To become certified as a child life specialist, the Child Life Council requires the individual to "have earned a minimum of bachelor's or master's degree with educational emphasis on human growth and development, education, psychology, or related field of study" before completing a 480-hour supervised clinical internship and passing the national examination administered by the Child Life Council. A specific list of coursework can be found in the Candidate Manual, and candidates should note that the suggested curriculum is intentionally broad to allow for variations from institution to institution.
When choosing a program, a prospective child life student should take into consideration several factors. These factors include whether the program provides the required curiculum as defined by the Child Life Council, preparation for certification, and clinical training, as well as whether there are any faculty or staff certified as child life specialists within the program department.
While the Child Life Council lists 37 institutions that are "self defined as having degrees or curriculum in child life," of these only one is located within Pennsylvania. The University of Pennsylvania offers graduate programs in both Applied Developmental Psychology and Psychology in Education that provide curriculum in child life. Although this is the only institution listed with the Child Life Council, someone wishing to pursue a degree in child life may find programs at other Pennsylvania colleges and universities that offer the required courses for becoming certified as a child life specialist by comparing programs with the Standards for Academic and Clinical Preparation Programs manual from the Child Life Council.
University of Pittsburgh
5932 Wesley W. Posvar Hall
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
412-624-7230