Overview

This interdisciplinary program covers early childhood education, psychology, and sociology and prepares you to work in various settings that serve young children.

Learning about all aspects of childhood development will help you offer guidance, employ teaching strategies, and create developmentally appropriate educational experiences. During the program, you’ll work with young children and their families.

Southern Wesleyan University’s degree in Early Childhood and Family Studies will prepare you to teach preschoolers, work in university child development and military child care centers, or pursue graduate education and teaching certification.

The South Carolina Head Start Association, the South Carolina Head Start Collaboration Office, the South Carolina First Steps program, South Carolina Endeavors, and T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood support the program. Many of our students receive T.E.A.C.H. scholarships.

Learning Outcomes

Graduates of the Early Childhood and Family Studies program will be able to:

Understand young children’s characteristics and needs, along with multiple influences on learning and development.

Use their understanding of family and community characteristics to support families and communities in developing respectful, reciprocal relationships.

Practice responsible assessment based on knowledge of the goals, benefits, and uses of different assessment tools and approaches.

Apply deep content knowledge to build meaningful curriculum in all areas.

Uphold ethical standards and professional guidelines and engage in informed advocacy for young children, their families, and the early childhood profession.

Career Paths

Department of Social Services: Child care licensing, child welfare

Director of early learning centers

Early intervention specialist

Teacher: Early Head Start, First Step 4K, Head Start

Program director

Programme Structure

Courses included:

The Study of Young Children

Curriculum and Instruction in ECE

Parent Education

Organization and Administration of ECE Programs

Content Area Reading and Writing for ECE/ELE

Behavior of the Preschool Child/Field Experience

Methods of Teaching Creative Arts in General and Special Education

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 48 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2026-08-18 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-07-01 00:00:00 , International
Starting 2027-01-05 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-11-01 00:00:00 , International

Language

English

Duolingo English Test

Take A Free Practice Test!

TOEFL^® IBT

Schedule TOEFL®

IELTS

Prepare for Your English Test

Cathoven AI IELTS Preparation

Learn your IELTS Score

AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.

Trusted by 300k learners
98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Credits

120 SCH

Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

Central, United States

Disciplines

Family & Consumer Science Early Childhood Education Childhood Studies View 298 other Bachelors in Family & Consumer Science in United States

Join for free or log in to access our complete career info list.

Academic requirements

GPA

2.3

English requirements

Duolingo English Test

Take A Free Practice Test!

TOEFL^® IBT

Schedule TOEFL®

IELTS

Prepare for Your English Test

Cathoven AI IELTS Preparation

Learn your IELTS Score

AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.

Trusted by 300k learners
98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Other requirements

General requirements

If you’re applying as a freshman student, you will need to submit your official:

High school transcript,

SAT or ACT score(s) or utilize SWU’s test optional admissions policy.

A GPA of 2.3 (or rank in upper half of your graduating class at time of acceptance) and a composite SAT score of 860 (based on the critical reading/verbal and math sections) or an ACT score of 18 or CLT score of 54

Or a GPA of 3.0 or higher and no test scores

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are shown in and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.

International Applies to you

Applies to you

Non-residents

28500 USD / year

≈ 28500 USD / year
Out-of-State

28500 USD / year

≈ 28500 USD / year
Domestic

Applies to you

In-State

28500 USD / year

≈ 28500 USD / year

Living costs

Central

United States

1562 - 2717 USD / month

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Funding

In order for us to give you accurate scholarship information, we ask that you please confirm a few details and create an account with us.

Scholarships Information

Below you will find Bachelor's scholarship opportunities for Early Childhood and Family Studies.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

About

Overview

Learning Outcomes

Career Paths

Programme Structure

Key information

Duration

Start dates & application deadlines

Language

Prepare for Your English Test

Credits

Delivered

Campus Location

Disciplines

What students do after studying

Academic requirements

English requirements

Prepare for Your English Test

Other requirements

General requirements

Tuition Fees

International Applies to you

Domestic

Living costs

Central

Funding

Scholarships Information

Available Scholarships

Our partners