Lifespan Development Colleges and Courses
Lifespan development programs teach students to counsel families or help parents build their parenting skills. Find out about degree level options and the topics covered in these programs.
What You Need to Know
The field of lifespan development studies the growth and psychology of a human being across their life. Colleges may offer coursework in this subject in several degree programs, at the undergraduate and graduate level. Courses deal with personal and family behaviors as well as psychological development throughout life.
<table border="1"><tr><td><b>Colleges</b></td><td>Most classes are found in a college's psychology, human development or family studies departments</td></tr>
<tr><td><b>Degrees</b></td><td>There are bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees available with lifespan development education</td></tr>
<tr><td><b>Courses</b></td><td>Diverse family structure and functioning, the process of aging, differences in gender development, adolescent problems, deviant behavior, family intervention, statistics, health across the lifespan, parent education, developmental problems, cognitive development, socialization and interpersonal dynamics, advanced statistics and research, theories of human development, risk-taking, parent-child relationships and family problems</td></tr>
</table><h3 id="section---WhatIsLifespanDevelopment">What Is Lifespan Development?</h3><p>Lifespan development, sometimes called 'human development,' is a field of psychology focusing on the psychological, physical and cognitive development of humans. It concentrates on how humans change from birth through adulthood, and it explores human attitudes and approaches to dying. Most programs are components of a school's psychology or human development and family studies departments. Consider some of the following colleges that offer lifespan development coursework:
</p><ul><li>Kansas State University (Manhattan)
</li><li>Texas Tech University (Lubbock)
</li><li>Michigan State University (East Lansing)
</li><li>University of Missouri (Columbia)
</li><li>Pennsylvania State University (University Park)
</li></ul><h3 id="section---WhichCoursesWillITake">Which Courses Will I Take?</h3><p>In a lifespan development bachelor's degree program, you may develop research projects and work in school-sponsored childcare facilities to examine your topic. You'll also complete internships and a capstone project. These areas of study might also be covered in your undergraduate courses:
</p><ul><li>Diverse family structure
</li><li>Family functioning
</li><li>Aging process
</li><li>Differences in gender development
</li><li>Adolescent problems
</li><li>Deviant behavior
</li><li>Family intervention
</li><li>Statistics
</li></ul><h3 id="section---WhatAboutGraduateCourses">What About Graduate Courses?</h3><p>Lifespan development master's degree programs teach health across the lifespan, parent education and developmental problems. You'll also complete a thesis, but some schools allow you to complete a research project if you don't intend to continue your studies in a Ph.D. program.
</p><p>In a lifespan development Ph.D. program, you'll learn advanced statistics and research. You'll also complete a practicum and a dissertation. These courses may also be explored in a graduate program:
</p><ul><li>Cognitive development
</li><li>Socialization
</li><li>Interpersonal dynamics
</li><li>Human development theories
</li><li>Risk-taking
</li><li>Parent-child relationships
</li><li>Family problems
</li></ul><h3 id="section---WhichDegreesCanIEarn">Which Degrees Can I Earn?</h3><p>Bachelor of Science degrees may be available in families and lifespan development and in human development and family studies. If you're looking to go to graduate school, among your options are a Master of Science or Master of Arts in Human Development and Family Studies or a Doctor of Philosophy in Human Development and Family Studies or in Lifespan Human Development. Some programs in general psychology offer lifespan development as a concentration. Coursework in these programs will often be comparable to that of programs specifically oriented towards lifespan development.
</p><h3 id="section---WhichJobsAreAvailable">Which Jobs Are Available?</h3><p>A lifespan development degree can prepare you to work with young children, adolescents, families and the elderly to help them through crises or enhance their quality of life. Graduates work in schools, shelters for abused or homeless individuals, childcare centers, family crisis centers and public agencies. Potential jobs include teacher, family divorce mediator, head start program coordinator, youth program director and elderly care director. They also work as child, adolescent or family therapists in private offices. Certification may be required for some careers.</p>