Lifespan Development Colleges and Courses
Are you interested in counseling families or helping parents build their parenting skills? Would you like to plan programs for children in a child-care facility? If so, a degree in lifespan development might be what you've been looking for. Read on to learn more about these programs and the careers they lead to. Schools offering Anatomy & Physiology degrees can also be found in these popular choices.
What Is Lifespan Development?
Lifespan development, sometimes called 'human development,' is a field of psychology focusing on the psychological, physical and cognitive development of humans. It concentrates on how humans change from birth through adulthood, and it explores human attitudes and approaches to dying. Most programs are components of a school's psychology or human development and family studies departments.
What Degrees Can I Earn?
Bachelor of Science degrees are available in families and lifespan development and in human development and family studies. If you're looking to go to graduate school, among your options are a Master of Science or Master of Arts in Human Development and Family Studies or a Doctor of Philosophy in Human Development and Family Studies or in Lifespan Human Development. Some programs in general psychology offer lifespan development as a concentration. Coursework in these programs are often comparable to that of programs specifically oriented towards lifespan development.
What Courses Will I Take?
In a lifespan development bachelor's degree program, you learn diverse family structure and functioning, the process of aging, differences in gender development, adolescent problems, deviant behavior, family intervention and statistics. You may also develop research projects and work in school-sponsored childcare facilities to examine your topic. You'll also complete internships and a capstone project.
Lifespan development master's degree programs teach health across the lifespan, parent education, developmental problems, cognitive development, socialization and interpersonal dynamics. You'll also complete a thesis, but some schools allow you to complete a research project if you don't intend to continue your studies in a Ph.D. program.
In a lifespan development Ph.D. program, you'll learn advanced statistics and research, theories of human development, risk taking, parent-child relationships and family problems. You'll complete a practicum and a dissertation.
What Jobs Are Available?
A lifespan development degree can prepare you to work with young children, adolescents, families and the elderly to help them through crises or enhance their quality of life. Graduates work in schools, shelters for abused or homeless individuals, childcare centers, family crisis centers and public agencies. Potential jobs include teacher, family divorce mediator, head start program coordinator, youth program director and elderly care director. They also work as child, adolescent or family therapists in private offices. Certification may be required for some careers.
To continue researching, browse degree options below for course curriculum, prerequisites and financial aid information. Or, learn more about the subject by reading the related articles below:
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