2015-2016 Undergraduate Course Catalog 
    
    Mar 28, 2024  
2015-2016 Undergraduate Course Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Child and Family Studies, BS


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Eunjoo Jung, Undergraduate Program Director, 315-443-5778

The 124 credit B.S. degree program in child and family studies provides students with a broad foundation covering a range of issues focusing on the healthy development of children and families. In addition to liberal arts courses, students are expected to complete 15 credits of Program Requirements and 18-24 credits in a specialty track (decided on in the second semester of the sophomore year). Each track prepares students to work in specific settings:

  • Early Child Development students focus on child care and pre-school settings in the early intervention field.
  • Youth and Family Development students learn to work in a variety of settings that focus on youth and family needs including social services, health, mental health and juvenile justice programs, counseling centers, parenting programs, recreation and athletic programs, afterschool programs and schools.
  • Early Childhood Education (4+1) prepares students for careers as early childhood educators. Students have the opportunity to pursue a master’s degree in early childhood special education (ECSE) on year after completing an undergraduate degree in CFS. Students enrolled in this degree program will receive a 30 percent reduction for their one year of graduate tuition.
  • Child Life Specialist prepares students to help children and their families overcome life’s most challenging events. Providing emotional support for families, Child Life Specialists encourage optimum development children facing a broad range of challenges particularly those related to healthcare and hospitalization.  Additional requirements must be met to become Certified as a Child Life Specialist as designated by the Child Life Council. Please visit http://www.childlife.org/Certification/Getting%20Certified/index.cfm for information concerning additional requirements to become certified as a Child Life Specialist.

Students seeking to transfer into CFS should contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

College Requirements (1 credit)


Quantitative Skills


Statistics and/or Calculus (6-8 credits)

Natural Science and Mathematics


Humanities


Specialized Tracks


In the second semester of the sophomore year, students must choose one of the following specialized tracks:

Electives to Reach 124 Degree Applicable Credits


Early Childhood Education Master’s Degree 4+1


Students who wish to be certified as early childhood educators have the opportunity to pursue a master’s degree in early childhood special education (ECSE) in a reduced period of time (one academic year and two summers). After completing the child and family studies degree, qualified students may apply for graduate study in the School of Education at Syracuse University. Students enrolled in this degree program will receive a 30 percent reduction in their graduate tuition. Students desiring to pursue this option should complete the child development specialization, including CFS 367 , and complete these specific liberal arts requirements beyond those listed for the major:

  • a one-year sequence (two courses) of college-level mathematics (may also fulfill the math/foreign language requirement in the liberal arts core);
  • two sciences with laboratories (physical sciences recommended);
  • at least one class in history (which may count toward fulfilling liberal arts core requirements in the social sciences or humanities, depending on the course); and
  • an art history course (e.g. an FIA course that would also meet a humanities requirement).

The Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) graduate program requires that undergraduate writing, mathematics, and laboratory sciences courses have grades averaging no less than a B- with no grade below a C. Students are required to demonstrate competency in a foreign language either by successfully completing the first year of college study in a language (e.g. SPA 101  at Syracuse University) or by providing official documentation of successful completion of Level III of foreign language in high school. Interested undergraduate students should contact the School of Education about taking EDU 303  to further reduce the number of graduate credits required for the degree.

Interested students should work closely with their academic advisors to meet these requirements.

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