The mission of the Department of Literacy, Early, Bilingual, and Special Education is to prepare knowledgeable and professionally competent teachers and curriculum leaders in the areas of early childhood education (K-3), bilingual/cross-cultural education (K-12), and reading/language arts (K-12) in both public and private educational settings.

The Master of Arts degree in Education with an option in early childhood education offers specialized preparation for a wide variety of positions in educational settings with children from birth through the primary grades. The program is designed to meet individual needs of candidates with different experiential and educational backgrounds and varied career objectives.