Pre-Child Life Specialist, Certificate
Certificate in Pre-Cild Life Specialist (H40114C)
This certificate allows students to complete the academic requirement (10 courses) for Child Life Certification under the Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP) guidelines. It prepares students to work with children and families in a variety of settings, including hospitals. The ACLP has approved the required courses of this certificate. Please see the Association of Child Life Professionals guidelines for the additional requirements for certification.
The following information has official approval of The School of Social Work and Family Sciences and The College of Health and Human Sciences, but is intended only as a guide. Completion of this certificate is contingent upon many factors, including but not limited to: class availability, total number of required credits, work schedule, finances, family, course drops/withdrawals, successfully passing courses, prerequisites, among others.
The following courses constitute a “Certificate in Pre-Child Life Specialist” and must be completed with a minimum grade point average of 2.0 overall for the certificate to be noted on the student’s record.
Summary
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | 21 | |
| Additional Coursework | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 30 | |
Required Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
Child Life Course taught by a CCLS | ||
| CHFD 485 | Seminar in Child and Family Development (Working with Children in Hospitals) | 3 |
Child Development Courses | ||
| CHFD 265 | Child Development | 3 |
| CHFD 404 | Middle Childhood and Adolescence | 3 |
| or CHFD 365 | Infant Development | |
Family Systems Course | ||
| CHFD 440 | Family Crisis | 3 |
Play Course | ||
| CHFD 380 | Play and Human Development | 3 |
Loss/Bereavement or Death/Dying course | ||
| SOWK 345 | Death and Dying for Health Care Professionals | 3 |
| or SOWK 344 | Death & Dying | |
Research Course | ||
| SOWK 442 | Social Work Research | 3 |
| All required courses have been approved by the Association for Child Life Professionals (ACLP) as of Spring 2025 | ||
| Total Hours | 21 | |
Additional Coursework
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| NOTE: ACLP highly recommends courses in Ethics, Human Anatomy and Physiology, and Medical Terminology | 9 | |
Medical | ||
| BAHA 120 | Medical Terminology | |
| ANAT 206 | Applied Human Anatomy & Physiology I | |
| ANAT 207 | Applied Human Anatomy & Physiology II | |
Ethics | ||
| SOWK 425 | Social Work Ethics | |
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion of Children and Families | ||
| CHFD 501 | American Families in Poverty | |
| CHFD 546 | Culture, Ethnicity & Family | |
Child Development | ||
Course NOT completed as part of required courses: | ||
| CHFD 365 | Infant Development | |
| or CHFD 404 | Middle Childhood and Adolescence | |
Family Development/Dynamics | ||
| CHFD 201 | Intimate Relationships | |
| CHFD 360 | Parent-Child Relations | |
| CHFD 442 | Human Sexuality | |
Psychology | ||
| PSYC 230 | Developmental Psychology | |
| PSYC 430 | Psychological Disorders of Children | |
| Total Hours | 9 | |