Principles of Management
Self-paced online Principles of Management course (Business 101). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
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EDU 261 and 262 or an equivalency: which is quicker?
By the team. Checked 15 Nov 2026.
The short answer
For most new administrators, EDU 261 and EDU 262 at a North Carolina community college is the most direct route: 6 semester hours, the portfolio built in, and the credential at the end. The 9-hour business equivalency can be quicker for people who already have business hours, but it adds 3 hours, needs a separate portfolio plan, and gives an equivalency letter.
The two routes compared
Both routes meet the administration coursework part of the Level I credential on DCDEE's grid. The table compares them on the points that usually decide.
| Point | EDU 261 and EDU 262 | 9 hours of business administration |
|---|---|---|
| Credit hours | 6 | 9 |
| Where | Any of 58 NC community colleges | Any college that posts the credit |
| Portfolio | Usually built into the courses | Completed separately, or waived for 5-year directors |
| Result | Credential certificate (if all parts standard) | Equivalency letter |
| Star Rated License | Equal weight | Equal weight |
When EDU 261 and 262 is quicker
If you have no business coursework yet, EDU 261 and EDU 262 is usually faster. It is 6 hours instead of 9, it is designed around running a North Carolina child care centre, and the portfolio assignments are completed inside the courses. Community colleges schedule both courses regularly, often online or in the evening for working directors.
The content is also the most direct match for the job: rules and regulations, personnel, finance, curriculum, assessment and advocacy in the North Carolina setting. A new director gets both the qualification and practical guidance.
When the business route is quicker
The business route wins when you already have some or all of the hours. Someone with two business courses on an old transcript needs only one more; someone with 9 hours may already be done with this part. Check your transcripts first, then ask DCDEE to review them.
It can also fit people whose schedule does not match the community college term. Self-paced courses with ACE or NCCRS credit recommendations can be finished on your own time, but they count only after a college posts them via a college transcript, and that step adds time and a fee.
The portfolio question
The portfolio is the part people forget. In EDU 261 and EDU 262 it is part of the coursework. On the business route, you need to complete the 6 Level I portfolio assignments independently or qualify for the waiver for administrators who have been directors for five years. Ask DCDEE how it wants the portfolio handled before you choose the business route.
If the portfolio would mean extra work outside any course, add that time to your plan. It can make the business route slower than it looks.
Cost
Check your local community college's tuition for two 3-hour courses and compare it with three business courses plus a college's fee to post them. Self-paced subscriptions such as Sophia at $99 a month and StraighterLine at $99 a month plus $79 a course (prices checked 15 November 2026) suit people who can finish quickly. Your employer may also help with costs; ask what support it offers.
Whichever route you take, the 7 semester hours of early childhood coursework are still needed for Level I, so plan those at the same time.
A simple way to decide
If you have no business hours, take EDU 261 and EDU 262. If you have 6 or more business hours already, ask DCDEE in writing whether 3 more would complete this part and how the portfolio would work. Either way, keep DCDEE's reply in your staff file, and watch the 6-month start and 2-year finish deadlines.
What to ask in writing
Before you enrol
Email DCDEE with your planned courses and ask it in writing whether 9 semester hours of business administration from a college transcript would meet the administration coursework component for you. Keep the reply in your staff file.
UPI Study is not a college and is not accredited. ACE and NCCRS review our courses and recommend credit; a college decides whether to give that credit and records it on its own transcript.
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
Questions people ask
Can I test out of EDU 261 and EDU 262?
DCDEE's grid lists testing out as one option for the administration coursework part. The handbook says you ask DCDEE on its form to test out. Testing out is an equivalency option, so the result is an equivalency letter.
How long do EDU 261 and EDU 262 take?
Each is a one-semester community college course of 3 semester hours. Many directors take one per term, finishing in two terms; some colleges let you take both at once. Ask your local college how it schedules them.
Which route looks better to an employer?
DCDEE says the credential and the equivalency carry equal weight in the Star Rated License. Some employers may still prefer EDU 261 and EDU 262 because the courses are built around North Carolina centres, so ask yours.
Courses that fit
ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended courses, studied online at your own pace.
Managerial Accounting
Self-paced online Managerial Accounting course (Accounting 210). ACE and NCCRS recommend 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Business Communication
Self-paced online Business Communication course (Business 210). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →Start when you have it in writing
Take management, human resources and accounting courses with ACE or NCCRS credit recommendations, then move the credit via a college transcript once DCDEE confirms in writing.
Sources
- DCDEE: North Carolina Early Childhood Administration Credential (NCECAC) and administrator requirements grid (official)Three components: administration coursework (EDU 261 and 262), early childhood/child development coursework (Level I: 7 semester hours; Level II: associate degree; Level III: bachelor's), and a portfolio (6, 12 or 18 assignments). Grid Section D-2, administration coursework options at every level: EDU 261 and EDU 262, or test out, or 6 sch in Child Care Administration, or 9 sch in Business Administration. Non-star boxes give an equivalency letter only; credential and equivalency have equal weight in the Star Rated License. Form dated October 2007. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- DCDEE: North Carolina Early Childhood and Administration Credentials (official)Level I is the minimum level required by law for all child care administrators; Levels II and III are voluntary; EDU 261 and EDU 262 are 3 semester credit hours each at all 58 community colleges; each component has equivalency options listed on the education and equivalency form; meeting components by equivalency gives an administration equivalency. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- DCDEE: Child Care Center Handbook, Chapter 2: Staff (official)G.S. 110-91(8): all administrators must have or complete at least a Level I NCECAC or its equivalent as determined by the Division; begin within 6 months and complete within 2 years; apply with education and equivalency (E&E) forms and official transcripts; Rule .0704 preservice requirements for administrators without the credential; lead teachers need the NC Early Childhood Credential (NCECC) or its equivalent under Rule .0703. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.