MS in Child Life
DURATION
2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Jan 2025
TUITION FEES
USD 33,600
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Introduction
You’ll be prepared to confidently meet certification requirements and become a Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS). You’ll have the benefit of graduating from one of the only academic programs in the United States and Canada endorsed by the Association of Child Life Professionals. In addition to high-level coursework, students will complete a 120-hour practicum in child life and prepare for the next step: applying to a 600-hour hospital internship, a key component toward eligibility for certification. You’ll be ready to work as an allied health professional with expertise in helping children and their families navigate traumatic and challenging experiences.
Gain Hands-on Experience
- Learn within a framework of Christian compassion.
- Work in a child-life practicum and a hospital internship.
- Start in the spring and fall with flexible scheduling.
- Complete the program in just 18 months.
- Choose between online and in-person study.
Program Details
The master’s degree in child life is designed to prepare graduates to successfully complete credentialing as child life specialists, who are allied health care professionals with expertise in helping children and their families navigate traumatic and challenging experiences, particularly health crises.
Admissions
Curriculum
- Family Systems Theory and Applications
- Infants and Toddlers: Development and Interventions
- Theories and Practices of Grief and Loss
- Coping Strategies for Children Experiencing Stress and Trauma
- Adolescent Development and Interventions
- Supporting Children with Special Needs in the Healthcare System
- Ethics, Diversity, and Professional Issues
- Child Life Administration and Leadership
- Research Methods and Statistical Analysis
- Thesis/Project Seminar
- Optional Electives 1
Program Outcome
Students who complete this program shall be able to:
- Disciplinary Knowledge – Demonstrate theoretical and conceptual knowledge to apply Child Life practices.
- Critical thinking, scientific inquiry, and effective communication – Able to examine and engage in scholarly inquiry and critical thinking, including evaluating and applying evidence-based research relevant to child life practices and the healthcare delivery system, as a basis to develop, implement, and communicate effective interventions.
- Values and Ethics – Apply knowledge of child life operating principles, code of ethical responsibilities, standards of practice, respect and value for diversity, and factors impacting infants, children, youth, and families.
- Application to Vocation – Develop professional identity demonstrating the ability to integrate and apply Child Life competencies learned in professional settings of practicum and internship.
- Faith integration – Articulate the intersection of Christian traditions with the Child Life profession using a Christian worldview to integrate faith, beliefs, values, ethics, and service in personal and professional life.
Program Tuition Fee
Program delivery
Immediately Apply Learning
This is an applied/clinical program, with students required to complete a 120-hour practicum in child life followed by a 600-hour hospital internship toward eligibility to take the certification exam, in addition to rigorous coursework. The program comprises 42 units and can be completed in 18 months, with available start times in spring and fall. You will graduate ready to pursue certification as a child life specialist. Courses take place in the evenings and are held in 8-week sessions.
Advanced Standing Option
This option is available for Certified Child Life Specialists (CCLS) with a BA or BS degree, as well as individuals who have successfully completed the 600 required child life internship hours. To pursue the Advanced Standing option, you must provide proof of either a CL Certificate from the Child Life Certifying Commission (CLCC), or complete the Child Life Clinical Experience Verification Form (PDF).