Bachelor in Early Care and Education (B.E.C.E.)
Learn to teach young children from birth to five years of age, with a range of skills and abilities, including young children with special needs.
Contact Information
Yash Bhagwanji
Associate Professor
Department of Curriculum and Instruction
Office Location: ED 47 - 330
Campus: Boca
Sharon Darling
Associate Professor
Department of Special Education
Office Location: ED 47 - 442
Campus: Boca
Sita Ramnarace
Assistant Director
Office for Academic and Student Services
Office Phone: 561-297-3570
Office Location: ED 47 - 231
Campus: Boca
The Bachelor’s in Early Care and Education (BECE) degree is offered jointly by the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and Special Education. The main feature of this degree is that it blends the field of early childhood and early childhood special education, preparing personnel to serve the needs of young children with and without disabilities or delays. The degree is designed to prepare high-quality teachers and related personnel for employment in the fields of child care and children's services, working with young children from birth to age five.
The Bachelor’s in Early Care and Education degree is based on the most up-to-date professional Standards (i.e., Division for Early Childhood, National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAYEC) Standards for personnel preparation and Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)). In addition to core coursework in teacher education and early childhood, students are able to tailor their program of study to meet their intended career goals through the selection of specific electives.
This is a four-year degree program; however, students who enter with a completed Associate of Arts degree are able to complete this degree within 2-2.5 years. Students are able to complete their degree full-time, or part-time by completing three courses per semester, or two courses per semester. Courses leading toward the BECE degree are offered in a variety of formats (e.g., fully online, hybrid, face-to-face) and the tuition costs at FAU are among the lowest in the nation (full details about tuition rates can be found here), making the degree accessible to many.
Field experiences are required in all core early childhood education courses. Students apply new knowledge and build skills in many different areas, to include child observation/evaluation, curriculum planning, instructional delivery, self-evaluation, and modification of instruction. With the approval of course instructors, field experiences are largely completed within local early childhood centers, and related service agencies or settings. If employed within early care settings, we make every effort to allow students to complete their field requirements within their place of employment. Click here to learn more about our field experience program.
Once admitted, students are assigned a college and department faculty advisor, who will advise and guide them through program development and degree completion. Learn more about the Bachelor’s in Early Care and Education degree application, admission, and program requirements here, and/or contact a BECE Faculty Advisor.
Note: This degree program does not fulfill the Florida Department of Education Teacher Certification requirements. Students completing the BECE degree are eligible to pursue alternative teacher certification after completing their degree. For more detailed information regarding alternative K-12 teacher certification, visit Alternative and Traditional Certification.