Child Life Specialist Co-Major

The Child Life Specialist (CLS) Co-major includes all the coursework required by the Association of Child Life Professionals. Students who complete this Co-major are eligible to complete an official Child Life Specialist internship, to take the Child Life Professional Certification Exam, and to apply for certification by the Association of Child Life Professionals.

Certified Child Life Specialists often work in pediatric hospitals but may also work in other spaces (e.g., courtrooms, funeral homes or bereavement services) where children may experience trauma. The field of Child Life is evidence-based, providing developmentally appropriate interventions (e.g., therapeutic play, education, self-care, stress reduction, distraction) with children and families. As members of a child’s care team, Child Life Specialists serve important roles in improving the illness- or trauma-related experiences of both patients and their families.

The CLS Co-major must be paired with a student’s primary major; students in the CLS Co-major will need to meet the requirements for their primary major and all the Miami Plan requirements. Students in the CLS Co-major cannot complete the Child Studies and Youth Development minor or the Family Relationships minor.

Students must complete an application to be admitted to the Child Life Specialist Co-major. The application is available at: https://miamioh.edu/ehs/academics/departments/fsw/academics/majors/family-science/child-life/undergraduate/index.html

Program Requirements

NOTE: Students pursuing the Social Work major must have at least 12 distinct credit hours that are not included in the Social Work major.