Marilyn Allison ’20
“What I value most about my experience thus far is the closeness and compassion of the faculty and my cohort. As a non-traditional student and mother of six, being able to continue my education and pursue my goals of becoming a knowledgeable and skilled social worker has been a life-changing experience.”
Bachelor’s Degree Completion Programs
The Elms College bachelor’s degree completion programs offered at Berkshire Community College meet all general requirements of Elms College. You enter this program with the required associate’s degree (and at least 60 credits) , satisfy Elms’ core requirements, and complete the requirements of your specific degree program.
Classes are held at the Berkshire Community College campus in Pittsfield on Saturdays, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 1-5 p.m., and are taught by Elms faculty. By completing your coursework in 10 eight-week sessions over a 20-month period, you can save thousands of dollars by completing your degree.
Interested in the RN-BSN online program? Click to learn more.
Early Care and Education
Take your interest in early childhood education and transform it into a rewarding career. The degree completion program offered at Berkshire Community College will provide you with the knowledge and skills to foster cognitive, social, and emotional growth in young children.
- Earn your degree in 20 months
- Classes held Saturdays (8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 1-5 p.m.) on the BCC campus
- Classes taught by Elms faculty
- Financial aid available
Early childhood education specialists make an impact in public and private schools, childcare centers, daycares, and more.
- Early childhood education specialists can earn an average salary of $36,036 per year, according to ZipRecruiter.
- Preschool and childcare center directors can earn a median salary of $47,000 per year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
By accelerating your studies over 20 months, you can save thousands of dollars while completing your degree. All you need to do is:
- Enter the early care and education program with the required associate's degree (and at least 60 credits)
- Satisfy the Elms College core requirements
- Complete the requirements of the early care and education program
Jean Barrett ’20
“With the Elms at BCC program, I’m able to complete my bachelor’s degree while working full time during the week as a preschool teacher. The professors for my early education and care courses all work right here in the Berkshires, so we can hear from their experiences. Having this degree will help me pursue my dreams of opening my own childcare center.”
Curriculum
Click to view course requirements for the Social Work (B.S.).
The bachelor’s degree program requires 120 credits. You can transfer in a maximum of 78 credits from BCC or other regionally accredited colleges. A minimum of 42 credits must be earned through Elms College.
Minimum of 60 Elms Credits and a Minimum of 120 Credit to Graduate with a Baccalaureate Degree. Additional requirements: Macroeconomics; Introduction to Sociology; General Psychology; Philosophy; U.S. History I or II; Human Growth & Development; Fine/Performing Art. A college-level math is strongly recommended. Courses and sequence subject to change.
*400 hours of fieldwork required outside of the program schedule
Session 1 – Fall 1
| Course # | Course Name | # of Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| SWK 2101 | Professional Communication in Social Work | 3 |
| SWK 1001 | Introduction to Social Work | 3 |
Session 2 – Fall 2
| Course # | Course Name | # of Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| SWK 3002 | Social Work Practice with Individuals and Families | 3 |
| SSD 2002 | American Government/Public Policy (online) | 3 |
Session 3 – Spring 1
| Course # | Course Name | # of Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| SWK 3001 | Social Welfare Policies and Services | 3 |
| SWK 3003 | Mental Health and Mental Illness | 3 |
Session 4 – Spring 2
| Course # | Course Name | # of Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| SWK 3105 | Social Work Practice with Communities | 3 |
| MAT 1009 | Statistics | 3 |
Session 5 – Summer 1
| Course # | Course Name | # of Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| SWK 2005 | Human Behavior in the Social Environment II | 3 |
| BIO 1005 | Human Biology (online) | 3 |
Session 6 – Summer 2
| Course # | Course Name | # of Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| SWK 3007 | Social Group Work | 3 |
| REL 2105 | World Religions (online) | 3 |
Session 7 – Fall 1
| Course # | Course Name | # of Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| SWK 4002A | Advanced Social Work Practice | 3 |
| SWK 3100A | Social Work Research | 3 |
| SWK 4001D | Field Work Experience* | 3 |
Session 8 – Fall 2
| Course # | Course Name | # of Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| SWK 4002B | Advanced Social Work Practice | 3 |
| SWK 3100B | Social Work Research | 3 |
| SWK 4001E | Field Work Experience* | 3 |
Session 9 – Spring 1
| Course # | Course Name | # of Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| SWK 4004A | Survey of Social Work Issues (Capstone) | |
| SWK 4001F | Field Work Experience* | 3 |
Session 10 – Spring 2
| Course # | Course Name | # of Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| SWK 4004B | Survey of Social Work Issues (Capstone) | |
| SOC 3106 | Racial and Ethnic Groups (online) | 3 |
| SWK 4001G | Field Work Experience* | 3 |
Click to view course requirements for the Early Care and Education (B.A.).
The bachelor’s degree program requires 120 credits. You can transfer in a maximum of 78 credits from regionally accredited colleges. A minimum of 42 credits must be earned through Elms College.
Courses and sequence subject to change
Session 1 – Fall 1
| Course # | Course Name | # of Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EDU 3309 | Writing in the Professions for ECE | 3 |
| PHI 2402 | Ethics (online) | 3 |
Session 2 – Fall 2
| Course # | Course Name | # of Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EDU 3108 | Technology for Early Childhood Educators | 3 |
| Elective | 3 |
Session 3 – Spring 1
| Course # | Course Name | # of Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EDU 3400 | Health, Safety and Nutrition for ECE (online) | 3 |
| REL 3002 | World Religions (online) | 3 |
Session 4 – Spring 2
| Course # | Course Name | # of Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EDU 3308 | Assessment of Young Children | 3 |
| EDU 2004 | Multicultural Children’s Literature | 3 |
Session 5 – Summer 1
| Course # | Course Name | # of Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EDU 3207 | Addressing Challenging Behaviors in ECE | 3 |
| EDU 2400 | Introduction to Autism Spectrum Disorders in ECE | 3 |
Session 6 – Summer 2
| Course # | Course Name | # of Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EDU 3307 | Early Literacy and Bilingualism | 3 |
| Elective | 3 |
Session 7 – Fall 1
| Course # | Course Name | # of Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EDU 3401 | Inclusionary ECE Classroom | 3 |
| EDU 3601 | Advanced Case Studies in Child Psychology | 3 |
Session 8 – Fall 2
| Course # | Course Name | # of Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EDU 3602 | Inquiry Based Strategies for Teaching Math to Young Children | 3 |
| Elective | 3 |
Session 9 – Spring 1
| Course # | Course Name | # of Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EDU 3603 | Pubic Policy and Advocacy in ECE | 3 |
| EDU 3702 | Nature and Environmental Curriculum: An Inquiry-Based Approach | 3 |
Session 1 – Spring 2
| Course # | Course Name | # of Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EDU 3703 | Capstone Portfolio Seminar | 3 |
| Elective | 3 |
