Undergraduate Certificate in Family and Child Studies

This certificate provides undergraduate-level students with a greater understanding of social dimensions of childhood and family, highlighting how dynamics of diversity and inequality (e.g. race and ethnicity, gender, sexuality, disability, immigration, adoption, class and poverty) shape childhood and families. The certificate will explore the family as a social institution, including the historical development and contemporary cross-cultural analysis with emphasis on the contemporary American family. This certificate can be beneficial for enhancing career options with mental health organizations, local and international family intervention programs, community action and social service organizations. It is also potentially beneficial for students who are interested in social work programs or applying to graduate and professional schools.

Specific skills covered include:

• Critical thinking - problem solving, practical analysis, and theoretical application
• Critical writing
• Team-based research, including communication and oral presentation skills
• Research methodologies that apply to these broader settings  

General Requirements

• Minimum requirement for completion: four courses, for a total of twelve credits.
• Nine credits must be at the 3000 level or above in Sociology; independent studies may not be used to earn this certificate.
• A minimum grade of 3.3 is required for each course applied toward the certificate.
• Additional sociology special-topic methods courses may be offered that can be counted toward the certificate.  These courses must be approved in advance by the certificate coordinator.
• To complete the certificate program, students are required to submit a transcript and a five-page self-statement, evaluating theoretical and methodological perspectives that relate to family and child studies. Students will also evaluate changes in their perceptions of childhood and the institution of the family as a result of program participation and implications for future scholarly and professional work.
• The certificate will be mailed to recipients upon completion of a certificate audit and graduation and will appear on the transcript.

For Further Information: contact Dr. Esther Lamidi, the Certificate Coordinator, at (719) 255-4280 or elamidi@uccs.edu.