The Master of Arts in Child Development is a 51-unit, evening program designed to provide students with an in-depth background in child growth and development. This program is targeted to students wishing to continue their studies at the graduate level in child and human development, for those currently in careers relating to children and families (e.g., early childhood education, elementary education, special education, or social service professionals), for those wishing to teach early childhood courses at a community college, and for those who plan to pursue doctoral-level studies in related fields such as child/human development, child and family studies, developmental psychology, and clinical/counseling psychology.

The Child Development Program has offered a Masters of Arts degree since 2000. This program provides training in core areas of child development, including development of the whole child from birth through adolescence, family studies, and research design and methodology. This program has a uniquely applied focus and integrates many areas relevant to child development, such as early childhood education, special education, counseling, and social work. Students exiting this program take with them skills that are marketable under current and expected socioeconomic conditions.

The Child Development Program is one of four areas of concentration in the M.A. and M.S. Programs offered by the department. The three other areas are: Industrial/Organizational, Clinical/Counseling, and General Experimental Psychology.

Program Resources:

The Child Development Program provides research and professional opportunities with a diverse population. Faculty affiliated with this program are interested in topics ranging from teacher behavior to siblings to academic achievement. In addition, faculty engage in a variety of professional endeavors (such as clinical counseling and school psychology) and have numerous community contacts. Due to collaborations with multiple campus and community organizations, opportunities for internships are plentiful. On campus, we work closely with the Children's Center, which houses children aged 3-5, and the infant-toddler laboratory.

The Department of Psychology, which houses the M.A. in Child Development, is the largest department in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences with over 30 full-time faculty members possessing diverse research interests. Nine of these individuals are core Child Development faculty. The Psychology Department at CSUSB was recently ranked 13^th in the nation in terms of research productivity of the faculty in departments with master's-level training programs (1990, Professional Psychology). We are a faculty committed to excellence in teaching, reflected by the fact that five members of our department have received the University's Outstanding Professor Award.

Our department is housed in the Social and Behavioral Sciences building at CSUSB. The building will houses an infant/toddler program, laboratories for research, a child assessment center, and a language development laboratory.

Admission and Financial Aid:

The Child Development Program accepts students with a bachelor's degree in human development or related fields. Students may transfer graduate credits if the courses are relevant to the master's program of study. Each individual case will be reviewed. Application for fall admission must be received by March 1^st to be considered. Applicants are admitted to the fall quarter only. The following pre-requisites should be met prior to admittance.

Limited financial aid resources are available to our graduate students. Teaching assistantships are available in the second year of training and some faculty have research grants to hire research assistants. Student loans, available through the Guaranteed Student Loan (GSL) program, may be available if you are accepted into the program.

Applying for admission is a two step process:

Step One: University Application

Step Two: Psychology Department Application

All information and forms must be received by Admissions and the Psychology Department by the appropriate deadlines to be guaranteed consideration for current academic year admission. It is your responsibility to be sure all information is received. All applicants whose files are complete by the appropriate dates will be reviewed and considered for admission to classified status. Late applicants may be considered if there are openings and will be notified by letter as to their acceptance or non-acceptance into their respective programs.

STEP ONE: University Application:

Send the following materials to:

1.) The completed University Application for Graduate Admission with your check attached.
You may apply online (Click here to apply) or request an application by calling 909-537-5188

2.) One official copy of transcripts from each college and university you have attended, regardless of whether you received a degree.

Please note that you do not have to request CSUSB transcripts if you are a current student or graduate of CSUSB.

Please allow enough time (at least one month) for your college transcripts to be sent to the University. The University admissions office must evaluate transcripts of all colleges attended before they can send a Graduate Credit Summary to the Psychology Department. The Psychology Department cannot review your file without this summary.

If you are an unclassified graduate student currently enrolled at CSUSB, you must file a change of major form (at least one month prior to our deadline) at the admissions and records office so that an updated credit summary will be forwarded to the Psychology Department.

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STEP TWO: Psychology Department Application:

Send the following Materials to:

1.) A copy of transcripts from each college and university you have attended, regardless of whether you received a degree.

2.) A copy of your university application for graduate admission.

3.) Statement of Purpose

1-2 page typewritten description of your preparation for graduate study, goals for the graduate training program, and professional aspirations following receipt of the Master's Degree.

4.) Psychology Department Information Form (enclosed in application packet).

5.) Three (3) letters of recommendation (enclosed in application packet).

Two should come from instructors who know the quality of your academic work. These letters should be from people who can make relevant comments on your likely success in a graduate Psychology program.

Letters of recommendation should be sent directly from the writer (or placement file) to the Psychology Department; or included with the application in a sealed envelop that has the recommender's signature over the seal.

Some financial aid resources are available to our graduate students. Each year a few Teaching Assistants are available in the second year of training, and a few faculty have research grants to hire research assistants. Some second-year internships offer a stipend. Student loans, available through the Guaranteed Student Loan (GSL) program, may be available if you are accepted into the program. Interested applicants are encouraged to contact the campus Financial Aid Office at (909) 537-7800 early (i.e. before March) for information about these loans and about available fellowship programs.

Degree Requirements:

Students will complete classes related to child growth and development covering the age span between infancy and adolescence. In addition, students will complete coursework related to parenting and families, cognitive development, research methodology, and lifespan development. To complete their degree students will take elective courses that meet their personal interests both within the Psychology Department and across the greater campus. Students interested in pursuing a doctoral degree are required to complete courses related to statistics and research methodology.

By the fall of the student's second year, the thesis and/or project should be proposed (unless the student has decided to complete a comprehensive exam upon completion of coursework). All students must conduct an independent literature review under the supervision of a chosen graduate faculty advisor. The topic of the study should relate to child development and the study should focus the student's specialization within a certain domain of development and within a certain age group.

Child Development Concentration - Thesis Option: (50-51 units)

1. HD 690  Families and Parenting (4 units)

2. PSYC 611  Advanced Independent Study (5 units)

3. PSYC 640  Advanced Methods in Psychological Research (4 units)

4. PSYC 641  Analysis of Variance (5 units)

5. PSYC 642  Regression/Nonparametric Statistics (4 units)

6. PSYC 645  Advanced Infancy and Early Childhood  Development (4 units)

7. PSYC 646  Advanced  Middle Childhood and Adolescent Development (4 units)

8. PSYC 651 Advanced Cognitive Development (4 units)

9. PSYC 654  Advanced Life-Span Developmental Psychology (4 units)

10. PSYC 664  Applied Life-Span Developmental Psychology (4 units)

11. PSYC 699  Thesis (5 units)

12. Four (4) units of 500-or 600-level coursework from HD, PSYC, ED, or other relevant field chosen in consultation with a faculty advisor.

Child Development Concentration - Project Option:

1. HD 690  Families and Parenting (4 units)

2. PSYC 611  Advanced Independent Study (5 units)

3. PSYC 640  Advanced Methods in Psychological Research (4 units)

4. PSYC 645  Advanced Infancy and Early Childhood Development (4 units)

5.PSYC 646  Advanced Middle childhood and Adolescent Development (4 units)

6. PSYC 651  Advanced Cognitive Development (4 units)

7. PSYC 654  Advanced Life-Span Developmental Psychology (4 units)

8. PSYC 664  Applied Life-Span Developmental Psychology (4 units)

9. Twelve (12) units of 500-or 600-level coursework from HD, PSYC, ED, or other relevant field chosen in consultation with a faculty advisor.

10. PSYC 695  Graduate Project (5 units)

Child Development Concentration - Comprehensive Examination Option:

1. HD 690  Families and Parenting (4 units)

2. PSYC 612  Directed Readings (5 units)

3. PSYC 640  Advanced Methods in Psychology  Research (4 units)

4. PSYC 645  Advanced Infancy and Early Childhood  Development (4 units)

5. PSYC 646  Advanced Middle Childhood Adolescent Development (4 units)

6. PSYC 651 Advanced Cognitive Development (4 units)

7. PSYC 654  Advanced Life-Span Developmental Psychology (4 units)

8. PSYC 664  Applied Life-Span Developmental Psychology (4 units)

9. PSYC 689   Externship in Applied Psychology (5 units)

10. PSYC 999B. Comprehensive Examination: Child Development  (0 units)

11. Twelve (12) units of 500-or 600-level coursework from HD, PSYC, ED, or other relevant field chosen in consultation with a faculty advisor.

What Can I Do With This Degree?

This degree is not designed to provide students with an elementary education teaching credential or a license to counsel children and families (since these degrees are currently offered elsewhere on campus). The master's program in Child Development does qualify students for a California Child Development Permit at the Program Director level.

Students graduating from this program will also find themselves qualified for a variety of professional opportunities such as:

1. Community college instructor

2. Early childhood center director

3. Program analyst

4. Grant Writer

5. Infant-toddler/early childhood specialist

6. Parent educator

7. Lobbyist

8. Museum educator

For More Information

Contact the director of the Child Development program, Dr. Cherie Ward via telephone at (909) 537-7304; via e-mail at sward@csusb.edu or in person in her office (SB-526) by appointment.

The university's Catalog of Courses provides a broad description of all programs and requirements. To receive application materials, please call 909-537-5570 or write to: