Program Requirements

General Education (55-62 units)

Please see "General Education" requirements in the University Catalog or the Class Schedule for the most current information on General Education requirements and course offerings.

Major Requirements (52-56 units)


Please make an appointment with your major advisor to create your program plan. Please download the program plan and your degree roadmap. The program plan lists important guidelines for earning the B.S. in Child Development. You are responsible for knowing and observing these guidelines.

Child Development Program Learning Outcomes 

  1. Describe and summarize (basic), apply (intermediate), and critically evaluate and synthesize (advanced) constructs, theories, and empirical findings pertaining to child development including developmental milestones and processes in the physical, cognitive, and social-emotional domains from conception through adolescence.
  2. Incorporate Diversity: analyze and illustrate how culture, gender, ethnicity, social class, and contextual variables contribute to variation in development.
  3. Demonstrate research knowledge and skills: explain and apply the scientific method; describe, evaluate, and apply research and observation methods used in the study of children’s development; and calculate and interpret basic statistics.
  4. Demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills that reflect the ability to summarize (basic), apply (intermediate), and evaluate/synthesize (advanced) developmental theories and empirical findings and that are consistent with the professional and ethical standards of the child development field.
  5. Develop and demonstrate professional and personal skills and qualities related to the field of child development (e.g., observation techniques, curriculum development/implementation, leadership and team work, professional ethics, accountability, reliability)
  6. Demonstrate technological and computer literacy that permits the access, utilization, production, and dissemination of electronic information.

Child Development Core (40-42 units)

Core coursework is organized in three levels - Introductory, Foundational, and Specialized. Courses within each level may be taken concurrently. All courses in a level are prerequisites for the courses in the subsequent level (e.g., all Foundational courses must be completed before taking courses in the Specialized level). Students also complete a capstone course in their final semester in the program. Students may concurrently enroll in their capstone course with no more than two specialized courses remaining.

Introductory Level

  • CDV 150 Introduction to Child Development (3)
  • MAT 131 Elementary Statistics & Probability (3) or
  • MAT 132 Elementary Statistics & Probability with Algebra Review (4) or
  • PSY  230 Elementary Statistical Analysis in Psychology (3)

Foundational Level

  • CDV 320 Methods & Analysis in Child Studies and Lab (4) - Prerequisites: CDV 150 & Statistics 
  • CDV 325 Infancy and Early Childhood (3)
  • CDV 330 The School-age Years (3)
  • CDV 360 Adolescence (3)

Specialized Level

*Prerequisites: CDV 320, CDV 325, CDV 330 & CDV 360

Required Core

  • CDV 366 Parenting (3)
  • CDV 380 Stress, Risk, and Resiliency (3) - Prerequisite for CDV 423 

Diversity Elective (select one course)

  • CDV 363 Development in Diverse Contexts (3)* or
  • CDV 440 Becoming American: Immigrant Children and Families in the U.S. (3)* or
  • CDV 450 Development in Poverty (3)

Specialized Electives (select three courses)

  • CDV 370 Jumpstart: Enhancing Literacy in Early Childhood (3) (only available to students who are Jumpstart Corps members)
  • CDV 423 Child Development and Social Policy (3)
  • CDV 442 Marriage, Family, and Community (3) (not currently available)
  • CDV 444 Cognition, Language and Schooling (3)

* Students may select one additional diversity elective – CDV 363, CDV 440, or CDV 450 as a specialized elective.

Capstone Level (select one course)

  • CDV 490 Senior Seminar (3) or
  • CDV 492 Seminar in Child Development Research (4) or
  • CDV 496 Directed Field Experience (4)* or
  • CDV 498 Directed Research (3)

* CDV 496 requires negative TB and Certificate of Clearance. 

Concentrations in Child Development Electives (12-14 units)

Students can select one of the following four concentrations

  1. Counseling and Family Services
  2. Juvenile Delinquency
  3. Management and Administration
  4. Early Development and Learning

OR Students can choose the General Elective Option. This gives you the most flexibility.