Spring 2025 Catalog
Family and Consumer Science
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This area is in School of Health Sciences and Wellness in the COLLEGE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES .
Child Life Specialist Preparation Certificate
Contact: Abby Baker, Retention Specialist
Office: Room 240A, College of Professional Studies Building
Phone: 715-346-2193
Email: abbaker@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: Abby Baker, Retention Specialist
Office: Room 240A, College of Professional Studies Building
Phone: 715-346-2193
Email: abbaker@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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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: Abby Baker, Retention Specialist
Office: Room 240A, College of Professional Studies Building
Phone: 715-346-2193
Email: abbaker@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.
ProgramsBachelor DegreesMinorsUndergraduate CertificatesGraduate CertificatesCoursesFamily and Consumer Sciences
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