Child Development Program Character

The Master of Arts Program in Child Development explores the life of the child as the interaction of intellectual, emotional, social, and imaginative streams. It combines in-depth study of primary theoretical perspectives with practical fieldwork. It encourages students to study children in a wide range of social contexts and environments—among members of their family, peer group, and culture, and within their homes, schools, and neighborhoods.

In close consultation with faculty advisers, students develop a plan of study individualized to their academic interests and long-term goals. All courses are taught as seminars with no more than 15 students. Students meet biweekly with their instructors for individual conferences, in which they design independent study projects that often draw on students’ fieldwork experience.

Among the resources available to the students are the Early Childhood Center, a pioneering laboratory school, and the Child Development Institute, which offers lectures, conferences, activities, and outreach programs for students, faculty, and parents.

Graduates of the program are prepared for direct work with children in various settings, for teaching child development at an intermediate level, or for pursuing doctoral study in psychology and related fields.