Mar 29, 2024  
Permanent Working Catalog (Spring 2025 Draft In Progress) 
    
Permanent Working Catalog (Spring 2025 Draft In Progress)

Family and Consumer Science


This area is in School of Health Sciences and Wellness  in the COLLEGE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES .


Child Life Specialist Preparation Certificate 

Contact: Becky Konietzki, Academic and Career Adviser
Office: Room 216, College of Professional Studies Building
Phone: 715-346-3233
Email: BKonietz@uwsp.edu

Description: This certificate is ideal for you if you are seeking a career as Child Life Specialists and helps you meet the first, academic, steps towards certification. It is also beneficial if you are seeking skills and understanding that can be employed in a variety of settings such as hospitals, child advocacy centers, schools, camp and bereavement programs, women’s shelters, hospice, trauma centers and more. Students from any major may complete the certificate which is particularly well suited if you are pursuing a major in Family and Consumer Sciences: Child Life & Family Studies Option, BS .

Using the national Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP) academic eligibility requirements as a guide this certificate encompasses the 10 required course content areas. Each of the courses in our program has been pre-approved by ACLP helping to expedite child life course verification as part of the eligibility assessment requirements needed to qualify to sit for the national examination.

Family and Consumer Sciences

Contact: Susan Turgeson, Associate Professor, FCS Teacher Certification Program Director
Office: Room 302, College of Professional Studies
Phone: 715-346-2263
Email: sturgeso@uwsp.edu


Contact for Child Life & Family Studies option: Becky Konietzki, Academic and Career Adviser
Office: Room 216, College of Professional Studies Building
Phone: 715-346-3233
Email: bkonietz@uwsp.edu

Ideal for you if you are interested in helping individuals and families using a family lens. Typical graduates pursue a wide variety of careers helping children, youth, and families in community agencies and settings, including child life specialist. With additional graduate education, you can further broaden your options such as working in student affairs or as a marriage and family therapist (MFT).

Notes for Teacher Certification option

  1. See information about the Professional Education Program in the School of Education  section of this catalog, and information about the Secondary Education for teacher certification in the Secondary/K-12 Education Curriculum for Teacher Certification  section of this catalog. 
  2. To graduate with a major in Family and Consumer Sciences (teacher certification option)  you must meet the requirements for eligibility to student teach before you register for student teaching. You must achieve a 2.75 overall GPA and earn a grade of “pass” in all areas of student teaching in order to graduate. 
  3. Before you can apply to the School of Education for the teacher certification option you must be currently enrolled in or have completed FCS 190. 

Notes for Child Life & Family Studies option

The Child Life & Family Studies  option should be declared in the School of Health Sciences and Wellness Advising Center. This option is for you if you are not seeking certification as a teacher, but you want to work with children and families in a variety of community agency settings or in other more specialized areas such as child life specialists and marriage and family therapists.

Academic standards: 

To graduate with a major in the family and consumer sciences (child life & family studies option) you must achieve a 2.75 GPA for all coursework in the major to satisfy graduation requirements.

This certificate by itself does not qualify you to work or identify yourself as a Certified Child Life Specialist. It is designed to meet the mandatory academic requirements designated by ACLP. Additional requirements are needed for full certification such as volunteer hours in and out of medical settings, practicum(s), internship(s), and completion of the national exam. See the national ACLP website at childlife.org for a comprehensive list of all requirements to become an official Certified Child Life Specialist.

 

 


Graduate Programs

CHILD LIFE SPECIALIST PREPARATION GRADUATE CERTIFICATE 

Contact: Becky Konietzki, Academic and Career Adviser
Room 216, College of Professional Studies
Phone: 715-346-3233
Email: BKonietz@uwsp.edu

Description: The Child Life Specialist Preparation Graduate Certificate  is ideal for those seeking to become certified as Child Life Specialists and complete the academic preparation portion of their training. Using the national Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP) academic eligibility requirements as a guide, this certificate encompasses six of the 10 required course content areas. Each of the courses in our program have been pre-approved by ACLP helping to expedite child life course verification as part of the eligibility assessment requirements needed to qualify to sit for the national examination.

This certificate by itself does not qualify participants to work or identify themselves as a Certified Child Life Specialist, It is designed to assist in meeting the mandatory academic requirements designated by ACLP. Additional requirements are needed such as courses in four additional content areas (Human Anatomy, Medical Terminology, Ethics, Research), volunteer hours in and out of medical settings, practicum(s), internship(s), and completion of the national exam. See the national ACLP website at childlife.org for a comprehensive list of all requirements to become an official Certified Child Life Specialist.

 

FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES TEACHING GRADUATE CERTIFICATION

Susan Turgeson, Associate Professor, FCS Certified Teacher Education Program Director
Room 302, College of Professional Studies
Phone: 715-346-2263
Email: sturgeso@uwsp.edu

Description: The Graduate Teaching Certification in Family and Consumer Sciences  provides opportunities for licensed teachers to add a new license in the area of family and consumer sciences (FCS). In addition, people who hold a non-teaching bachelor’s degree can gain coursework for initial teacher licensure in FCS, in a condensed format. Pre-licensure students may need to take requisite undergraduate courses to qualify for the FCS graduate licensure program. See additional information about this program at www.uwsp.edu/health/Pages/graduate/FCS-certification.aspx.

 

 

Courses

    Family and Consumer Sciences