ksu excellence in actionECIS - At a Glance

Thank you for your interest in the Early Childhood Intervention Specialist Program at Kent State University. The following are a few highlights of our program.

A PowerPoint self-guided advising presentation has been created. To review different degree and licensure options offered at KSU related to early childhood intervention click on the following hyperlinks:

We are a graduate only program and will accept up to 12 hours of approved graduate coursework from other institutions. We offer the ECIS license, EI certificate, prekindergarten special needs endorsement (formally the EEH validation), a master's degree in early childhood intervention, and a fifth year program for undergraduates at KSU in the moderate/intensive program.

  • Click here for a list of the required courses for the ECIS license (age three to grade three)
  • EI specialist certificate (birth to three)
    • Up to 20 graduate credits and an internship/practicum are required. Please contact Sara Haag (1-614-644-5503) at the Department of Health for a review of your transcript.
      • Four classes that are meet required competencies for those seeking the EI certificate include disabilities and risk factors (SPED 63956); assessment and evaluation (SPED 63957); working with families (SPED 63952); Atypical Development (SPED 63955)
  • The prekindergarten special needs endorsement (formally the EEH endorsement) allows those with a K-12 SPED certification/licensure, pre-K validation, or ECE license to "add-on" a validation to work with preschoolers with special needs.
  • The prekindergarten special needs endorsement program is also being offered for those working/living in the Ashtabula, OH area. Please click here for a brochure regarding the prekindergarten special needs endorsement Ashtabula program. Please contact Dr. Kristie Pretti-Frontczak (kprettif@kent.edu) for a review of your transcript and admission requirements.
  • Master's degree in early childhood intervention (minimum of 32 semester hours - all work towards the ECIS or EI goes towards your master's degree). Please contact Dr. Kristie Pretti-Frontczak (kprettif@kent.edu) for more information regarding the master's degree program.

All of the courses (except those required for the master's degree) are offered one time a year. The following is the recommended  sequence in which courses should be taken if you are attending school on a part time basis (i.e., only able to take 2 classes a semester). If you are attending school on a full time basis - you can complete your work towards to the ECIS in three to five consecutive semesters. If you do not currently hold a teaching license/certificate, there may be other required courses for the ECIS (e.g., teaching reading, math, science, social studies etc.).

First Fall Semester

  • Foundations in ECS
  • Practical Applications Five to Eight

First Spring Semester

  • Typical/Atypical Development
  • Assessment and Evaluation in ECS

Summer Semester

  • Methods in ECI
  • Advanced Practicum

Second Fall Semester

  • Curriculum and Intervention in ECSE
  • Issues and Implications of Atypical Development
  • Advanced Practicum

Second Spring Semester

  • Family and Professional Collaboration
  • Practical Applications Birth to Five
  • Advanced Practicum