Child Development/Early Childhood EducationMaster of Science (M.S.)

The central focus of the child development master's program is promoting child development in a variety of context including families, schools, childcare, and early intervention programs.

Students in this program will:

Study child development in context
Learn to implement, evaluate, and improve family-centered programs
Gain experience in providing developmentally appropriate, inclusive experiences for young children
Work with leading researchers in the field
Learn about emergent curriculum, teacher observation/documentation, and environments that support young children as scientists, naturalist, and artists
Take courses in applied fields of developmental psychology, special education, teacher education, and family sciences
Develop professionally through conference presentations, networking, analyzing data, interning with agency and state policy makers, and publishing papers

See what is happening in Nebraska in Early Childhood Buffett Early Childhood Institute

*The College of Education and Human Sciences requires all students admitted into a campus program to complete a background check before the start of their first semester.

Careers

Teacher of Young Children
Program Director or Educational Coordinator
Coach or Technical Assistant
Extension Educator
College Instructor or Lab School Teacher
Policy Maker

Application to this program

Application Materials

Get More Info or Start the Application Process at Graduate Studies

Degree Requirements

CD/ECE Master's Student Handbook

Course Requirements

Prerequisite Course:
Educational Psychology 859 or equivalent undergraduate or graduate statistics course is required. The student's advisor, in consultation with their master's committee, determines equivalency.

Required Courses:

CYAF 865 Research Design & Methods
Applied Experience in the Field (CYAF 897A, 897D, 898, 800A/801A)
CYAF 899 Masters Thesis or CYAF 996 Scholarly Practice and Discovery
CYAF 972 Theories in Child Development and Family Relations
EDPS 860 Applications of Selected Advanced Statistics, or PSYC 941 Research Methods and Data Analysis, or equivalent

Content Area Courses:
Students choose a minimum of 12 credits from the following content courses. Additional courses from the Department or outside the Department may be put toward the 12 elective credits, with the consent of the advisor. Students wishing to add a specialization to their master's degree could consider adding a minor.

Faculty advising students in this program area include: