Child Life, Administration & Family Collaboration (M.S.)
Program Overview
Towson University's Master's in Child Life, Administration, and Family Collaboration prepares students to become Certified Child Life Specialists (CCLS). The program emphasizes family collaboration, advanced education, and management and administrative roles. It offers small class sizes, faculty-led instruction, and field-based experiences, including internships and a unique scholarship opportunity at University of Maryland Children's Hospital.
Program Outline
Degree Overview:
The master's in child life, administration and family collaboration provides advanced education for students who wish to become Certified Child Life Specialists (CCLS) and for those already certified and working in the field. The program has a broad curriculum that engages students through applied research, focuses on family collaboration, and prepares students for management and administrative positions. In addition to in-class learning opportunities, fluency in technology is enhanced through web-based coursework and through research. Field-based projects and internships also complement traditional coursework. Students who complete the master’s program finish with a graduate certificate in Family Professional Collaboration and may also earn another certificate in clinician-administrator transition.
Teaching:
The program is taught by experienced faculty and offers small class sizes, allowing for a lot of interaction between instructors and classmates.
Careers:
Certified Child Life Specialists (CCLS) work with children in a healthcare setting and provide support at a developmentally appropriate level.
Other:
The program is the only child life graduate program in Maryland, Virginia, Delaware or the District of Columbia. The Association of Child Life Professionals has identified this graduate program as one of only 18 in North America with a child life focus. The Child Life Scholar program at Towson University allows a selected student to work in the Child Life department at University of Maryland Children's Hospital for 20 hours a week in exchange for $5,000 towards tuition. The program includes field-based projects and internships to provide hands-on experience.
