Child & Family Development, MA

Admission Requirements

The admissions requirements for the Masters Degree in Child and Family Development program are as follows:

• Minimum GPA of 3.0 for four years of undergraduate study or 3.25 for the last two years of undergraduate study.
• Applicants to the Child and Family Development program with a 3.5 or higher undergraduate GPA are exempted from the Graduate Record Examination. For all other students, completion of general Graduate Record Examination within the past five years preceding the application with the following scores: 147 on verbal, 141 on quantitative, and 4.0 on analytical writing.
• Submission of the following:
  • University of Akron Admissions Application
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Statement of purpose
  • Resume

Program faculty will review all applications upon receipt and may require an interview with any applicant. Admissions decisions are reported to the Graduate School.

Accepted students will be expected to comply with the following requirements:

• Complete the course of study with a minimum of 33 credits.
• These credits will include:
  • Foundation courses focused on orientation to child and family development as an interdisciplinary field.
  • Core courses in the Child and Family Therapy specialization.
  • Elective options, selected in consultation with academic advisor, from within department or in another discipline. These are chosen to strengthen student’s professional goals.
  • Complete one of the following Capstone options:
    • Master’s thesis: the thesis option involves the design and evaluation of original research in an appropriately related area commensurate with the student’s background and area of pursuit.
    • Master’s project: the project option involves the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of original and creative programs and/or resource materials with an outside organization. 
    • Master’s Practicum: The practicum is designed to give students supervised, professional experience in a professional setting, and the opportunity to connect that experience to the scholarship in that particular field.
    • Apply for graduation upon successful completion of an approved thesis/project proposal or enrollment in practicum, and by posted University graduation application deadlines. 

Program Requirements