Child Development and Family Studies
College of Rural and Community Development
Department of Social and Human Development
http://www.uaf.edu/rural/
B.A. Degree
Minimum Requirements for Degree: 120 credits
This program provides the necessary preparation for early childhood educators who wish to advance their professional knowledge and career opportunities with specialized study in administration, curriculum and teaching, family support, or infants and toddlers.
The child development and family studies program meets professional preparation standards developed by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. These six core standards and field experience expectations guide the CDFS B.A. program content and outline a set of common expectations for professional knowledge, skills and dispositions within the field of early care and education in conjunction with family studies.
The program supports students who desire a strong foundation in the field of early childhood by integrating the early childhood education A.A.S. content requirements with that of the child development and family studies B.A.. Students are required to complete the program major and one of the specialized concentration areas: administration within the early childhood field, curriculum and teaching, family support, or infant and toddler. Students entering the child development and family studies B.A. program with an A.A. or A.A.S. degree in early childhood education from a regionally accredited college or university will receive 23 transfer credits toward the program major. Any additional courses will need to be evaluated on an individual basis.
Flexible course delivery fosters successful completion for early childhood professionals living in both rural and urban areas of Alaska. All program and concentration area courses must be completed with a C grade or better, with the exclusion of all clinical practice course work which must completed with a B grade or better. Completion of the CDFS B.A. will meet requirements for both a major and minor.
