Did you know?
The Early Childhood Center (ECC) is one of the longest existing college laboratory schools in the United States. Learn more here.
Contact
Tricia Hanley
Director
Study child development in a program that offers a flexible course of study and well-established resources for hands-on learning.
In the Master of Arts in Child Development program, students explore the lives of children as the interaction of intellectual, emotional, social, and imaginative streams. The program combines in-depth study of primary theoretical perspectives with practical fieldwork, and encourages students to study children in a wide range of social contexts and environments.
Unique to our program is the opportunity for collaboration and the flexibility to decide your academic path. Students enrolled in the Child Development MA and Art of Teaching MSEd programs share much of the same curriculum in the first semester. This allows students in both programs to work together collaboratively and build relationships with one another that will last throughout their time at SLC and beyond! n added benefit is that after this first semester, students have the option to change the path they wish to take. Students may decide to pursue the Child Development MA, the Art of Teaching MSEd, or our new, three-year Dual Degree in the Art of Teaching and Child Development MSEd/MA. This provides significant flexibility for students as they explore various potential career pathways.
Academic Program
In close consultation with faculty advisors, students develop a plan of study individualized to their academic interests and long-term goals.
All courses are taught as seminars with no more than 15 students. In conjunction with each course, students meet biweekly with their instructors for individual conferences, during which they design independent projects that often draw on fieldwork experience.
-
- The program offers immersion in child development theory through small seminars and one-on-one conferences with faculty.
- Through a partnership with the NYU Silver School of Social Work, Sarah Lawrence offers a dual degree in social work and child development.
- Sarah Lawrence offers a dual degree in early childhood and childhood education and child development (MSEd/MA).
- Specialized resources available to students include the Early Childhood Center and the Child Development Institute, which offers lectures, conferences, activities, and outreach programs.
-
A total of 48 credits are required for an MA in Child Development. The program can be completed on a full-time basis in two years or part-time in three years.
- Graduate course work (31 credits)
- Graduate seminar (3 credits)
- Fieldwork (2 credits)
- Master’s thesis (12 credits)
-
While most students will follow the program outlined below, in some cases students may take courses in a field other than psychology, such as anthropology or biology, or take elective courses for credit.
Year OneFall
- Theories of Development (3 credits)
- Observation and Documentation (3 credits)
- Fieldwork (1 credit)
- Psychology Elective (5 credits)
Spring
- Human Development in Context (5 credits)
- Graduate Seminar 1 (1 credit)
- Fieldwork (1 credit)
- Psychology Elective (5 credits)
Fall
- Psychology Elective (5 credits)
- Graduate Seminar 2 (1 credits)
- Master’s Thesis (6 credits)
Spring
- Psychology Elective (5 credits)
- Graduate Seminar 3 (1 credit)
- Master’s Thesis (6 credits)
-
Fieldwork provides opportunities for observation, research, and practicum experience with children.
- First-year placements are at the Early Childhood Center, the campus laboratory school that allows students to study typical development of children from ages 2 through 6.
- Advanced field placements are optional and include research and clinical settings such as therapeutic preschools, community programs, and elementary or secondary schools.
- Additionally, students have the opportunity to work alongside Center for the Urban River (CURB) education staff to learn about environmental education and gain firsthand experience with students of various ages as they engage in natural environments.
-
In the second year, students develop a thesis project that culminates in a master’s essay. Students design original research projects, which are often qualitative studies in naturalistic or fieldwork settings, and present their ongoing and completed work to their peers in graduate seminars.
-
The collaboration between our Art of Teaching and Child Development programs and across the entire Children, Childhood, and Education Collaborative is long-standing and unique. Over the past several years, we have worked to formalize these collaborations and intersections further to bring prospective students a whole host of ways in which to pursue their studies. We are pleased to announce the launch of a Dual Degree in the Art of Teaching and Child Development. This new program will take three years to complete and lead to an MSEd degree in the Art of Teaching and an MA degree in Child Development. Learn more.
-
Sarah Lawrence College offers a Dual Degree in Child Development and Social Work with the Silver School of Social Work at New York University. Students in this program can pursue study leading to a master’s degree in Child Development and a master’s degree in Social Work.
Learn more about The Collaborative
The M.A. Child Development program is part of the Children, Childhood, and Education Collaborative