Admissions

Admissions Requirements

A.A.S. and A.A.S.-T degrees in Early Childhood Education, Child and Family Studies, or related programs offer the best preparation for the ECE B.A.S. degree. However, any two- or four-year degree or equivalent credits will be considered. If you do not yet have a degree but have over 70 transferable college level credits, you are welcome to apply.

How to Apply and Timing

Apply online for admission! Each fall, we start a virtual Bachelor’s cohort of 30 students and a fully online cohort of 30 students. These groups of students will take all of their Early Childhood Education major courses together. Our cohorts fill quickly and on a first come, first serve basis, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible. We will do our best to give you the cohort model of your choice, but once a cohort is full, the only options are to join the open cohort or wait until the following academic year. Students who do not have an AAS in ECE must satisfy our prerequisites prior to fall and are encouraged to apply two or more quarters in advance to take those courses and/or test out of courses. Any students may apply early to work ahead on any needed general education and/or elective courses. As such, you may apply for admission at any time throughout the year. In that case, you would be admitted to our “Pathways” program and transition into your major courses in your cohort the following fall.  

Attend an Information Session

Prospective students and applicants are invited to attend a virtual or in-person Info Session which is held the first Tuesday of every month via Zoom from 8:00-9:00pm. Please RSVP for a session by contacting our Outreach & Admissions Advisor, Rebeccah Cosby, at Rebeccah.Cosby@Seattlecolleges.edu or RSVP here!

Si habla espanol, contacte a Amor Zarate para ayuda en espanol amor.zarate@seattlecolleges.edu 

In this small group event, you will have the opportunity to meet and chat with our program manager and learn about our program design and funding opportunities. We will also share advice for applying to the program and take questions. Finally, participants will be invited to connect with our Outreach Specialist for individual follow-up in the days following the event.

International Students

The ECE BAS program accepts international students. Applicants will need to meet the International Programs standards for admission and will also need to apply to the ECE BAS program.

Program Start Date

We start 1-2 new cohorts of students every fall. You may apply for fall admission as early as January of the same year. However, if you want to get ahead on credits and/or you need to complete prerequisites, you may apply for admission at any time throughout the year. In that case, you would be admitted to our “Pathways” program and transition into your major courses the next fall. We are happy to discuss and answer questions on this!

Prerequisites

For those who do not already have an associate in ECE, the following prerequisite courses are required* and can count as elective credits toward the B.A.S. degree. If you are going to begin working on these courses, we highly recommend you contact us for useful information about scholarships and grants, flexible course availability, etc.

• EDUC&115 – Child Development
• ECED&107 – Health, Safety and Nutrition
• EDUC&130 – Guiding Behavior
• ECED&170 – Environments
• EDUC&150 – Child, Family, Community
• ECED&160 – Curriculum Development
• ENGL&101 – English Composition I

*Equivalent courses from other colleges may be substituted for any/all of these prerequisites. Candidates with equivalent prior learning from employment and professional development experience may inquire about testing out of these courses. If you have not taken these courses but have met all other admissions requirements (70+ college level credits, 6 months work experience in the field, etc), you may be ready to begin our “Pathways” program. Contact Rebeccah Cosby to discuss!

Application Details

1. Contact Outreach Specialist, Rebeccah Cosby
2. Apply to the college and receive a ctcLink Student Number (EMPLID).
   •  Please choose ECE AAS as your program of study. This will be updated after your admission to the BAS program
   • To be considered for admission to the program, you must have a ctcLink ID# that is active at North Seattle College. To do this, you will need to 'apply to the college'– which is different from applying to the BAS Program. 
   • Here is the link to apply for a ctcLinkID#; be sure to choose North Seattle College once in the portal (click 'Create an Account')
3. Complete and submit the online application for the ECE B.A.S. program. This typically takes about 2-3 hours to complete. The application will prompt you to submit the following:
   • A résumé containing professional and/or volunteer experience and skills relevant to the degree.
   • Unofficial transcripts from any colleges previously attended (including North Seattle College)
     • If you have a ctcLink ID from another Washington state community or technical college, you can follow the steps in this video to get your unofficial transcript" and link to this video.
   • A personal statement describing the following in ~400-600 words (2-3 pages):
     1. Your personal and professional experience and how this degree builds upon that experience
     2. Your personal and professional goals and how this degree relates to those goals
     3. Optional: If you have experienced hardship and it impacted your academic performance, you may choose to share that story here 
     4. Any other special considerations you believe will make you a good candidate
   • Special Questions to answer at the end of your essay. Please number your responses.
     1. The North Seattle College Early Childhood Education program is committed to fostering anti-bias early childhood professionals. Anti-bias philosophy informs the underpinnings of our coursework and culturally-responsive strategies are embedded throughout the program. What does anti-bias education mean to you, and why are you choosing a degree program with this emphasis?
     2.  Do you prefer the online or hybrid program? Please explain your preference. If you prefer online, please describe your experience and comfort using computers for school and/or professional purposes.

Watch this video to see inside the application and what you'll need to successfully complete it.

We will respond within 2-4 weeks to notify you of your admissions status. At this time, we will also ask you if you prefer the virtual (1/2 nights per week classes/discussion groups on Zoom) or the fully online program. If you have any questions or would like any support, please reach out to Annie Garrett or our Admissions Specialist.

Financial Aid and Scholarships

Get details about financial aid and scholarship opportunities for B.A.S. Early Childhood Education applicants here.

Washington State Employee Tuition Waiver

The Early Childhood Education B.A.S. degree will allow qualifying Washington state employees to use the State Employee Tuition Waiver in the ECE B.A.S. program on a space-available basis. This program can cover up to 6 credits per quarter. Students wishing to use the State Employee Tuition Waiver must still apply to the program and meet all the prerequisite requirements. Students MUST indicate on the online application that they wish to use the tuition waiver. Full details regarding the policy and the special application process can be found here. It is recommended you consult with Annie Garrett about this benefit.