California, Clarion and Edinboro earn top national rankings in early childhood education.
Early childhood educators play important roles in fostering academic, emotional, social and motor skills in young children. Degrees from outstanding higher education institutions prepare students and future teachers for addressing these basic skills in a variety of educational settings.
Online master’s degree programs at California and Edinboro universities – which prepare teachers to be effective advocates for learning and positive change – recently earned high rankings from a national analytics website.
University HQ granted California University the No. 46 ranking and Edinboro University the No. 50 ranking in the national Best Online Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education.
Additionally, Clarion University received the No. 13 ranking in the annual Top Online Master’s in Early Childhood Education list from OnlineMastersDegrees.com, which analyzes online programming array, students with institutional aid, academic counseling and career services.
Dr. Gwen Price, dean of the College of Education at California, Clarion and Edinboro universities, early childhood teachers lay the critical foundation on which children build their education. If that foundation is shaky, students could struggle to learn and grow appropriately.
“This is why preparing early childhood educators well is so vitally important, and we must keep striving to prepare them with evidence-based practices that will allow the teachers and the students to be successful,” she said. “I am proud to be involved with programs that focus on this important mission, and I am excited that they have been recognized for their dedication to excellence.”
With nearly 5,000 graduate students between the three campuses, California, Clarion and Edinboro offer 100% online degree programs for certified and pre-service teachers in elementary, special or early childhood education.
During the master’s degree program at California, students gain and apply in-depth knowledge of child development, families and best teaching practices in a variety of education settings.
This track at California is designed for individuals who wish to expand their career options by earning a master’s degree, but do not wish to pursue early childhood education teaching certification.
Edinboro University's degrees in Early Childhood Education and Reading offer outstanding educational experiences at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. These accredited programs help students develop skills and dispositions necessary to become effective facilitators of learning in the classroom.
As members of Edinboro University’s renowned School of Education, early childhood faculty engage in ongoing research, scholarship and service. More than 90% hold terminal degrees in their chosen fields.
Clarion's online early childhood program allows students to earn a degree in early childhood education while working full time. The program is designed to prepare early childhood professionals for classroom positions through construction of knowledge, skills and dispositions related to child development and the importance of early care and education.
All California, Clarion and Edinboro teacher certification and school personnel preparation programs are accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
Institutional rankings include the cost of tuition, admission rates, retention rates, graduation rates, graduating salary, number of programs offered, online programs offered, loan-default rate, diplomas awarded, number of students receiving financial aid and expert opinions. View the entire methodology for University HQ at How We Rank Universities.