Bachelor of Arts in Child Development Pre-K to 3rd Grade
Last Admit Term: Fall 2025
The Child Development Pre-K to 3rd Grade major is designed to expose undergraduates to childhood development and learning in children from preschool through third grade, with an emphasis on the promotion and advocacy of social justice through cultural awareness, humility, and responsiveness across ecological contexts. The major will provide undergraduates with the theoretical and applied knowledge necessary to understand children’s development and learning. This knowledge will enable them to develop and implement supportive practices in Pre-K-3rd grade classrooms that are evidence-based, meaningful, and rigorous This major prepares students who are interested in applying to California Early Childhood Education Specialist credential programs.
Program Learning Outcomes
- Promote and advocate for social justice and be culturally aware, sensitive, and responsive across the ecological contexts of young children, including homes, schools, and communities.
- Understand the professional roles and responsibilities in Pre-K-3rd grade settings.
- Understand and promote early childhood development and learning of young children across ecological contexts, including homes, schools, and communities.
- Demonstrate subject matter knowledge important to young children’s development and learning in grades Pre-K-3rd.
- Develop and implement teaching practices that are evidence-based, inclusive, meaningful, and appropriately rigorous.
- Develop and implement teaching practices that apply knowledge of young children, including their prior experiences, interests, and social-emotional learning needs, as well as their funds of knowledge and cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
- Understand and implement effective and inclusive environments for young children’s development and learning in grades Pre-K-3rd.
Last Admit Term: Fall 2025
Early Childhood Studies (B.A.): Concentration in Pre-K to 3rd Grade - 45 units
All courses for the major must be completed with a grade of C or better.
Core (24 units)
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| CAD 210 | Introduction to Applied Child and Adolescent Development | 3 |
| Select One: | 3 | |
| Foundations in Early Childhood | ||
| Principles and Practices in Early Childhood Programs | ||
| CAD 260 | Children, Families, and Community: An Ecological Perspective | 3 |
| CAD 280 | Early Childhood Internship | 3 |
| CAD 300 | Professional Roles and Careers in Child and Adolescent Development | 3 |
| CAD 330 | Curriculum and Development in Early Childhood | 3 |
| CAD 410GW | Applied Developmental Science: Prenatal Through Early Childhood - GWAR | 3 |
| CAD 660 | Applied Advanced Developmental Science in Child and Adolescent Development | 3 |
Language and Literacy (3 units)
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| CAD 326 | Developing Language and Literacy Skills in Young Children | 3 |
Mathematics (3 units)
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| MATH 165 | Concepts of the Number System | 3 |
Assessment (3 units)
Select One:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| CAD 420 | Assessment and Observation with Children | 3 |
| E ED 610 | Classroom Assessment and Evaluation for Young Children | 3 |
Inclusive Education (3 units)
Select One:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| SPED 671 | Inclusive Social-Emotional Development & Equitable Practices for Children & Families in Early Educ | 3 |
| SPED 672 | Inclusive Learning Environments for Young Children | 3 |
| SPED 675 | Working with Families of Young Children with Disabilities | 3 |
Science (3 units)
Select One:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 300 | Nature Study | 3 |
| BIOL 310 | Biology for Today's World | 3 |
| BIOL 318 | Our Endangered Planet | 3 |
| ERTH 310 | The Violent Earth | 3 |
| ERTH 335 | Global Warming | 3 |
| ERTH 365 | Extreme Weather in a Warming World | 3 |
| E ED 655 | Hands-on Undergraduate Science Education Experience | 3 |
| GEOG 301 | Bay Area Environments | 3 |
| LS 310 | Science and Culture for Future Elementary School Teachers | 3 |
| LS 430 | Future of the Forests | 3 |
Physical Education (3 units)
Select One:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| KIN 240 | Introduction to Teaching Physical Education | 3 |
| KIN 401 | Elementary School Physical Education: K-5 | 3 |
| KIN 487 | Motor Development | 3 |
| SPED 370 | Early Development and Neurodiversity | 3 |
Arts (3 units)
Select One:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| AFRS 400 | Black Arts and Humanities | 3 |
| AMST 310/HUM 485 | The Arts and American Culture | 3 |
| DANC 350 | Dance Aesthetics: Cultural/Historical Perspectives | 3 |
| E ED 450 | Art and Learning | 3 |
| LTNS 425 | Popular and Traditional Music of the Latinx U.S. | 3 |
| LS 427 | Social Movements & the Arts for Future Teachers | 3 |
| LS 403/COMM 557 | Performance and Pedagogy of the Oppressed for Educators | 3 |
| MUS 505 | Music of the World's Peoples | 3 |
| MUS 601 | Music for Children | 3 |
| TH A 451 | Storytelling and Folk Literature | 3 |
First-Time Student Roadmap (4 Year)
The roadmaps presented in this Bulletin are intended as suggested plans of study and do not replace meeting with an advisor. For a more personalized roadmap, please use the Degree Planner tool found in your Student Center.
Transfer Student Roadmaps (2 Year)
For students with an AA-T in Child and Adolescent Development.
CAD ADT Roadmap
For students with an AS-T in Early Childhood Education.
ECE ADT Roadmap
For students with an AA-T in Elementary Teacher Education.
ETE ADT Roadmap
For students with an AA-T in Psychology
PSY ADT Roadmap
General Advising Information for Transfer Students
- Before transfer, complete as many lower-division requirements or electives for this major as possible.
- The following courses are not required for admission but are required for graduation. Students are strongly encouraged to complete these units before transfer; doing so will provide more flexibility in course selection after transfer.
- a course in U.S. History
- a course in U.S. & California Government
For information about satisfying the requirements described in (1) and (2) above at a California Community College (CCC), please visit http://www.assist.org. Check any geographically accessible CCCs; sometimes, options include more than one college. Use ASSIST to determine:
- Which courses at a CCC satisfy any lower-division major requirements for this major;
- Which courses at a CCC satisfy CSU GE, US History, and US & CA Government requirements.
Remedial courses are not transferable and do not apply to the minimum 60 semester units/90 quarter units required for admission.
Additional units for courses that are repeated do not apply to the minimum 60 units required for upper-division transfer (for example, if a course was not passed on the first attempt or was taken to earn a better grade).
Before leaving the last California Community College of attendance, obtain a summary of completion of lower-division General Education units (IGETC or CSU GE Breadth). This is often referred to as a GE certification worksheet. SF State does not require delivery of this certification to Admissions, but students should retain this document for verifying degree progress after transfer.
Credit for Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or College-Level Examination Program courses: AP/IB/CLEP credit is not automatically transferred from the previous institution. Units are transferred only when an official score report is delivered to SF State. Credit is based on the academic year during which exams were taken. Refer to the University Bulletin in effect during the year of AP/IB/CLEP examination(s) for details regarding the award of credit for AP/IB/CLEP.
Students pursuing majors in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines often defer 6-9 units of lower-division General Education in Areas C and D until after transfer to focus on preparation courses for the major. This advice does not apply to students pursuing associate degree completion before transfer.
Transferring From Institutions Other Than CCCs or CSUs
Review SF State's lower-division General Education requirements. Note that, as described below, the four basic skills courses required for admission meet GE Areas 1A/A2, 1B/A3, 1C/A1, and 2/B4 in the SF State GE pattern. Courses that fulfill the remaining areas of SF State’s lower-division GE pattern are available at most two-year and four-year colleges and universities.
Of the four required basic skills courses, a course in critical thinking (1B/A3) may not be widely offered outside the CCC and CSU systems. Students should attempt to identify and take an appropriate course no later than the term of application to the CSU. To review more information about the 1B/A3 requirement, please visit bulletin.sfsu.edu/undergraduate-education/general-education/lower-division/#AAEL.
Waiting until after transfer to take a single course at SF State that meets both US and CA/local government requirements may be an appropriate option, particularly if transferring from outside of California.