San Francisco State University, California

Course Details

Bachelor of Arts in Child and Adolescent Development:(AllConcentration)

Course Description

The Bachelor of Arts degree in Child and Adolescent Development (CAD) is for students who are interested in studying about and working with children, adolescents, and their families. The major provides students with knowledge and theories about children and adolescents from a developmental perspective. Students then learn to apply this knowledge to programs, services and policies for children, youth, and families that are offered in community settings. The core courses address theories of child and adolescent development, diverse families in a globalized context, and research methods. In addition to taking core courses, CAD majors select one of four specialized concentrations that reflects their specific interests. Those concentrations are: 1) Early Childhood; 2) School Age Child and Family; 3) Youth Work and Out of School Time; and 4) Policy, Advocacy, and Systems.

Course Duration

NumberDuration
4year

Career outcomes

The outlook for careers working with children and adolescents is positive. Surveys of employers and community agencies that offer positions working with children, adolescents, and families indicate that there is a strong need for professionals in those areas who have a strong foundation of knowledge and skills about child and adolescent development. Graduates who want to work with young children and their families as infant-toddler specialists, pre-school teachers, or child care providers are in high demand. There are 6,000 children in San Francisco alone on waiting lists for childcare programs. There is a need for well educated, experienced professionals to staff and administer quality child care and education programs, particularly as the existing center-based work force with B.A. degrees or higher starts to retire. There is also a need to expand the ethnic and linguistic diversity of early child care providers. Areas where B.A. degree providers/ teachers are particularly needed are in centers serving both infants and preschoolers, working with dual language learners, and working with children with special needs. Even with state fiscal challenges and changes in requirements for teacher preparation, the increase in school age children in California and the significant numbers of teachers who will retire within the next few years, means there will be a need for qualified, fully prepared professionals to teach kindergarten through 12th grade. Although students who plan to enter a multiple subject teaching credential program can no longer complete a multiple subject matter preparation program in lieu of taking a Commission-approved subject matter examination (currently CSET), this degree strengthens pre-service preparation in subject matter as well as in child and adolescent development. Essentially, students in the School Age Child and Family concentration have the advantage of gaining knowledge in child development as well as the subject matter that they will teach in elementary school classrooms.




Bachelor of Arts in Child and Adolescent Development:(AllConcentration) San Francisco State University, California