Most master's degree programs in child development require a bachelor's degree before being admitted into the graduate program. This typically requires four full years of study before beginning the master's program. Most students have received a bachelor's degree in early education, psychology, child development, human development or some related field. Certain programs may allow for some professional experience to count for some admission requirements. Once admitted, it typically takes two full years, sometimes three, to earn a master's degree in child development.
Generally, certain classes are required by most university child development master's degree programs. Some commonly required courses include child development theory, early childhood development, middle childhood/adolescent development, infant development, social/emotional development, cognitive development, families and parenting, methodology of research, statistics, family systems, multicultural issues in child development, assessments, curriculum design and independent studies and seminar courses. More courses may be required for some specializations within the child development major.
Most master's degree programs in child development will require a substantial amount of hours in clinical experiences, either as fieldwork or research. Most schools with a child development graduate program will have a child development laboratory, preschool, child development research facility or other specialized educational centers, where graduate students can work, administer programs, do research, complete projects and observe students as part of their master's degree programs. Typically, a master's program will require substantial fieldwork hours as part of the educational requirements, giving the student the opportunity to apply classroom knowledge in real life settings.
As part of the graduation requirements from the master's program, students must usually complete a project, examination, thesis or research project. Every school has different requirements, but typically a thesis will be presented about an in-depth topic relating to child development and then be defended to a committee. Another option may be to complete a project relating to the student's particular focus in the master's degree program and to present the project in some way to a committee. Some schools have a major examination that must be taken as part of the final requirements for the degree.
At some universities, there are specialization options within the master's degree programs in child development. These may include such areas of focus as a combined child development and social work degree, a specialization in an age group such as adolescence or infancy, a bilingual/ESL focus, research, clinical child development, counseling, educational specialization, including teaching licensing, or community or urban specializations. Often a school will encourage the graduate students in the child development program to work closely with faculty to develop an individualized plan of study for the student's needs and areas of interest.