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Department of Human Development and Family Studies
Special Requirements for Child Life Concentration
Attention Child Life Concentration Students
(if you have not already had HD 426)
Application to the Child Life Concentration must be completed the first semester of the Junior year—after 60-90 hours, including at least 12 hours of HD courses, have been completed. Students must be accepted into the program before they can take HD 426 Hospitalized Children and Youth (only offered in the fall semester) and before they can be scheduled for an internship. Internships require formal application to the desired hospital or health care setting, and they typically need to be arranged one to two semesters ahead of time.
Admission and retention in the Child Life Concentration is based upon (a) satisfactory recommendation by HDFS faculty committee, (b) overall GPA of 2.2 and 2.5 in the major, and (c) satisfactory completion of required courses (see U of A Undergraduate Catalog). It is your responsibility to make application for admission to the concentration and to provide the faculty committee with information that will help them to make a favorable recommendation on your behalf.
In addition to academic achievement and courses completed, the faculty committee will judge your application on the basis of “Standards for Academic and Clinical Preparation for Programs in Child Life” published by the Child Life Council which is the governing board for the profession. These standards include:
v strong personal qualities appropriate for relating to children, families, peers, supervisors, and others
v good to excellent evaluations in practicum experiences
v facility in writing and speaking
v skills in observation and documentation
v team communication and relationship skills
A Child Life Faculty Committee will meet the last week of classes each semester to consider applications. In addition to the completed application form (which can be obtained from the departmental office or your adviser), the following are required:
v a typed one-page statement of purpose regarding why you would like to be in UA’s Child Life program,
v two to three letters of recommendation,
v a curriculum vitae or resume,
v a transcript of undergraduate work, and
v selected examples of writing assignments.
Information and documentation of volunteer hours should also be included with your application.
Please provide any other information that you think would be useful to the committee in evaluating you on the above-listed standards. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Carmen Hudson at 348-8149.
