Master of Science in Early Childhood Education Early Intervention

Each state has its own requirements for working in early child care intervention. Students should review their state’s requirements in preparation for this career. Erikson Institute has created a program based on requirements for Illinois. You can find out more about your state or territory’s early intervention program here.

Erikson’s program potentially meet credentialing requirements in Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Texas.

Students need to confirm their state’s requirements as they may change and are outside of the purview of Erikson.

No but Erikson Institute is an approved educational program with the Alliance, meaning our program coursework will be cross walked with their competencies in the near future. The Endorsement through the Alliance is only available to people who live in Alliance states. Illinois is not an Alliance state.

The coursework in this degree program meets the criteria for educational requirements for this credential. Upon completion of this degree, graduates in Illinois can choose to pursue this credential at their cost upon meeting the requirement of three years of post-master’s degree experience in the field.

Over 90% of our students work either part-time or full-time as they are pursuing their Erikson degree.

The ability to balance the demands of the Early Intervention program, work responsibilities, and your personal/family commitments will depend on many factors. Key among these will be your own organizational and time-management skills, the intensity of the demands on your time, and your personal support system.

The other factor to consider as you think about your work schedule is whether you want to pursue your master’s degree program in two (or 28 months, depending on term start) or three years.

The program length for part-time programs is dependent upon your term start. Students staring in Spring will have a 28-month length while those starting in Fall will have a 3-year program.

The full-time program is available in Fall term only and is 2 years in length.

You will be responsible for identifying potential internship locations. Erikson will support you in securing an internship with mentoring and coaching.

We award over $2 million in scholarships to students enrolled in our degree and certificate programs. Erikson also participates in the federal Direct Loan programs, and assuming you meet all eligibility requirements, you will have access to both Unsubsidized and Graduate PLUS loans to help finance your Erikson education.

The staff in our Field Education and Career Services Office will work with you to prepare you for seeking positions while you’re enrolled at Erikson and upon graduating from the program. You’ll receive feedback on your resume and cover letters, and we also maintain a job board on our campus portal where employers list part-time and full-time positions for which they’re hiring.

The Career Services team also plans an annual social work, early care education, and child development job fair for Erikson students and alumni. In concert with the job fair, you can submit your resume to be included in an annual Resume Book that we distribute to organizations and managers who are interested in hiring Erikson students and alumni.

For each course, you will need access to a computer with internet access an average of five out of seven days a week, for a total of 10 or more hours per week. You can log in to Erikson Online anytime and anywhere, from any computer connected to the internet (home, work, computer lab, public wi-fi location, etc.). High-speed internet access is required (minimum speed of 512kbps is strongly recommended).
Hardware requirements:

• A personal computer running Windows 7 (or higher) or a Mac running OSX 10.7 (or higher) with at least 1GB of RAM
• Your system must be able to run the latest web browsers listed below:
  • Chrome 86 and 87
  • Firefox 83 and 84 (Extended Releases are not supported*)
  • Edge 86 and 87
  • Safari 13 and 14 (Macs only)
  • Monitor with screen resolution of 1024 x 768 (or higher)
• USB/Firewire web camera (or built-in camera)
• USB headset/microphone (or built-in speakers and mic)
• Printer

Software requirements:

• Zoom (free basic account)
• Email software: Erikson email (@erikson.edu) is required; a free account is provided once you are accepted into the program

Because of Erikson’s small size, you’ll have access to a wide range of both informal and formal student support services to support your student life and educational needs. These include:

• The Field Education and Career Services team will help you identify and apply for your internship placement. Erikson has hundreds of pre-approved internship sites, so you don’t have to worry about finding a placement site on your own.
• Advising about your financial aid options, including personal financial education, is coordinated through the Financial Aid Office.
• Academic advising is facilitated through your faculty advisor and program director.
• The Academic Success Center provides services to help you with the academic reading and writing expectations of your program. The Center also sponsors discussion groups for selected master’s program courses.
• The Director of Disability Services provides advising and support for students with disabilities and students who need accommodations for their academic work.
• WorkLifeMatters is a confidential student assistance program offered to all Erikson students through Guardian and Integrated Behavioral Health (IBH). You have unlimited access to consult with a professional counselor via telephone. Face-to-face counseling sessions are available, if needed, with an IBH network provider — and up to eight sessions are free of charge as part of WorkLifeMatters.
• Validated parking at a reduced rate is provided to Erikson students in three nearby parking garages. You will also have access to deeply discounted public transportation through the CTA U-Pass program.