Discover some of the top colleges offering online child life specialist degrees.
Child life specialists have an important role to play in the medical field. They help children and their families cope with hospitalization.
To become a child life specialist, you'll need to earn a degree. Luckily, several colleges and universities offer these online.
What is a Child Life Specialist?
A child life specialist is a type of healthcare social worker. They help children and their families navigate the hospital experience. They may see children dealing with:
- disability
- hospitalization
- illness
- injury
- trauma
The overall role of a child life specialist is to improve patient and family care. Their job duties may include:
- advocating for children and their families
- creating strategies to minimize trauma and help children understand and process their medical diagnosis
- guiding children and families as they cope with medical situations
- helping children and their families better understand their medical experience
- maintaining therapy supplies and activity areas
- offering information and support to family members
- working with other members of the patients' healthcare teams
Child life specialists primarily work in hospitals, but may also work in clinics, schools, camps, and even do home visits.
As a child life specialist, you may choose to work with a range of patients or choose to specialize in patients dealing with specific types of medical issues.
<h2 id="section---CanIEarnAChildLifeSpecialistDegreeOnline">Can I Earn a Child Life Specialist Degree Online?</h2><p>Child life specialists may have a degree in child life studies, or may earn a degree in a similar field such as child development, child and family studies, or early childhood education.
</p><p>Some colleges and universities offer these programs online.
</p><p>Child life specialists must be certified by the Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP). <b>You can qualify for certification through two pathways:</b>
</p><ul><li>complete an ACLP¨Cendorsed program
</li><li>take college courses in the required content areas
</li></ul><p>The ACLP endorses eight bachelor's programs, but none are available online. However, a handful of the 13 master's programs it endorses are available online.
</p><h2 id="section---TopChildLifeSpecialistOnlineDegreePrograms">Top Child Life Specialist Online Degree Programs</h2><p>Many colleges and universities offer degrees that can be used for child life specialist careers.
</p><p>In the list below you'll find our top online programs that can be taken from anywhere as well as the ACLP-endorsed programs that can be taken online.
</p><h3 id="section---1.AzusaPacificUniversity">1. Azusa Pacific University</h3><p><a href="https://learn.org/course-catalog/Azusa_Pacific_Online_University_Associate_Health_Sciences.html">Azusa Pacific University</a> is a private university in California. It offers an ACLP¨Cendorsed online master's in child life degree.
</p><p>Online students start in the spring. The program requires between 36 and 48 credits depending on your experience and can be completed in as little as 18 months.
</p><p>Courses for this program are offered online. However, students will have to complete in-person clinical internships.
</p><h3 id="section---2.BankStreetCollegeOfEducation">2. Bank Street College of Education</h3><p>The Bank Street College of Education is a private graduate college in New York City. It offers an ACLP¨Cendorsed online Master of Science in child life.
</p><p>The program is 42 credits and teaches students to support children, youth, and their families with illness, injury, and trauma.
</p><p>The program is mainly online but does require students to fulfill an internship in person.
</p><h3 id="section---3.EriksonInstitute">3. Erikson Institute</h3><p>The Erikson Institute is a graduate school in downtown Chicago specifically focused on child development. It offers an online master's in child development with a child life concentration.
</p><p>The ACLP¨Cendorsed program requires 33 to 41 credit hours and can be finished in two years full-time or three years part-time.
</p><p>A two-semester clinical internship is required, but can be done at a clinic in the student's area. Those outside of the Chicago area will need to participate in weekly virtual seminars.
</p><h3 id="section---4.GrandCanyonUniversity">4. Grand Canyon University</h3><p><a href="https://learn.org/browseby/company/Grand_Canyon_University.html">Grand Canyon University</a> is a private, Christian university with a large online campus. It offers a bachelor's degree in behavioral health science with multiple concentrations.
</p><p><b>The concentration options include:</b>
</p><ul><li>childhood and adolescence disorders
</li><li>family dynamics
</li><li>infancy and early childhood studies
</li><li>trauma
</li></ul><p>120 total credits are required to earn the bachelor's degree. 12 credits are dedicated to the emphasis of your choice.
</p><h3 id="section---5.SouthernNewHampshireUniversity">5. Southern New Hampshire University</h3><p><a href="https://learn.org/browseby/company/Southern_New_Hampshire_University.html">Southern New Hampshire University</a> is a private university well-known for its online programs. It offers a bachelor's in psychology with a concentration on child and adolescent development.
</p><p>The program trains psychologists to work with children from birth through adolescence and prepares them to work with children and families.
</p><p>The full degree requires 120 credits, but up to 90 can be transferred in. The concentration itself is made up of 12 credits.
</p><h3 id="section---6.TexasWomenSUniversity">6. Texas Women's University</h3><p>Texas Women's University is a Texas university that, despite its name, accepts both men and women as students. It offers an ACLP¨Cendorsed online master's in child life.
</p><p>The program requires 37 credits and can be finished in as little as 18 to 24 months.
</p><p>While courses are online, students are required to complete a clinical practicum and clinical internship in person.
</p><h3 id="section---7.UniversityOfMinnesota">7. University of Minnesota</h3><p>The University of Minnesota is a public university sprawled across Minneapolis and Saint Paul. It offers an ACLP¨Cendorsed online master's in applied child and adolescent development with a child life track.
</p><p>The program takes two years to complete full-time and boasts a 100% first-time pass-rate for the ACLP certification exam.
</p><p>Students are required to fulfill an in-person internship. Students in the Twin Cities area may be able to intern at the University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital, but students not in the area can intern closer to home.
</p><h2 id="section---ChildLifeCertification">Child Life Certification</h2><p><a href="https://learn.org/articles/Child_Life_Specialist_Certification_and_Training_FAQs.html">Certification for child life specialists</a> is offered through the Association of Child Life Professionals.
</p><p>To be eligible to take the certification exam, you must have a minimum of a bachelor's degree.
</p><p>You must also have either graduated from an ACLP¨Cendorsed child life academic program or taken 10 college courses in the required content areas. <b>The course requirements are:</b>
</p><ul><li>one child life course taught by a certified child life specialist
</li><li>two child development courses
</li><li>one family systems course
</li><li>one play course
</li><li>one loss/bereavement or death/dying course
</li><li>one research course
</li><li>three additional courses in related areas
</li></ul><p>There are also internship and experience requirements needed to take the exam.
</p><p>The exam is four hours and made up of 150 multiple-choice questions. It's offered three times throughout the year at approved testing centers throughout the nation.
</p><h2 id="section---EarnAChildLifeSpecialistDegreeOnline">Earn a Child Life Specialist Degree Online</h2><p>Many colleges offer degrees that can be used to help you become a child life specialist. Contact <i>Best Accredited Colleges</i> today for help getting started.</p>
