Program Overview

School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences

The School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences offers a comprehensive program in Child Learning and Development, providing students with a rigorous science-based curriculum that immerses them in the theories, findings, research methods, and best practices of child development.

Child Learning and Development (BS)

The Child Learning and Development major focuses on the fundamental processes of child and adolescent development within the contexts of families, schools, peer groups, and larger cultural milieu. The program has three objectives:

• Provide students with a strong foundation in cognitive, language, and socio-emotional development
• Equip students with research skills for conducting scientific studies and evaluating applied programs
• Enable students to translate scientific findings into practical applications for understanding and improving children's lives

Program Details

The Child Learning and Development major prepares students for a wide range of careers in education, psychology, social work, family medicine, public health, family law, and public policy. The major is especially well-suited for students seeking elementary teacher certification (early childhood - 6th grade) through UT Dallas' Teacher Development Center.

Degree Requirements

The Bachelor of Science in Child Learning and Development requires 120 semester credit hours, including:

• Core Curriculum Requirements: 42 semester credit hours
• Major Requirements: 36 semester credit hours
• Elective Requirements: 42 semester credit hours

Core Curriculum Requirements

The Core Curriculum Requirements include:

• Communication: 6 semester credit hours
  • COMM 1311 Survey of Oral and Technology-based Communication
  • RHET 1302 Rhetoric
• Mathematics: 3 semester credit hours
  • Choose one course from the following:
    • MATH 1306 College Algebra for the Non-Scientist
    • MATH 1314 College Algebra
    • MATH 2417 Calculus I
• Life and Physical Sciences: 6 semester credit hours
  • Select 6 semester credit hours from Life and Physical Sciences core courses
• Language, Philosophy and Culture: 3 semester credit hours
  • Select 3 semester credit hours from Language, Philosophy and Culture core courses
• Creative Arts: 3 semester credit hours
  • Select 3 semester credit hours from Creative Arts core courses
• American History: 6 semester credit hours
  • Select 6 semester credit hours from American History core courses
• Government / Political Science: 6 semester credit hours
  • GOVT 2305 American National Government
  • GOVT 2306 State and Local Government
• Social and Behavioral Sciences: 3 semester credit hours
  • PSY 2301 Introduction to Psychology
• Component Area Option: 6 semester credit hours
  • PSY 2317 Statistics for Psychology
  • or STAT 1342 Statistical Decision Making
  • or STAT 2332 Introductory Statistics for Life Sciences
  • AND one of the following:
    • PSY 2314 Lifespan Development
    • PSY 2364 Animal Communication
    • CGS 2301 Cognitive Science

Major Requirements

The Major Requirements include:

• Major Preparatory Courses: 6 semester credit hours
  • PSY 2301 Introduction to Psychology
  • PSY 2317 Statistics for Psychology
  • or STAT 1342 Statistical Decision Making
  • or STAT 2332 Introductory Statistics for Life Sciences
• Major Core Courses: 21 semester credit hours
  • CLDP 3303 Normal Language Development
  • or CLDP 3305 Language and Literacy Development
  • CLDP 3310 Child Development
  • or CLDP 3339 Educational Psychology
  • CLDP 3332 Social and Personality Development
  • CLDP 3342 Exceptional Children
  • or CLDP 4344 Child Psychopathology
  • CLDP 3362 Cognitive Development
  • or CLDP 3365 Child Learning
  • PSY 3392 Research Design and Analysis
  • CLDP 3394 Research and Evaluation Methods
• Major Related Courses: 15 upper-division semester credit hours
  • Guided Electives: 3 semester credit hours of one of the following:
    • CLDP 4394 Internship
    • or BBSU 3310 Community-Based Service Learning
    • or CLDP 4390 Directed Research and Writing
    • or CLDP 4391 Individual Study and Writing
    • or CLDP 4395 Co-op Fieldwork
    • or CLDP 4397 Thesis Research
    • or CLDP 4V96 Teaching Internship
    • or CLDP 4V98 Directed Research
    • or CLDP 4V99 Individual Study
  • Plus 12 semester credit hours of courses with CLDP prefix or any of the following courses:
    • CGS 3342, CGS 4312, CGS 4313, CGS 4314, CGS 4315, CGS 4352, CGS 4353, ED 4352, ED 4363, ED 4357, NSC 3345, NSC 4352, NSC 4353, NSC 4354, NSC 4367, PSY 3331, PSY 3333, PSY 3361, PSY 4331, PSY 4343, PSY 4359, PSY 4362, PSY 4364, PSY 4373, SPAU 3301, SPAU 3304, SPAU 3340, SPAU 3343, SPAU 3344, SPAU 3345, or SPAU 4308

Elective Requirements

The Elective Requirements include 42 semester credit hours of free electives. Students are encouraged to explore areas of concentration in Child Learning and Development as well as explore interests outside the field.

Minor in Child Development

A minor in Child Development is also available, requiring 18 semester credit hours, including 9 required semester credit hours of foundation coursework and 9 semester credit hours of guided electives.

Fast Track Baccalaureate/Master's Degrees

UT Dallas undergraduate students with strong academic records who intend to pursue a master's degree in Human Development and Early Childhood Disorders (HDCD) at UT Dallas may consider an accelerated undergraduate-graduate plan of study. If accepted into the program, students may take up to 15 semester credit hours of graduate courses that may be used to complete the baccalaureate degree and also to satisfy requirements for the master's degree.