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Track options
Select a track option for your customized path to success. Standard and advanced tracks are offered entirely online.
Track
For students seeking to become Certified Child Life Specialists with no previous child
life background or training.
Track
For students who are either A) a Certified Child Life Specialist seeking to advance
their career and training through a graduate degree, or B) students with significant
child life coursework in previous studies (e.g., undergraduate child life emphasis
or concentration).
Track
For Missouri State undergraduate students who would like to start their master’s degree
coursework as they finish their bachelor’s degree.
Courses
MSU Child Life Studies coursework is pre-approved by the Association of Child Life Professionals to meet the 10 course requirements required to sit for the Child Life Professional Certification Exam administered by the Child Life Certification Commission.
| Course Categories for Certification | Grad Course(s) | |
|---|---|---|
| Family Systems | CFD 761 | Advanced Family Studies |
| Research | CFD 680 | Research Methods in CFD |
| SFR 780 | Educational Research Methodology | |
| Play | CLS 715 | Play and Therapeutic Intervention |
| Loss/Bereavement | CLS 710 | Childhood Death and Bereavement |
| Child Development (includes 2 courses) |
CFD 705 | Growth and Development: Infancy through Early Childhood |
| CFD 657 | Growth and Development: Middle Childhood to Adolescence | |
| Child Life course | CFD 610 | Child Life Theory and Practice |
| Additional course options (must choose 3) | ECE 675 | Working with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Children and Families in Early Childhood |
| CLS 705 | Aspects of Childhood Illness and Disease | |
| CLS 720 | Trends and Issues in Child Life | |
| CLS 730 | Cultivating a Trauma-Informed Lens | |
Why earn a master’s degree in child life studies at Missouri State?
- Enjoy a nice balance between work and school. You can complete all graduate coursework entirely online.
- Be a key part of the psychosocial team. Help kids and families cope with trauma and stress.
- We offer an affordable degree. Explore our financial aid and scholarships.
Careers and outcomes
Cheery Charlie
An accident led Tamar Adler to pursue a degree at MSU - supporting her nonprofit and her future in child life.
Upcoming admission deadlines
| Semester | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Fall | February 15 |
| Summer | February 15 |
| Spring | October 1 |
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