Child and Family Studies

The Child and Family Studies program prepares students for careers in various fields of early childhood, human services, school social work, parenting education and family life. It provides students with purposeful theoretical and practical experiences in relevant education-based coursework paired with courses in psychology, sociology and criminal justice studies. The program is offered in the School of Education and will prepare candidates to work with children, adolescents, and adults in all stages of life in diverse settings including human and social services organizations. The coursework is aligned to the National Council on Family Relations www.ncfr.org standards and the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) www.education.pa requirements for School Social Worker Standards, National Association for the Education of Young Children https://www.naeyc.org, and Council of Exceptional Children https://www.cec.sped.org.

Child and Family Studies majors are inspired to customize a career path with established course requirements focused on special areas of need in the community at the local, national and international levels. The major includes personalized field training, community service, independent research, and supervised projects.