Child Development

Students gain advanced knowledge of child development from a multi-disciplinary perspective. The program provides an in-depth examination of cognitive, biological, and socio-emotional development from infancy through adolescence studied in multiple contexts. The curriculum provides opportunities to study a wide range of topics such as cross-cultural development; brain and behavior; parenting and nutrition; social-emotional development; language and intellectual development; memory systems; genes and environments; physiological correlates of behavior; and research methods in human growth and development. The curriculum emphasizes a balance of research, theory, methodology, and practical, supervised experience in the belief that, in order to be effective, educators and practitioners alike must have solid disciplinary foundations. The program provides a foundation for careers in program-delivery (e.g., Early Childhood; 4-H; Youth Development), teaching at the community-college level, or further graduate study.