Major Requirements (52-56 units)

Child Development Core (40-42 units)

Core coursework is organized into three levels - Introductory, Foundational, and Specialized. Courses within each level may be taken concurrently. All courses in a level are prerequisites for the courses in the subsequent level (e.g., all Foundational courses must be completed before taking courses in the Specialized level). Students typically complete a capstone course in their final semester in the program.

Introductory Level

• CDV 150 Introduction to Child Development (3)
• MAT 131 Elementary Statistics & Probability (3) or
• MAT 132 Elementary Statistics & Probability with Algebra Review (4) or
• PSY  230 Elementary Statistical Analysis in Psychology (3)

Foundational Level (Prerequisite - CDV 150)

• CDV 320 Methods & Analysis in Child Studies and Lab (4) - Additional Prerequisite: Statistics 
• CDV 325 Infancy and Early Childhood (3)
• CDV 330 The School-age Years (3)
• CDV 360 Adolescence (3)

Specialized Level (Prerequisites: CDV 320, CDV 325, CDV 330, and CDV 360)

Required Core

• CDV 366 Parenting (3)
• CDV 380 Stress, Risk, and Resiliency (3)

Diversity Elective (select one course)

• CDV 363 Development in Diverse Contexts (3)*
• CDV 440 Becoming American: Immigrant Children and Families in the U.S. (3)*
• CDV 450 Development in Poverty (3)*

Specialized Electives (select three courses)

• CDV 370 Jumpstart: Enhancing Literacy in Early Childhood (3) (only available to students who are Jumpstart Corps members)
• CDV 372 Social Development and Interpersonal Relationships (3)
• CDV 423 Child Development and Social Policy (3) - Additional Prerequisite: CDV 380 
• CDV 442 Marriage, Family, and Community (3)
• CDV 444 Cognition, Language and Schooling (3)
• CDV 462 Atypical Development (3)

* Students may select one additional diversity elective – CDV 363, CDV 440, or CDV 450 as a specialized elective.

Capstone Level (select one course)

• CDV 480 Practicum in Early Childhood Education (3) - Prerequisites: CDV 220, CDV 240, CDV 260, CDV 325; Recommended Prerequisite: CDV 462
• CDV 490 Senior Seminar (3) - Prerequisites: CDV 366 and CDV 380
• CDV 492 Seminar in Child Development Research (4) - Prerequisites: CDV 320, CDV 366, CDV 380
• CDV 496 Directed Field Experience (3)* - Prerequisites: CDV 366 and CDV 380
• CDV 498 Directed Research (3) - Prerequisites: CDV 320 and Faculty Mentor Approval

* CDV 496 requires 90 hours of volunteer work at their fieldwork site. 

Concentrations (12-14 units) - Students must select one of the following five concentration options

1. Counseling and Family Services Concentration (12 units)

Select four courses from:

• • SOC 320 – The Family (3)
  • SOC 363 – Sociology of Alcohol and Other Drug Use (3)
  • SOC 386 – Sociology of the Helping Professions
  • PSY 314 – Behavior Modification (3) - Prerequisite PSY 101 or equivalent
  • PSY 360 – Theories of Personality (3)
  • PSY 353 – The Experience of Death and Dying: Psychological Perspectives (3)
  • PSY 363 – The Abnormal Personality (3)
  • PSY 464 – Introduction to Clinical Psychology (3) - Prerequisite: PSY 363
  • PSY 367 – Effective Communication Skills or SOC 341 – Seminar in Small Groups (3)

2. Juvenile Delinquency Concentration (12 units)

Required Courses (6 units):

• • CJA 444 – Juvenile Justice Process (3) 
  • SOC 369 – Juvenile Delinquency (3)

Select two courses from the following (6 units):

• • CJA 340 – Criminal Justice and the Community (3)
  • CJA 443 – Criminal Law and Justice Administration (3)
  • SOC 306 – Program Evaluation (3)
  • SOC 341 – Seminar in Small Groups (3) or PSY 367 – Effective Communication Skills (3)
  • SOC 362 – Gangs and Adolescent Subcultures (3)
  • SOC 363 – Sociology of Drug and Alcohol Use (3)
  • SOC 365 – Deviant Behavior (3)

3. Management and Administration Concentration (12 units)

Required Courses (6 units):

• • MGT 310 – Management Theory (3) or PUB 300 Foundations of Public Administration
  • MGT 312 – Organizational Behavior (3) - Prerequisite: MGT 310 or PUB 301 – Administrative Leadership and Behavior (3)

Select two courses from the following (6 units):

• • MGT 416 – Leadership (3) - Prerequisite: MGT 310
  • MKT 350 – Principles of Marketing (3) - Prerequisite: ECO 210 Recommended
  • FIN 360 – Business Finance (3) - Prerequisites: ACC 230, ECO 210, and one of the following, MAT 105, MAT 131, MAT 153, MAT 171, MAT 191, or MAT 193
  • HRM 313 – Human Resource Management (3) 
  • BUS 301 – Employment Communications (1) and BUS 302 – Written Communications (1) and BUS 303 – Oral Communications (1) - Prerequisite: ENG 109, ENG 110, or ENG 112) or PSY 367 – Effective Communication Skills (3)
  • PUB 426 – Intergovernmental Relations and Grant Writing (3)
  • PUB 450 – Nonprofit and Voluntary Sectors (3)
  • PUB 451 – Managing the Nonprofit Organization (3) - Prerequisite: PUB 450
  • SOC 306 – Program Evaluation (3)

*Note: Students must take BUS 301, BUS 302, and BUS 303 to meet the requirement. This is a three-series course that is taken in the same semester. Please register for all three courses in the same semester.

4. Early Development and Learning Concentration (14 units)

Required for the Child Development Permit (8 units):

• • CDV 220 - Principals and Practices for Teaching Young Children (3) - Prerequisite: CDV 150
  • CDV 240 - Early Childhood Development and Curriculum (3) - Prerequisites: CDV 220
  • CDV 260 - Introduction to Observation and Assessment (3) - Prerequisite CDV 240

Select two courses from the following (6 units):

• • CDV 342 - Advanced Observation and Assessment in Early Childhood (3) - Prerequisites CDV 320, CDV 325, CDV 330, and CDV 360
  • CDV 344 - Supervision in Early Childhood Settings (3) - Prerequisites CDV 320, CDV 325, CDV 330, and CDV 360 *
  • LBS 330 – Bridging Cultures through Literacy and Learning (3)
  • LBS 340 – Learning Early Mathematical Concepts and Reasoning (3)
  • LBS 410 – Early Language and Learning (3)

* CDV 344 will meet the 2-unit adult supervision requirement for the Master Teacher CD permit.

5. General Elective Option

Select four courses from the approved course list (PDF).