Program Admission

Admission Requirements

  • Admission to the BS in Early Childhood Education program requires:
    • Completion of an online application at polk.edu/admission-aidfor acceptance as a degree-seeking student at Polk State College. Use the Admission Guide to Polk State College, which has details, a comprehensive checklist, and a great FAQ section to help students complete all the admission requirements to the College.
    • Associate of Arts degree or an Associate of Science degree in Early Childhood Education and Management (or the equivalent) from a regionally-accredited school or college. Submit official college transcripts (for an AA or AS degree or the equivalent) to the Polk State College Registrar’s office.
    • Please note: If the student’s associate’s degree is from a non-regionally accredited institution but is nationally accredited, the degree qualifies for admission, but a course-by-course evaluation is done according to Polk State College’s transfer practices and policies.  More information can be found at edu/admission-aid/transfer-students
    • Associate level degree must be earned with a minimum 2.5-grade point average(GPA) on a 4.0 scale.
    • Completion of one common Education Prerequisite Courses(AA electives) with a grade of “C” or higher. (Please note: EDF1005 is the only required lower-division education course required to be taken by the state of Florida.  However, the other lower-division courses listed below are important for providing a strong base before moving into the bachelor’s level and are highly recommended.)
      • EDF1005 – Introduction to the Teaching Profession
      • EDF2085 – Introduction to Diversity for Educators (recommended, but not required)
      • EME2040 – Introduction to Technology for Educators (recommended, but not required)
      • EDF1250 – Introduction to Classroom Management (recommended, but not required)
    • Passing score on the General Knowledge Test (GKT) of the Florida Teacher Certification Examinations (FTCE). Please request that a copy of your GKT scores be sent directly to Polk State College.
    • Under special circumstances, a one-semester admission waiver can be requested. For more information, contact Sharon Kochanowski at skochanowski@polk.edu.