Child Advocacy

This Master of Arts will offer students an applied course of study in child advocacy. As an emerging field, child advocacy includes an understanding of parts of several disciplines: psychology, sociology, law. However, it is a field where the whole is equal to more than the sum of its parts. Briefly stated, this program aims to provide: 1) A comprehensive view of the field of child advocacy that includes both multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary components; 2) A particular understanding of the intricacies of the public child welfare system; 3) Competencies in knowledge, methods, and applications needed for careers and professional development in the field of child advocacy; 4) Field work experience in occupational settings such as the offices of the Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS), Child Advocacy Centers, Residential Treatment facilities, the Juvenile Justice System among others; and 5) Access to the program to individuals living in the central and southern regions of the state through a distance-learning component.