Southwestern’s Early Childhood Education degree prepares candidates to teach Pre-Kindergarten through 5th grade. Field experience is an integral part of the course requirements, with students completing the equivalent of one year of field experience hours (900 hours, required for teacher certification in Georgia) including student teaching and observation. Prior to acceptance into the program, students must meet numerous requirements such as completing at least 50 semester hours of core courses, passing the GACE I, and maintaining a 2.50 gpa. In addition, the program offers students the opportunity to work with Southwestern's 4-K program which is managed by the GSW School of Education.