Nov 27, 2024  
NCU Catalog - February 2022 
    
NCU Catalog - February 2022 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Early Childhood Education Post-Baccalaureate Certificate


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Post-Baccalaureate Certificate


Description of Program


The Post-Baccalaureate Certificate program is designed for students who have completed their bachelor’s degree and are seeking academic expertise through a graduate level certificate program. In order to earn a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate, students must complete four courses (a total of 12 credit hours) within the chosen Post-Baccalaureate Certificate program.

The Post-Baccalaureate Certificate is prescribed, meaning students can only take what is listed for the particular Post-Baccalaureate Certificate (students may not substitute alternative courses). Students must complete all four NCU courses with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better in order to receive the certificate.

Click here for potential career opportunities within the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate.

Basis for Admissions


Admission to the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate program requires a conferred bachelor’s level or higher degree from a regionally or nationally accredited academic institution or an international institution determined to be equivalent through an approved evaluation service.

Certificate Requirements


The University may accept a maximum of 3 semester credit hours from a graduate-level program to NCU’s Post-Baccalaureate certificate program. Coursework must have been completed at an accredited college or university within the last five years with a grade of “B” or better. See the 

  for additional information.

The Post-Baccalaureate Certificate has the following graduation requirements:

  • Cumulative Grade Point Average of 3.0 (letter grade of “B”) or higher
  • Official documents on file for basis of admission: a conferred bachelor’s degree from an accredited academic institution
  • Official transcripts on file for all transfer credit hours accepted by the University
  • All financial obligations must be met before the student will be issued their complimentary diploma and/or degree posted transcript

Time to Completion


NCU allows 2 years to complete all certificate programs.

The median time to completion for this program is 9 months.

Time to completion varies depending upon the pace in which a student completes courses and the number of transfer credits accepted. As most NCU students are working adults, balancing educational, professional, and personal commitments, our academic and finance advisors will work with you to develop a program schedule that works best for your needs.

Students following the preferred schedule designed by the Dean for this program, and applying no transfer credits, can expect to finish in as little as 6 months.

Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Transfer into a Master’s Degree Sequence


  • Coursework completed within a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate program may be applied towards the specialization sequence within a master’s program.
  • Applying Post-Baccalaureate Certificate coursework towards a master’s degree is contingent upon coursework and degree relevance under the most current master’s degree program version.

Specialization coursework completed as part of a master’s degree, where a degree was conferred, cannot be applied towards a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate program. However, a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate can be completed as part of master’s coursework, assuming the student officially applies for the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate prior to completing the fourth course in the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate series.

Early Childhood Education


This post-baccalaureate certificate is designed for students who want to work with young children through the first years of life when social, physical, cognitive, and emotional development occur. Students will learn how to create an environment that serves as a foundation for a child’s health and well-being.

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