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CHILD LIFE (MA or MS)

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Child life specialists are devoted to meeting the psychosocial needs of children with illness and disabilities and their families. Required coursework focuses on understanding child and family development, effects of stress and crisis on individuals and families, child and family advocacy, ethical and administrative aspects of work in health care settings, and research and evaluation methods. Supervisory and clinical positions are typically found in settings such as hospitals and outpatient clinics, and associated settings such as pediatric rehabilitation, hospice, and bereavement centers. Both theses (MS) and non-theses (MA) options are offered, but students must gain approval of their advisor and then petition the faculty for permission to write a thesis. The non-thesis option involves either an internship or fast-track project. The Master's program typically takes 2 years to complete. Graduates of the Master's program are well qualified to take the child life certification (CCLS) exam.

Students who have undergraduate degrees in related fields (i.e., child development, psychology, counseling, social work, education, etc.) enter the M.A. track and complete a 480-hour (minimum) clinical internship as a part of the graduate program. The internship is usually completed at a pediatric healthcare facility outside of Columbia. With faculty and staff guidance, students must initiate and complete the process of obtaining their own internship positions. The chosen internship site must meet the approval of the Child Life Internship Coordinator in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies. This internship is completed as the final 9 hours in the Master's program and involves supervised clinical work and coursework.

Students who have undergraduate coursework in child life and have completed an approved child life clinical internship prior to application to our program may enroll in the "Fast-Track" (30 credit-hour) option to obtain either an M.A. by completing a project, or an M.S. (requires completion of a thesis). Enrollment in the "Fast Track" program must be approved by the student's advisor.

Undergraduate Preparation

Ideal undergraduate preparation includes courses in development across the life span; practical skills for work with younger children, adolescents, and parents; medical ethics; and communication skills. The following types of courses are essential. Students who have not taken any of them as undergraduates will be required to add them to those required for the Master's degree. These background courses include:

Child Development coursework (infancy through adolescence) - equivalent to HDFS 3420 and HDFS 3430
A course in research methods - equivalent to HDFS 2200
Supervised child development experience and coursework in a group setting for children - equivalent to HDFS 3500 or 37001
A child life practicum experience or, at minimum, significant experience volunteering in a child life program. This experience must have been supervised by a certified child life specialist (CCLS), culminating in the completion of at least 50 clock-hours.2

Students who have not met prerequisites 1-4 have the option of taking the appropriate courses here at the University of Missouri, but should expect that this may mean adding an additional semester or two.

Acceptance of previous lab experiences for credit are subject to approval by the student's faculty advisor.
The practicum/volunteer experience requirement is of special note because we cannot guarantee the provision of this experience for our graduate students. THEREFORE,REQUIREMENT #4 MUST BE COMPLETED PRIOR TO BEGINNING COURSEWORK IN THE GRADUATE CHILD LIFE PROGRAM.

Requirements for the MA (Internship Option) in Child Life (36 hours)

Statistics and research methods (6 hours)
HDFS 8200: Research Methods
Any advisor-approved statistics course 7000 level or above
Core content (21 hours)
1. Child development and childhood illness (15 hours)
  HDFS 7100: Children in Health Care Settings
  HDFS 7110: Child Life Theory and Practice
  HDFS 7400: Childhood Death and Bereavement
  HDFS 8010: Developmental Perspectives on Illness and Health
  HDFS 8440: Social and Emotional Development
2. Family dynamics and theory (6 hours)
  HDFS 8012: Family Dynamics and Intervention
  HDFS 8210: Theories of Human Development OR HDFS 8220: Family Theories
Clinical Internship (9 hours)
HDFS 8972: Internship

Requirements for the "Fast Track" MA (Project Option) or MS in Child Life (30 hours):

Statistics and research methods (6 hours)
HDFS 8200: Research Methods
Any advisor-approved statistics course 7000 level or above
Core content (21 hours)
1. Child development and childhood illness (12 hours)
  HDFS 8010: Developmental Perspectives on Illness and Health
  HDFS 8440: Social and Emotional Development
  And two of the following:
  HDFS 7100: Children in Health Care Settings
  HDFS 7110: Child Life Theory and Practice
  HDFS 7400: Childhood Death and Bereavement
2. Family dynamics and theory (6 hours)
  HDFS 8012: Family Dynamics and Intervention
  HDFS 8210: Theories of Human Development OR HDFS 8220: Family Theories
Thesis or other independent effort (6 hours)
HDFS 8090: Project
HDFS 9090: Thesis

Human Development and Family Studies

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CHILD LIFE (MA or MS)

Human Development
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