Child and Family Sciences - Master's
Child and Family Sciences: Building Relationships - Empowering Students!
We offer a fully online, part-time Master's degree in Child and Family Sciences. We are an interdisciplinary field, and our program is designed for those who want to deepen their understanding of issues that affect children and families. It includes academic research, child development, family life education, and human and social services. Ultimately, Child and Family Sciences professionals are dedicated to promoting a better quality of life for all families.
What Will I Learn?
Our curriculum is based upon a developmental lifespan approach and includes 37 hours of coursework. Students have a choice between completing a thesis or practicum experience. Additional coursework includes:
- Adolescence and the family system
- Critical issues in child development
- Family advocacy
- Family life education
- Individual and family life cycle development
- Intimate relationship development
- Parenting across the life cycle
- Practice of family research
- Program evaluation
- Theories of child development
Since this program is fully online, students need a computer, reliable internet access, and a working web camera and microphone. Before enrolling, students should have the basic computer skills and software necessary to effectively access and utilize supporting materials, including Adobe Reader and Microsoft Office.
Students choose between completing a thesis or a practicum experience. Those choosing a practicum experience have three choices:
- Community - Students work for a community agency/organization in the field of child and family sciences (not the student’s employment site).
- Research - Students assist a faculty member with a research project or paper.
- Teaching - Students assist a faculty member with the preparation/delivery of an undergraduate course (typically an online format). It is a great mechanism for learning how to work in the online classroom environment from the instructor’s side of things.
Faculty in Child and Family Sciences regularly collaborate with graduate students on research. Several of our students have presented at professional conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals. Previous graduate research topics include: parents of children with special needs, social media and grief, adoption obstacles for gay and lesbian families, hospitalized children, and fathers’ influences on sexual health.
The School of Child and Family Sciences has 13 departmental scholarships available for students each year. All university scholarship opportunities can be found at: . School specific scholarships can be found on the school's website.
Our faculty represent several diverse fields
Faculty in Child and Family Sciences include experts in child development, certified family life educators, family scientists, early interventionists, licensed marriage and family therapists, and licensed professional counselors.
Availability
| Degree Plan | Availability |
|---|---|
| Online 100% |
- Early Childhood Educator
- Cooperative Extension Specialist
- College Instructor
- Nonprofit Program Manager
- Program Administrator
- Brianna A., 2015,
Doctoral student at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - Tyra W., 2016,
Coordinator, Forrest General Spirit Girls
- Mariah S., 2017,
Social Worker at Washington State Department of Social and Health Services
- Tawni B., 2017,
Project Manager I, Youth Highway Safety at University of Mississippi Medical Center