Education, A.Ed.

Associate in Education

This degree offers the needed preparation in critical ECED content (as recommended by the National Association for the Education of Young Children Associate’s Degree Standards) for employment upon graduation, and also prepares students for future transfer to a four-year college or university. It also meets the current emphasis in ECED for teachers with a broader knowledge of general education. The A.Ed. coursework is equivalent to a major relating to early childhood education and as such meets the requirements of employers, especially public school districts, federal Head Start programs and the state sponsored preschool program (ECEAP) for early childhood positions requiring a two-year ECED degree. 

The degree builds on the Associate in Applied Science-Transfer (AAS-T) degree and includes an additional 15 credits necessary to fulfill the requirements of the Associate in Arts-Direct Transfer Agreement (AA-DTA). Upon completion of the A.Ed. requirements students are eligible to apply to be awarded the AA-DTA. The A.Ed. degree will be granted to SVC students completing with a cumulative 2.0 GPA; entry into a baccalaureate program at a four-year school will require a higher GPA for admission. This degree does not guarantee admission into the major.  Early advising is important to ensure degree completion. Students are responsible for checking specific major requirements of baccalaureate institutions in the year prior to transferring.

This degree includes prescriptive coursework necessary to:

• Provide foundational preparation in the field of education.
• Prepare students for the career field of early childhood education.
• Prepare students to apply for baccalaureate teacher preparation programs, such as Western Washington University’s Woodring College of Education’s Undergraduate Elementary Education Professional Program.
• Fulfill the requirements of the Associate in Arts-Direct Transfer Agreement (AA-DTA).

Purpose

This degree is intended to prepare students for entry into a teacher certification program. Although this degree will be granted to SVC students completing a cumulative 2.0 GPA, entry into a Bachelor’s degree Education program may require a higher GPA for admission. Upon completion of the A-Ed requirements students are eligible to apply to be awarded the AA-DTA. Seek out an SVC Early Childhood Education or Education Paraprofessional program advisor early in your studies.

This degree also furthers the objectives of the Maestros Para el Pueblo Program. This program works with Western Washington University and various high schools in the area to help Latino/a students achieve their goals in pursuing a career in education.

The Associate in Education Program Learning Outcomes are adopted from the NAEYC Standards for Early Childhood Professional Preparation.

Graduates of the A.Ed. Program will know and be able to do the following:
1.    Promoting child development and learning;
2.    Building family and community relationships;
3.    Observing, documenting, and assessing;
4.    Using developmentally effective approaches to connect with children and families;
5.    Using content knowledge to build meaningful curriculum; and
6.    Becoming a professional.

Degree Requirements

Students must complete 102 quarter credits in transferable courses numbered 100 or above with a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 in order to graduate from SVC with an Associate in Education degree. A minimum of 60 quarter hours of general education courses are required. At least 25 college-level credits must be earned at SVC with a minimum GPA of 2.0. Credits must satisfy course requirements listed below. Students should check specific admission and program requirements and application deadlines to assist in successful transfer to a four-year institution. College counselors and academic faculty can advise students of special lower division requirements.

MATH 099 is required in order to prepare students for applying to Western Washington University’s Woodring College of Education’s Teacher Preparation Program. This application requirement can also be fulfilled through taking a mathematics course with MATH 099 as a pre-requisite or successfully passing an intermediate algebra placement test at WWU. College counselors and academic faculty can advise students of this requirement. Please contact an advisor if planning to transfer to a program other than WWU.

Note: Courses with an ampersand (&) are Common Course Numbering courses, * is a lab course, and ~ are recommended coursework.