Child, Youth and Family Studies (M.S.)

The CYAF M.S. program promotes work with children, youth, and families in a variety of capacities by targeting students career goals:  either research or direct service.  The research track prepares students for on-going training and development in research and is designed for those seeking advanced scholarly training (such as through a Ph.D. program). The practitioner track prepares students competitive employment in direct service with children, youth and families.  Student in both tracts will expand your knowledge about how lifespan development, stress and crisis and interpersonal dynamics impact individuals, families and communities; and pick from a variety of specialized topics such as addictions and the family, family violence in a global context, or family stress, crises, and recovery.   

Students in the program will:

• Understand child development and family-based theories and how those apply to real-life contexts
• Demonstrate an evidence-informed perspective from which to understand individual, family, and interpersonal dynamics
• Development professionally through targeted research design and analyses (research track) or scholarly practice within the human services field (practitioner track)
• Work with leading researchers in the field of children, youth, and family studies

Academic Pathways

The Accelerated M.S. degree program in children, youth, and family studies targets highly-qualified undergraduate students to begin their graduate course work while earning the bachelor’s degree and to prepare them for competitive employment in the human services field (practitioner track) or for pursuing continued graduate studies (Ph.D. via doctoral coursework).

Child, Youth and Family Studies (Accelerated M.S.)