCU. Contact your transfer advisor at the community college for more information.
Pursuant to University of North Carolina System Policy, students who graduate from
an accredited community college in North Carolina and who have earned either an Associate
of Arts (A.A.) or an Associate of Science (A.S.) degree will have fulfilled all Liberal
Studies (general education) requirement at WCU.
Students who have earned a degree from an accredited institution located outside of
North Carolina will undergo a course-by-course evaluation for transfer credits and
may have to complete additional courses to fulfill the Liberal Studies requirement.
Students who possess an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree will undergo
a course-by-course evaluation for transfer credits. In most cases, the student will
be required to complete additional courses at a community college or through WCU to
fulfill the Liberal Studies requirement.
Transfer students who have questions in regard to their previous college courses fulfilling WCUs Liberal Studies or General Education Core requirements are urged to contact the University Advising Center.
No, WCU does not recognize years of services, training, certifications, or other continuing education units as being equivalent to academic courses at the university level. Transfer credit will only be awarded for courses offered by institutions of higher education that are accredited by nationally recognized, regional accredited organizations. Evaluation of academic transcripts is conducted by the Registrars Office, not the individual department.
Entry to the program is competitive with no more than 30 students accepted into the program each spring and fall. Students in the Birth-Kindergarten Program must maintain a 2.75 grade point average.
For Admissions information, visit
Visit Distance Education
If you have additional questions in regards to the Birth-Kindergarten Distance Learning Program, please e-mail Deb Henry at dchenry@wcu.edu.