Triple Endorsement Master of Science in Early Childhood Education Licensure Program
One Master's. Three Endorsements.
Online and hybrid options available.
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Every student is different. Many speak different languages, have their own strengths, weaknesses, and vastly different life experiences. More than half of Illinois classrooms will be filled with children of color. To create inclusive classrooms, teachers must be sensitive to family dynamics and understand systemic forces that oftentimes hamper learning and opportunities.
It's challenging, but the rewards are enormous – every effective teacher moves us that much closer to a more equitable society. That’s why the Erikson Institute, the premiere graduate school for early childhood development fields, has created the only licensure program of its kind in Illinois: The Triple Endorsement Master’s Degree Program in Early Childhood Education.
Full-tuition grants are available to students who serve underinvested communities for four years and participate in professional learning communities for two years after graduation.
Accepting applications for fall and summer terms.
The traditional method of "stacking" endorsements is costly, time-consuming, and falls short of offering a holistic approach that every child needs. Our full-time one-year program and 24-month part-time program integrates three endorsements in a single course of study: Early Childhood Ed, ESL, and Special Ed. You'll have the comprehensive preparation today's classrooms demand and you'll have a wider range of employment options.
The Triple Endorsement Program is designed to support every facet of your life as a student and a professional. You'll have full access to our Academic Success Center's writing course, study groups, and one-on-one tutors. Faculty will become your role models and mentors. After graduation, you'll join the program's online, monthly Professional Learning Community, so you can continue to connect with and learn more from colleagues who share your Erikson training and passion for equity in education. By caring about you as a whole person, Erikson prepares you to meet each student as a whole person, too.
The Erikson approach is developmentally informed, mindful in its approach, and expansive in its outlook. You'll learn how to forge deep and culturally responsive connections with students, their families, and their communities. You'll know how to create a collaborative classroom environment, where teacher and student truly learn from each other. Erikson-trained teachers act with exceptional intentionality, create learning environments built on strengths rather than deficits and manage classrooms with fewer disciplinary restrictions.
I believe my work and personal contribution to early childhood education can make the world better. It is my goal to be the most informed teacher I can be, to build educational foundations rooted in access for all learners, and to always view my work through an equity lens.
- Brianna Brown, MSECE Triple Endorsement, '25