Early Childhood Education (M.Ed.)

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Applications must be completed by the following deadlines in order to be reviewed for admission:

• Fall: April 15
• Spring: November 1
• Summer: April 15
• Special: Students who plan to begin their internship Fall semester, must have a completed Graduate School application by March 1st and have taken all prerequisite coursework.

Application fee: $65

Campus: Durham

New England Regional: VT

Accelerated Masters: Yes (for more details see the accelerated masters information page)

Students claiming in-state residency must also submit a Proof of Residence Form. This form is not required to complete your application, but you will need to submit it after you are offered admission or you will not be able to register for classes.

If you attended UNH after September 1, 1991, and have indicated so on your online application, we will retrieve your transcript internally; this includes UNH-Durham, UNH-Manchester and UNH Non-Degree work. 

If you did not attend UNH, or attended prior to September 1, 1991, then you must upload a copy (PDF) of your official transcript in the application form. International transcripts must be translated into English.

If admitted, you must then request an official transcript be sent directly to our office from the Registrar's Office of each college/university attended. We accept transcripts both electronically and in hard copy:

• Electronic Transcripts: Please have your institution send the transcript directly to grad.school@unh.edu. Please note that we can only accept copies sent directly from the institution.
• Paper Transcripts: Please send hard copies of transcripts to: UNH Graduate School, Thompson Hall- 105 Main Street, Durham, NH 03824. You may request transcripts be sent to us directly from the institution or you may send them yourself as long as they remain sealed in the original university envelope.

Transcripts from all previous post-secondary institutions must be submitted and applicants must disclose any previous academic or disciplinary sanctions that resulted in their temporary or permanent separation from a previous post-secondary institution. If it is found that previous academic or disciplinary separations were not disclosed, applicants may face denial and admitted students may face dismissal from their academic program.

Recommendation letters submitted by relatives or friends, as well as letters older than one year, will not be accepted. At least one letter should be from a university/college level instructor.

The Early Childhood program requires that two recommendations speak to your ability to do graduate-level work and at least one speaks to your ability to work with children.

IMPORTANT: Please see the latest information regarding Praxis testing at https://www.ets.org/s/cv/important-update/   More testing centers have reopened with limited seating capacity. In addition, select tests (Praxis CORE), are being offered in a Test At Home environment. The tests are the same as the ones offered at testing centers and are monitored by an online “human proctor.”  Go to:  https://www.ets.org/s/cv/praxis/at-home/ for additional information.

Admitted students will need a background check prior to beginning their internship, and passing scores on the Praxis Core will be needed for program completion and teacher licensure.

Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators (Core) exam scores are required of all applicants to Master’s level (M.Ed. and M.A.T. ) programs leading to initial certification in Teacher Education, Special Education, and Early Childhood Education. Applicants must obtain, at a minimum, a qualifying score (as set by the state of New Hampshire at the time of testing) on all three (Reading, Writing, and Mathematics) Core exams in order to be considered for admission. Current NH qualifying scores may be found at the ETS Praxis Website under the “Tests required for all licensure areas” page. To have scores sent to our office please use our recipient code which is 3922.

For general information about test scores required for admission into our programs please visit our Test Scores webpage.

In no more than two pages, describe the reasons you wish to pursue the degree program you have chosen, including relevant personal qualities and life experiences that have shaped your beliefs about learning, development and teaching, counseling, or administration (depending on the program to which you are applying).

Statements must be included with your submitted application.

A background check is a requirement before an application can be reviewed by the Education department. Here is the document and instructions Department of Education Background Check and Criminal History Release form.

Follow the provided instructions and bring your background check documentation to the Department of Education at Morrill Hall, Room 203B (see instructions for details).  Due to COVID-19 and remote learning, you can also mail your completed form and check to: UNH Education Department, Morrill Hall, 62 College Road, Durham, NH 03824. Once received, the Education Department will provide a receipt that you will upload to your application to show this portion is completed. The Education department will send the materials to the state for processing. 

The Early Childhood program has a checklist and FAQ relating to their admission requirements. Please review this document before applying.

All applicants are encouraged to contact programs directly to discuss program-specific application questions.

Prospective international students are required to submit TOEFL, IELTS, or equivalent examination scores. English Language Exams may be waived if English is your first language. If you wish to request a waiver, then please visit our Test Scores webpage for more information.