MEd Early Childhood Education at University of Illinois Chicago

Programme overview

A coursework-only MEd, with an option for Illinois Professional Educator Licensure with Early Childhood and Early Childhood Special Education endorsements (additional 12 hours of student teaching).

Faculty: College of Education | Department: Educational Psychology / Early Childhood, College of Education | Duration: 32-36 semester hours | Study mode: full-time | Location: Chicago, IL, United States

What you will study

Early Childhood Development (7-8 hours, incl. EPSY 426), Methods and Practice (EPSY 520), Foundations of Education (3-4 hours) and 16-20 hours of electives; licensure candidates add EPSY 523 and EPSY 521 or 522.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Any bachelor's field. Recommended GPA 2.75/4.00 for the final 60 semester hours and 3.00 in graduate coursework. Three letters of recommendation and a 3-4 page personal statement; interview possible. Licensure testing per Illinois State Board of Education. TOEFL iBT 80 (before 1/21/2026) or 4.5 overall (on or after), IELTS 6.5. Deadline earlier than Graduate College deadline.

Tuition is charged per credit, so the total depends on the modules you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

Graduate and professional programmes admit for Fall, Spring and Summer terms depending on the programme; applications for Fall 2027, Spring 2028 and Summer 2028 are expected to open on August 1, 2026.

Graduate and professional application deadlines are set per programme, with separate deadlines for domestic and international applicants for most non-online programmes; optional earlier priority, recommended or fellowship dates apply to both. Applications are made through the UIC graduate application or a centralized application service for some professional programmes.

Apply through the official page: https://grad.uic.edu/admissions/

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