Four-year Early Childhood degree now available

By Amy Williams
Ridgewater College Student
If you are interested in a career working with young children, but you are limited by the times you can attend classes or the distance you can travel, the new Early Childhood Education degree options at Ridgewater College might be just for you.
At Ridgewater College, you can now earn an Associate of Science degree in Early Childhood Education, and if you choose, you can continue your education right at Ridgewater by obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree through a partnership with Southwest Minnesota State University, Marshall. That’s right, you get to stay right at Ridgewater’s campus — no moving or commuting — and still earn a B.S. degree that will allow you to teach in educational environments with children from infants to 3rd grade.
Cindy Salfer, Ridgewater instructor, explained that the great part of this partnership with SMSU is that the entire degree will be offered on both Hutchinson and Willmar campuses.
The courses will be offered through a combination of face-to-face, online, and interactive television instruction, along with practical classroom experiences. The classes will target people of all ages with a variety of schedules by being available at times and locations that are convenient to many, Salfer explained.
Ridgewater is now accepting applications for the Early Childhood Education classes that will begin in the fall of 2007.
“We are very eager to start this new degree program,” Salfer said. “We will definitely be meeting the needs of many students by expanding our career options.”
In addition, Ridgewater College will continue to offer the traditional Educational Assistant diploma and A.A.S. degree on the Hutchinson Campus.
For more information, contact Cindy Salfer at (320) 234-8589, or cindy.salfer@ridgewater.edu .
This four-year option expands the list of possibilities at Ridgewater that allows students to earn four-year degrees with Ridgewater partners while staying on the Willmar or Hutchinson campuses. Most recent additions allow students to earn a marketing or business four-year degree in partnership with SMSU, and a law enforcement degree through Saint Cloud State University.