School of Arts and Sciences
Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study & Human Development

BA in Child Study and Human Development

The undergraduate major in Child Study and Human Development provides students with a strong foundation for developing a deep understanding of children and youth, for working with diverse groups of children, adolescents, and their families, and for carrying out research on applied issues. Students who wish to focus on one area within child, youth, and/or family development may choose a concentration of study within their major. Alternatively, a student may wish to develop an individualized plan of study (IPS), which must be constructed together with the academic advisor.

The following four concentrations of study are offered to undergraduate majors:

  • Child and Family Health/Well-Being
  • Children, Arts, and Media
  • Identity Development in Global Context
  • Individual Plan of Study

Learn more about Concentrations of Study and the courses in each concentration. 

Program Requirements and Policies

  • For the Bachelor of Arts degree in Child Study and Human Development, a total of ten courses are required.
  • If a student wishes to count a course not listed on our website toward a concentration, they may petition the Undergraduate Programs Committee (UPC), via e-mail, to julie.dobrow@tufts.edu
  • Not more than two directed study courses (CSHD 141) can count toward the major.
  • ASL 3 will be offered every semester in the Fall and Spring.  Students planning to use ASL for the language distribution requirements are asked to plan accordingly. Students with questions about ASL courses should contact their academic advisor.

Course Requirements

  • Two foundational courses:
    • CSHD 1: Introduction to Child Study and Human Development*
    • *Note:  CSHD 1 may only be waived through demonstration of having taken an equivalent course, through petition to the UPC.  PSY 1 is not accepted as a substitution for CSHD 1.
  • One of the following foundational courses:
    • CSHD 151: Intellectual Development
    • CSHD 61: Personal-Social Development
    • CSHD 62: Childhood across Cultures
    • CSHD 155: The Young Child's Development of Language
      Note: With instructor's permission, undergraduates may take CSHD 161 as juniors or seniors.
  • CSHD 42: Inquiry and Analysis in Child Study and Human Development*
    • *Note:  There is no equivalent substitution course for CSHD 42
  • Three courses from within the same concentration
    • Concentration 1: Child and Family Health / Well-Being
    • Concentration 2: Children, Arts, and Media
    • Concentration 3:  Identity Development in Global Context
    • Concentration 4: Individual Plan of Study (see IPS guidelines)
  • One Applied Experience or Research
  • Majors must complete a minimum of 3.0 credits or a maximum of 4.0 credits in either an Applied Experience or Research Experience course. One Applied Experience (can be fulfilled by two half-courses totaling 4 Credits, when applicable.) Students may not double-count courses for both the Applied or Research Experience requirement AND as electives towards their concentration.
  • Courses that count toward the applied/research experience offered in the Fall semester include:
    • CSHD 0099 - Community Field Placement
    • CSHD 153 - Children's Television Project*
    • *Note:  This course is offered for variable credit
    • CSHD 141 - Independent Study (by instructor consent and with approval of the Director of Undergraduate Program)
    • Courses outside of CSHD may be petitioned to count as applied/research experience by sending a petition to the Director of Undergraduate Programs
  • Courses that count toward the applied/research experience offered in the Spring semester include:
    • CSHD 0067 - Resilience
    • CSHD 0099 - Community Field Placement
    • CSHD 143-09 - Observing Children in Natural Settings
    • CSHD 153 - Children's Television Project
    • CSHD 169 - Creating Children's Media
    • CSHD 141 - Independent Study (by instructor consent and with approval of the Director of Undergraduate Program).  Courses outside the CSHD may be petitioned to count as applied/research experience by sending a petition to the Director of Undergraduate Program.
    • A course that counts toward the applied/research experience and is offered any semester (including summer) is Fieldwork Abroad
    • It is also possible to fulfill the research/applied requirement by working in one of the Eliot-Pearson labs and receiving academic credit through an independent study.  Work in a lab outside of Eliot-Pearson might also qualify if it is work done in a lab that studies children, adolescents or families, done for academic credit, and approved by the Undergraduate Policy Committee.
  • Three Electives (for Concentrations 1 and 2, and 3 may be in a related fields course taken outside the CSHD Department; with prior approval from their major advisor, students choosing Concentration 3 may take TWO courses from outside the CSHD Department).  Note:  no related fields course counted if the CSHD major's list includes ASL 2 and ASL 3).