Educational Studies

The Child and Adolescent Development Associate in Arts for Transfer was designed specifically to address the teacher shortage in California and as an alternative choice for students interested in the interdisciplinary field of Child and Adolescent development either as a stand-alone paraprofessional degree or a career ladder for transfer. This degree gives students the lower division preparation required by CSU's to pursue alternative career paths in child and adolescent development such as elementary or special education teaching and other careers working with children and families.

The Child and Adolescent Development Associate in Arts for Transfer is especially designed to meet the needs of students interested in an education/ teaching related career who prefer online classes and/or cannot always attend traditional face-to-face classes due to employment, marital status, family responsibilities, distance, and expenses incurred with traditional education schedules.

Besides the option for a stand-alone degree, coursework is at the same time designed to meet the needs of students planning to transfer for further studies in the interdisciplinary field of Child and Adolescent Development, and to transfer to a CSU into programs in Child Development, Human Development, Child and Adolescent Development, Family and Consumer Sciences, and Liberal Studies (Child Development/Teaching). Included is the major pattern for students planning to transfer to a CSU. It is strongly recommended that students contact a Coastline counselor to develop an official Student Educational Plan to discuss optimum course selection for a terminal degree for a paraprofessional or optimum course selection for transfer purposes, non-CSU universities, or if they have questions about the Child and Adolescent Development Associate in Arts for Transfer for CSU Transfer.

This degree is separate from the Associate of Science for Transfer in Early Childhood Education, which prepares students to transfer to CSU campuses that offer bachelor's degrees in Child Development and Early Childhood Education. Students interested in preschool teaching and receiving their Child Development Teaching Permit should complete the requirements for an Early Childhood Associate in Science for Transfer. However, students who complete the Child and Adolescent Development Associate in Arts for Transfer and choose to take other child development coursework as their electives will also be able to qualify for employment in the field of Early Childhood Education, as well as earn a Child Development Permit issued by the California State Commission on Teacher Credentialing.

Ed Code Section 66746-66749 states students earning the Child and Adolescent Development Associate in Arts for Transfer will be granted priority for admission as a Child Development major to a CSU, as determined by the CSU campus to which the student applies.

The following is required for all transfer degrees, and there are no additional graduation requirements: (1) Completion of 60 semester units or 90 quarter units that are eligible for transfer to the California State University, including both of the following: (a) The Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) or the California State University General Education - Breadth Requirements. (b) A minimum of 18-semester units or 27 quarter units in a major or area of emphasis, as determined by the community college district. (2) Obtainment of a minimum grade point average of 2.0. (3) ADTs also require that students must earn a C or better in all courses required for the major or area of emphasis. A "P" (Pass) grade is not an acceptable grade for courses in the major.

The ECE certificate serves as an Early Child Education unit completion pathway and represents a career ladder approach to a credential or permit or a stand-alone entity to document that a student has taken 16 units of Early Childhood Education coursework. Coursework is aligned with subject matter proficiency for the acquisition of knowledge and the development of skills for successful employment as a teacher's aide, after-school program assistant, tutoring or other paraprofessional level classroom career in ECE classrooms.

The certificate serves as a career ladder approach to a credential or permit or as a stand-alone entity to document that a student has taken coursework related to subject matter proficiency and has acquired skills for successful employment as a teacher's aide, after-school program assistant, tutoring or other paraprofessional level classroom career.

In order to provide an additional pathway to an education-related career, this certificate is designed for students interested in an education/ teaching-related career who prefer online classes and/or cannot always attend traditional face-to-face classes due to employment, marital status, family responsibilities, distance, and expenses incurred with traditional education schedules. All certificate classes are online.

The certificate serves as a career ladder approach to a credential or permit or as a stand-alone entity to document that a student has taken coursework related to subject matter proficiency and has acquired skills for successful employment as a teacher's aide, after-school program assistant, tutoring or other paraprofessional level classroom career.

The certificate serves as a career ladder approach to a credential or permit or as a stand-alone entity to document that a student has taken coursework related to subject matter proficiency and has acquired skills for successful employment as a teacher's aide, after-school program assistant, tutoring or other paraprofessional level classroom career.

This certificate is designed to address the teacher shortage in qualified Career Education (CE) instructors in the community college and to involve an untapped resource: career professionals who would like to acquire the skills to enable them to teach their career. The certificate represents a response to Strong Work Force recommendations, focusing on increasing Increase the pool of qualified CE instructors, based on the conclusion that there is an urgent need for CE programs to have more flexibility in hiring industry experts by expanding equivalency processes and definitions.

The Associate in Arts in Elementary Teacher Education for Transfer degree (AA-T) is designed for prospective California State University (CSU) transfer students who are preparing for careers as Elementary School Teachers.

To qualify for the Associate in Arts in Elementary Teacher Education for Transfer a student must complete the following requirements:

1. Minimum of 60 CSU-transferable semester units.
2. Minimum grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0 in all CSU-transferable coursework. While a minimum G.P.A. of 2.0 is required for admission, some majors may require a higher G.P.A. Please consult with a counselor for more information.
3. Certified completion of the California State University General Education-Breadth pattern (Option 2); OR the Cal State version of the Intersegment General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC – Option 3).
4. Completion of all the courses in the major as detailed below. Courses for the major must be completed with a grade of C or better or a “P” if the course is taken on a “pass-no pass” basis.

Note: Four-Year institutions do not recommend students take major prep courses for Pass/No Pass.

The Liberal Studies/Teaching Degree offers future elementary school teachers an articulated transfer pathway and career ladder for a B.A. in Liberal Studies and the multiple-subject teaching credential. The focus of the degree is on content knowledge needed to teach in a K-8 setting and education courses that include early fieldwork opportunities for observation and practice. Coursework prepares students for the Multiple Subject CSET exam as required by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing for elementary school teachers in both regular and special education. Selected courses are also aligned with the multiple subject credential CSET waiver, depending on transfer institution and course. As a standalone degree without transfer the A.A., aligned with the requirements for No Child Left Behind, helps students become effective elementary school paraprofessionals in regular or special education classrooms. The degree is also appropriate for students pursuing a career other than in elementary school teaching (such as tutors and parents providing homeschooling) who would like their course of studies and degree recognition to include an emphasis in liberal studies and teacher preparation curricula. Students may select courses to simultaneously earn the Certificate in Educational Studies as well.