Educators know that developing minds have unique needs and so engaging with both children and young adults requires special consideration for those needs.
Expertise in this area is essential for teaching in the K-12 space, but many other careers can also benefit from specialized knowledge in how to support children and young people 鈥� including鈥痜ields from psychology and health care policy to data analysis and user experience research.
To provide students with the foundational skills and knowledge to support a full range of careers, the 糖心vlog视频鈥檚 School of Educational Studies is launching a major in Developmental & Youth Studies in fall 2025.
鈥淭his major is designed for students passionate about making a difference in the lives of children, adolescents and youth,鈥� said Dr. Sarita Shukla, associate teaching professor in the SES and chairperson for the Campus Council on Assessment and Learning. 鈥淚t offers a deep understanding of the factors that impact young people鈥檚 development, preparing students to serve and support them in meaningful ways.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
A specialized alternative
Work on the Developmental & Youth Studies major began several years ago when faculty and staff noticed that students were seeking a more focused degree option for education-related careers outside schools. Developed concurrently alongside two new minors in Child & Youth Development and in Educational Advocacy & Community Engagement, the new major will replace the Educational Studies major.
Introduced as the first undergraduate major offered by the SES in 2015, Educational Studies was a generalized, interdisciplinary major that over time became difficult to fulfill within the school, said Amy Couto, SES associate director of academic services.
鈥淲e鈥檝e learned that students were looking for something more specific and in-depth, so the new major is really built for students who have academic interests in education outside of the K-12 classroom,鈥� she said.
鈥淲hat I鈥檓 most excited about with this new program is that we can now provide students with pathways to careers that span a variety of contexts, such as education, health care, community services and so much more, which is something that鈥檚 been needed and asked for.
鈥淔or our school to be able to respond to that need and offer this program is huge,鈥� Couto said, 鈥渁nd we鈥檙e really excited about it.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
“This major is designed for students passionate about making a difference in the lives of children, adolescents and youth.”
Dr. Sarita Shukla, associate teaching professor, School of Educational Studies
A focused curriculum
To address the challenge of not having enough course offerings in the Educational Studies major, SES staff and faculty designed a sequence of foundational and course classes, as well as an abundance of electives, to ensure strong pathways for degree completion.
鈥淭his new SES major draws upon the expertise of our current faculty and will be a wonderful learning experience for students,鈥� said Dr. Antony Smith, associate professor in the school and chair of the Bachelor of Arts Coordinating Group during initial planning stages of the new degree.
Smith is looking forward to teaching several of the new courses, including an Educational Studies Research course that he developed. As the program curriculum has been developed over several years, some of the other new classes have already been offered in previous quarters 鈥� including Topics in Education and Popular Culture: Banned Books and Controversial Topics in Children鈥檚 Literature and Young Adult Fiction, which was launched in spring 2024. Smith is currently teaching the course this quarter.
The new curriculum also provides opportunities for students to get outside the classroom and engage in the community. Smith noted that he鈥檚 especially eager to teach a course called Applied Experience.
鈥淎pplied Experience will be an amazing opportunity for students to see and apply the major鈥檚 themes and learning goals in a variety of community placements, coordinated by the Office of Connected Learning.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
The development path
Dr. Nathanie Lee, assistant teaching professor in SES, currently teaches a course called Adolescents in Schools and Society and was able to design another course on Children in Schools and Society for the new major, both of which partner with OCL to facilitate community engagement.
鈥淚 love how students will be able to see ideas come to life when they work with children,鈥� Lee said. 鈥淭he new course focuses a lot on identity development and how children form ideas of who they are within the diverse contexts in which they navigate. Students will be able to critique theories of development and to apply their new understandings to practice within some of the community engaged learning courses.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
Shukla said she is most excited about a core course she developed 鈥� Gathering, Analyzing, and Using Data in Education. 鈥淭his course is designed to empower students with the skills to gather, analyze and utilize educational data effectively,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey will learn to critique data and draw meaningful conclusions, preparing them to make informed decisions in educational settings.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
Marisa DuBois, director of academic services for the school, worked closely with Shukla on the proposal for the major. As someone who works in higher education but doesn鈥檛 teach, she has a personal interest and appreciation for what the new degree offers.
鈥淭here is really incredible and important work that is done working alongside students that isn鈥檛 teaching, and I think many of us who work in education have at times felt like social workers,鈥� DuBois said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 also important policy work that happens within our education systems that provides a critical lens on the factors that impact and support students throughout their developmental span, from the minute we鈥檙e born until we鈥檙e in our mid-20s, still figuring out what career we want to go into 鈥� and there are many people supporting us and shepherding us.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
Possibilities beyond classrooms
While the Developmental & Youth Studies degree doesn鈥檛 officially launch until fall 2025, a number of students have already expressed an interest in the program.
First-year student Hasset Worku is especially drawn to how the new major could be paired with a major in Psychology.鈥�淪ince I want to become a professor in psychology 鈥� with a specific interest around child development, human sexuality and more behavioral aspects of psychology 鈥� I could definitely see myself utilizing this major,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think double majoring would give me a strong foundation.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
Like Worku, many other students may find similar opportunities to combine interests in careers ranging from policy to computer science.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 great about Developmental & Youth Studies is that it provides key learning for students to apply beyond the classroom,鈥� DuBois said. 鈥淲e will always need amazing classroom teachers, but there are also incredible careers and life-changing moments outside the classroom that can have a huge impact on young lives.
鈥淭his major is a path to so many different meaningful careers.鈥濃��
Students interested in learning more about the major can visit the degree webpage or speak with an adviser.
