You may apply for the program if your undergraduate major is not in early childhood education or child development/family studies. However, you will need to take the pre-requisite courses and we ask that you take it at a 300-400 level if you want to pursue an initial license track.

Yes. The Summer Intensive and the Evening Courses are designed to accommodate the schedules of working professionals. Courses are typically offered at convenient times or are offered online to accommodate working professionals.

The Summer Intensive format offers coursework for one month during the summer when many settings are on summer break. We are on generally on ground from the 3rd week of June through the second week of July. Mandatory courses, held in in Weeks 1-3 typically run from 8:30 am  – 4:30 pm. Some years, students can attend the ECE Summer Institute in Week 4 (8:00 am – 5:00 pm) to complete all of their major coursework in the Summer.

The Evening/Weekend (Year Round) format offers courses on-line in the evening (4:30 to 7:30 pm and 5:30 -8:30 pm), hybrid courses with on-line and on-ground weekends sessions once a month on Saturdays (9:00. – 4:00 pm) during the academic semester, or a combination synchronous/asynchronous instruction.

Students seeking initial license may be required to complete field experience outside their place of employment. Situations are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Our programs are cohorted, which means we admit people in groups and they complete the entire program together from beginning to end. Cohorts typically have between 15-25 people. Having the same people in your classes every semester helps to build community and we have found our cohorts come to support each other like family. Another benefit of this cohort model is the fixed course schedule. All the programs courses are pre-designed and taken in a specific semester. Our faculty intentionally build on the coursework so what you learn in the second semester will build on the first and so on. This provides the opportunity to have much richer and deeper learning experiences since everyone has the same prerequisite knowledge as you progress through the program.

However, with a cohorted model, you do progress as a group. If a program is part-time, you can’t finish faster by taking double the classes; if a program is full-time, you can’t just take half the classes. However, we feel the benefits of the cohorted model outweigh the limited flexibility it brings. As a result of the cohort model, our programs are much more successful, as we have higher retention and graduation rates.

The minimum requirement for a lead teacher in a DHS licensed child care setting is not the same as what is required for teacher license. Licensed teachers complete a state approved teacher preparation program (SATEP). When completed, they are recommended to the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board for license addressed by their program.

No, however, since this is a graduate program, previous experience working in early childhood settings is highly recommended and will make your application stronger. Experience provides a base to help you better integrate the research and abstract concepts into your knowledge base.

Yes, both formats of the MEd ECE are accessible to students statewide with conveniently scheduled on-ground time commitments to accommodate the needs of working professionals. In the Summer Intensive format, students can remain at home during the academic year, but must commit to coming to Oahu for a 3-4 weeks for 3 consecutive Summers to take the majority of their courses.

In the Evening/Weekend (Year Round) format, a limited number of face-to-face meetings are required each semester, where neighbor island candidates will travel to Oahu for classes on chosen weekends or will meet in a location on their island for face-to-face classes. As funds permit, some travel stipends are made available to students who do not live on Oahu to help offset travel costs.

No, the Summer Intensive format welcomes students from throughout the United States who prefer an intensive, place-based, face-to-face experience. All students must be able to commit to being on ground in Honolulu, Oʻahu  for the Summer Intensives for 3 consecutive summers between the 3rd week of June through the 2nd week of July.

The Evening/Weekend (Year Round) format is designed to address statewide needs to incorporate distance education and therefore is not an ideal program for students who are seeking an exclusively on-line program. We strongly believe that the place-based approach.

Under certain circumstances. International students will find it difficult to meet VISA requirements by enrolling in this program alone. Unfortunately, one of the requirements regarding international student visas is that they participate in traditional, face-to-face coursework on campus. Our online/hybrid programs alone would not meet this requirement; therefore, international students generally will need to be dually enrolled in another degree or program together with this program in order to meet the 8 credits of on-ground coursework required during the academic year. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Students are required to have a laptop to successfully participate in this program. The laptop requirement provides students the option of using financial aid to purchase one. Students need a laptop that runs a full operating system (i.e., Windows 10 or Mac OSX 10.11 and above). For example, Chromebooks or mobile tablets like an iPad or Android mobile device are NOT sufficient to run the required software for our program. If you need help determining which computer to purchase, please refer to and contact: http://www.hawaii.edu/its/help-desk/

Early childhood is an emerging field. Nationally, there is a fieldwide initiative towards towards a unified field of practice, a coherent system of preparation and license recognition for early educators. Pursuing a license aligns your program requirements with Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators.

Students completing a licensure program are eligible to apply for a state license through the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board, which will allow the licensee to teach in public and charter schools in the State of Hawaii.

Yes. The MEd ECE program offers an add-a-field track for practitioners already licensed in another field and an initial license option for students who do not have a teacher license. Both tracks are state approved teacher preparation program (SATEP) that recommend candidates for the appropriate PK-K or PK-3 license.

There are a number of factors that determine your license designation. Previous experience, degrees, and placements for clinical experiences are among the factors.

Licensing in early childhood education is a complex issue.

Hawai’i participates in the NASDTEC Interstate Agreement which facilitates the mobility of educators among the states that are members of NASDTEC. UHM recommends you contact the office of certification in any state to which you may be relocating to get the most current information. See the NASDTEC website for more information.

A GRE is not required.

Occasionally, if an applicant appears to be a good fit for the program and has other strong application components and extenuating circumstances, a conditional application may be considered upon the approval of the Application Committee, Program Director, Department Chair and UH Manoa Graduate Division. Conditional admissions are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

The Statement of Objectives is a very important first writing sample for prospective applicants so please take the time to show us your best writing. Include information that explains:

• why you are interested in pursuing a Master of Early Childhood Education,
• the experience, education, personal and professional qualities you feel will contribute to your success in the program,
• how you intend for your experience in the program to further your educational and career goals; and,
• any additional information that will help the review committee as we review your application.

It is wise when choosing 3 people to write your Letters of Application to include a balance of people who can together demonstrate:

• Record of success in early childhood education coursework and your potential to succeed in a graduate program (such as professors or instructors)
• Early childhood education competencies in the work setting (such as a supervisor or peer)
• Your leadership and service within your organization or the community and potential for leadership in early childhood education

• Examples of leadership and service in your organization, the profession, and/or your community. Such as, serving on committees, helping out with conferences or other professional development events, involvement in public policy and advocacy such as your testifying on early learning legislation, mentoring students, serving on HiAEYC or other boards, helping out in community groups that take care of aina or provide services to families in need.
• Examples of scholarship. Scholarship includes recognition you received for academic success such as merit awards to help you pay for school (not workforce development courses, but merit based awards). It is also when you shared your ECE knowledge and expertise such as - presenting at conferences or with other groups, things that show “budding leadership potential”.

Consult the Program Director to review your transcript and identify coursework that will meet pre-requisite requirements and for advice on where and how to take missing pre-requisites.

Students are encouraged to complete as many of the pre-requisites as they can before entering the program. If some pre-requisites are missing, but other application components are strong, they may be conditionally admitted with the requirement to complete missing pre-requisites early in the program.

Consult the Graduate Division website for information on rules regarding coursework that can be transferred into the program.

Tuition and fees varies depending on a number of factors, resident or non-resident status, the format (summer intensive or evening/weekend) and the track (non-license, add-a-field, or initial license). The most recently posted tuition and fee rates are available on the University of Hawaii at Manoa Outreach College website. The cost of a non-license or add-a- field master for a Summer Intensive student is approximately $18,426 for 30 credits and $26,226 for an initial license student.

The MEd-ECE is offered through Outreach College. All students enrolled in Summer and on-line courses, (Hawaii residents and Non-residents) are charged resident tuition. Students can minimize their costs by taking electives block scheduled and offered by the program and by seeking financial assistance.

You will need to complete the residency declaration form that is a part of the Graduate Division Application. More information on Hawaii Residency Requirements can be found on the Office of Admissions web page.

Students are encouraged to apply for the program before the early application deadline so that they can maximize their opportunity to qualify for grants, scholarships, and loans in the first year of the program. The FAFSA typically begins accepting applications in October and many scholarships and grant applications are due before the end of February.  We hold financial assistance information sessions and send students information on financial supports specific to early educators.

The program does not offer any graduate assistantships.