Child Development

A Bachelor of Science in Child Development prepares you for many professional roles focused on serving needs of children and their families.

Career Opportunities

Early child care teachers or administrators in public or private agencies
Parent educators who help parents develop and improve childrearing skills
Early childhood interventionists (ECI)
Work with child services, foster care and adoption

Numerous other career fields also require the knowledge and skills you’ll develop through this program.

Available Tracks

Pre-Occupational Therapy
Pre-Physical Therapy
Child Life Emphasis*
Mental Health Emphasis

*Endorsed by the Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP) — Only ACLP-endorsed undergraduate program in Texas; 1 of just 8 nationwide

Pre-OT and Pre-PT Tracks

Students can also choose the pre-occupational therapy (OT) track or pre-physical therapy (PT) track within child development. These degree options provide the pre-requisite coursework to enable students to apply for graduate programs in OT or PT.

Note: The undergraduate pre-OT and pre-PT tracks do not provide graduate-level coursework in occupational therapy or physical therapy. On the pre-OT or pre-PT track, students will graduate with a bachelor's degree in Child Development.

Child Life Emphasis

A BS in Child Development - Child Life Emphasis prepares students to become a child life specialist working with children and their families in healthcare and community settings.

Not only is our undergraduate child development - child life emphasis degree endorsed by the Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP) meeting the ACLP’s academic requirements for certification, but Texas Woman's University is the ONLY ACLP-endorsed undergraduate program in the state of Texas and 1 of just 8 nationwide ACLP endorsed undergraduate programs.

Mental Health Emphasis

The BS in Child Development Mental Health Emphasis introduces students to the mental health field and prepares them for graduate programs in counseling and family therapy. These fields are among the top 10 fastest growing occupations.

Students will learn foundational concepts, explore mental health conditions, and learn to apply concepts and skills to work with children and families.

Degree Plans

BS in Child Development*
BS in Child Development - Child Life Emphasis
BS in Child Development - Mental Health Emphasis

CFLE (Certified Family Life Educator) and NCFR (National Council on Family Relations) logos

*Meets the National Council on Family Relations standards and criteria for the Provisional Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE) designation.

Courses offered by semester

How to Apply

First, apply to TWU via ApplyTexas.org and choose Child Development as your major. You can check your status through Admissions.
Participate in undergraduate orientation. This is mandatory for all first-year and transfer students with fewer than 30 credit hours.

Undergraduate Admission

When you apply to TWU, we will evaluate your academic achievement and preparation, as well as your standardized test scores. Admission to TWU is valid for four terms, unless you have attended another higher education institution.

Check out the links below for specific admissions information:

Questions about the admissions process? Contact the Office of Admissions Processing.

Office of Admissions
Texas Woman’s University
P.O. Box 425649
Denton, TX 76204-5649
oap@twu.edu
940-898-3076 or 1-866-809-6130 ext. 3076

Online Completion Transfer Option

We work closely with multiple community colleges around the state. We offer an online completion option to allow transfer students to remain in their communities while completing a bachelor’s degree remotely.

For more information about this option, please contact our undergraduate advisor Larisa Kliman below.

Contact

Larisa Kliman
Undergraduate Advisor
lkliman@twu.edu
940-898-2695

Schedule an appointment

Page last updated 2:56 PM, April 10, 2025