BS in Human Development and Family Science with Emphasis in Child Life Specialist

Degree Program Description

The Child Life Specialist emphasis prepares students to support child development and family coping within the context of pediatric illness, injury, medical treatment, and grief in a variety of health care and community settings. Child life specialists use therapeutic play, psychological preparation, and coping skills interventions to help reduce children's anxiety and stress related to illness, disability, hospitalization, and other challenging life experiences. Through a family-centered care approach, they provide parents and other family members reassurance and emotional support, help them understand psychosocial needs, and provide tools to help prevent or minimize psychological trauma. Courses focus on understanding typical and exceptional child and family development, effective methods of supporting children and families, as well as integration of theory and research into hands-on clinical practice experiences. In addition to a 100-hour practicum experience (selection is on a competitive, space-available basis) at MU’s Children’s Hospital, the student’s last semester is spent off-campus completing a 600-hour, unpaid clinical internship in a pediatric hospital setting. Placement at clinical internship sites is not guaranteed by the University of Missouri. Students who successfully complete the degree program with the clinical internship option are eligible to take the Child Life Professional Certification Exam presented by the Child Life Certification Commission (CLCC) after graduation.

Major Program Requirements

The HDFS-Child Life degree program requires that students successfully complete child life volunteer, practicum, and internship experiences to earn this degree. Those who successfully complete the clinical internship capstone option are well prepared to take the child life certification exam to earn the CCLS (Certified Child Life Specialist) credential after graduation. Clinical education sites require that students provide proof of health insurance, up-to-date immunizations, and student professional liability insurance. Students must also pass mandatory drug screens, criminal background checks, and any other required qualification checks prior to beginning any clinical education experience in child life. Failure to provide appropriate documentation, or pass drug screens and criminal background checks prior to beginning these experiences may necessitate dismissal from the child life emphasis in HDFS. The student is responsible for all costs incurred with these qualification checks.

Students must complete all university requirements, including general education courses, in addition to the HDFS degree requirements below. All students must earn a grade of C- or higher, and a minimum 2.0 GPA overall in all HDFS courses taken to meet the HDFS degree requirements.1 A minimum of 120 credit hours is required to earn the degree.

A. HDFS CORE I REQUIRED COURSES: 16
H_D_FS 1600Foundations of Family Science 23
H_D_FS 1610Intimate Relationships and Marriage3
H_D_FS 2200Research Methods in Human Development and Family Science3
H_D_FS 2300Multicultural Study of Children and Families3
H_D_FS 2400WPrinciples of Human Development - Writing Intensive4
B. HDFS CORE II - CHILD LIFE EMPHASIS REQUIRED COURSES:37
H_D_FS 2250Child Life Volunteer Experience 31
H_D_FS 3050Child Development: Infancy and Toddlerhood3
H_D_FS 3150WChild Development: Preschool to Pre-Adolescence - Writing Intensive3
H_D_FS 3430Adolescence and Young Adulthood3
H_D_FS 3500Infant-Toddler Practicum6
H_D_FS 3700Preschool Practicum6
H_D_FS 3800Children's Play3
H_D_FS 4100Children in Healthcare Settings3
H_D_FS 4110Child Life Theory and Practice3
H_D_FS 4130Child Life Practicum 43
H_D_FS 4400Childhood Death and Bereavement3
C. HDFS CORE III REQUIRED COURSES:6
HDFS Upper-Level Diversity Requirement. Select at least two courses from the following:
H_D_FS 4200Latino/a Children, Youth, and Families3
H_D_FS 4300Black Children, Youth, and Families3
H_D_FS 4610Stress and Resilience in Families3
H_D_FS 4620Family Interaction3
H_D_FS 4640Interpersonal Relationships3
H_D_FS 4700Children and Families in Poverty3
D. HDFS ELECTIVE COURSES: 13
Select from the following HDFS courses (and any others not already used to satisfy CORE I, II, or III requirements) and advisor-approved non-HDFS courses; 4 courses minimum 5
H_D_FS 1234Successful Adulting3
H_D_FS 2450Human Sexuality Across the Life Span3
H_D_FS 3085Problems in Human Development and Family Science1-30
H_D_FS 3090Research Experience in Human Development and Family Science1-30
H_D_FS 3440Adulthood and Aging3
H_D_FS 3450Health, Safety and Nutrition3
H_D_FS 3550Technology and Young Children3
H_D_FS 3600Partnering with Parents and Families3
H_D_FS 3650Diversity in the Lives of Young Children and Families3
H_D_FS 3960Readings in Human Development and Family Science1-30
H_D_FS 4001Topics in Human Development and Family Science1-6
H_D_FS 4085Problems in Human Development and Family Science1-30
H_D_FS 4680Family Communication3
H_D_FS 4720Child and Family Advocacy3
E. REQUIREMENTS IN RELATED AREAS:14
CDS 2190Medical Terminology3
COMMUN 1200Public Speaking3
PHIL 2440Medical Ethics3
PTH_AS 2201Human Anatomy Lecture3
PTH_AS 2203Human Anatomy Laboratory2
F. HDFS CAPSTONE - CLINICAL INTERNSHIP OPTION15
H_D_FS 4993Internship in Human Development and Family Science 61-15
OR
F. HDFS CAPSTONE - NON-CLINICAL OPTION15 -16
REQUIRED CAPSTONE COURSE:
H_D_FS 4970Human Development and Family Science Capstone3
or H_D_FS 4970W Human Development and Family Science Capstone - Writing Intensive
CHOOSE ONE (REQUIRED):
H_D_FS 4090Advanced Research in Human Development and Family Science3
or H_D_FS 4993 Internship in Human Development and Family Science
SELECT 9 ELECTIVE CREDITS (REQUIRED):
ELECTIVE CREDITS - Can include any of the following: 79
• Additional HDFS courses not already used to satisfy CORE I, II, or III, or HDFS Elective requirements
• Minor, certificate, or elective courses from other departments
1

Some courses may require a higher grade than C- to advance in the program.

Child life clinical education sites typically require that students have substantially higher GPAs (ex., 3.0+ cumulative) to be considered for clinical education placements.

2

H_D_FS 1600 should be taken before H_D_FS 2300 and any 3000/4000-level H_D_FS course.

3

Should be completed no later than the 2nd semester of Sophomore year.

4

Seats are limited in H_D_FS 4130. Students are admitted to this course via a competitive application and interview selection process. Applicants are selected one semester prior to enrolling in H_D_FS 4130. A 3.0 cumulative GPA is required for interview eligibility, in addition to completion of selected required courses. See the HDFS Child Life academic advisor for more information.

A grade of B (3.0) or higher must be earned in H_D_FS 4130 to be admitted to the child life clinical internship section of H_D_FS 4993.

5

Students may plan a program of study which will help prepare them for earning the Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE) credential from the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR). Consultation with the student’s academic advisor is recommended to determine the current requirements for this credential.

6

Students enter a student-initiated, competitive, nationwide application process to earn a clinical internship placement at a pediatric healthcare facility outside of Columbia, MO, the semester prior to enrolling in H_D_FS 4993.  All other coursework requirements must be completed prior to the start of H_D_FS 4993.

7

Consult with an HDFS academic advisor for a list of approved elective courses.

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Semester Plan

Below is a sample plan of study, semester by semester. A student's actual plan may vary based on course choices where options are available.

First Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
COMMUN 12003Gen Ed PHYS or MATH Science3
ENGLSH 10003Gen Ed Soc/Behavioral Science3
Gen Ed MATH3H_D_FS 23003
H_D_FS 16003H_D_FS 2400W4
H_D_FS 16103History or Political Science3
 15 16
Second Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
CDS 21903H_D_FS 22003
Gen Ed Humanities3H_D_FS 3150W3
H_D_FS 22501H_D_FS 35006
H_D_FS 30503PTH_AS 22032
NEP 10343 
PTH_AS 22013 
 16 14
Third Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
H_D_FS 34303H_D_FS 41103
H_D_FS 37006H_D_FS 41303
H_D_FS 38003H_D_FS 44003
H_D_FS 41003HDFS CORE III3
 PHIL 24403
 15 15
Fourth Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
HDFS CORE III3CAPSTONE OPTION #1: Clinical Internship 
HDFS ELECTIVE 3H_D_FS 499315
HDFS ELECTIVE3-------------------------------------------- 
HDFS ELECTIVE3CAPSTONE OPTION #2: Non-Clinical Course Sequence 
HDFS ELECTIVE3HDFS 4970 (3 CR.) AND 
 HDFS 4090 (3 CR.) or HDFS 4993 (3 CR.) AND 
 ELECTIVE COURSES (9 CR.) 
 15 15
Total Credits: 121

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Degree Audit

The degree audit is an automated report reflecting a student’s academic progress toward the completion of a degree. 

MU students can request a degree audit by logging in to myDegreePlanner. Students may also access myDegreePlanner via myZou, in the Student Center, click on the Academic Progress Tile, then select Request Degree Audit. The audit automatically pulls in the student’s MU course work, transfer courses and courses in progress. This is available to current students, admitted students, and those who last attended less than three terms ago.

Past MU students can request a degree audit by contacting the Academic Advising Unit of the division in which they were last enrolled at MU. For contact information, go to https://advising.missouri.edu/contact/.

Prospective students, can access a preliminary MU degree audit via https://www.transferology.com. Information on the college credits already earned will have to be manually entered before it can be evaluated against current degree requirements.

For additional details on degree audits, go to https://registrar.missouri.edu/degrees-audits/degree-audits/.

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Major and Career Exploration

The University of Missouri has many resources to assist you in exploring majors and career possibilities. For guidance, visit the Majors and Careers website or view specific resources below.

  • If you are considering a change of major or are exploring multiple majors, schedule an appointment with an advisor in the Discovery Center by calling (573)884-9700 or through MU Connect Discovery Center service in you success network.

  • If you have decided on a major, visit an academic advisor in the School or College that you are interested in to discuss the process of declaring the major

  • If you would like to learn more about your career interests, abilities, values and talents, visit the MU Career Center. No Appointment is necessary to explore career options with one of our staff members.

For additional major and career exploration resources, visit Major & Career Exploration in the catalog.

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