Department: School of Social Work     

The undergraduate major in Childhood Studies is designed for students who want to develop knowledge and skills necessary for careers working with children and families in a wide variety of settings. It is unique in its focus on understanding children and childhood from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. Childhood Studies brings together knowledge about children and youth from infancy through the age of legal majority as seen from the perspectives of the arts, humanities, social and natural sciences, medicine, education and the law. As a Childhood Studies major, students develop valuable skills in preparation for work with children in settings such as private and state-funded programs, department of social services, family resource centers, children’s museums or recreation centers. The interdisciplinarity of the major enhances students’ understanding of children by providing them with a broad-based examination of childhood grounded in the liberal arts. This liberal arts component is one of the strengths that distinguishes our program from others in the region. The major is an excellent pre-professional preparation for students interested in graduate school in psychology or education, in law (e.g. child and family advocacy), or in various health related areas (e.g. medicine, nursing) involving children.