The Child Development degree prepares individuals for service as teachers, leaders, and administrators in early childcare settings.
This non-licensure program prepares students for meaningful service and leadership in professions dedicated to the growth and well-being of children and families.
The Child Development program a non-licensure degree program that helps prepare students for a professional career in the discipline of Child Development. Students develop competencies that enable them to provide integral services to young children and families outside the traditional teacher licensure programs.
As a Child Development major, you'll take courses in topics such as:
In addition to the Child Development major, MC offers five concentration options to choose from that allows you to focus your studies in an area that interests you most.
Interested in serving in ministry or Christian education? This concentration prepares you for ministry and educational leadership in the local church by providing a strong foundation in ministry, faith formation, and church leadership.
Interested in serving children on the mission field? This concentration prepares you for children's missions through focused study in evangelism, cross-cultural ministry, missionary life, and effective missions strategies.
Called to counsel children? This concentration provides a strong foundation in psychology and human development, preparing you for graduate study in counseling with a focus on serving children and families.
Interested in teaching English to speakers of other languages? This concentration equips you to teach English in diverse settings through coursework in linguistics, second language acquisition, and multicultural education.
Have you been called to advocate for children and their families? This concentration prepares you for careers in child welfare, legal advocacy, education, and other helping professions while providing a strong foundation for graduate study in social work, counseling, and related fields. You will gain interdisciplinary, trauma-informed training and learn how professionals work together to advocate effectively for children and families.
The B.S. in Child Development is a non-licensure program; therefore, students in this program do not have to be formally admitted to the Teacher Education Program (TEP.)
| Requirements | Class Name | Hours |
| University Core Courses | 39 | |
| Professional Education | 43 | |
| EDU 299 | Pre-Teaching Field Experience | 1 |
| EDU 300 | Introduction to Education | 3 |
| EDU 301 | Elementary Teaching Methods | 3 |
| EDU 304 | Educational Psychology | 3 |
| EDU 317 | Introduction to Instructional Technology | 3 |
| EDU 320 | Principles and Methods in Early Childhood Education | 3 |
|
EDU 411 |
Children’s Literature/Reading |
3 |
| EDU 425 | Advance Child Development | 3 |
| EDU 426 | Literature Instruction for Early Childhood Education | 3 |
| PSY 305 | Child Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 435 | Psychology of Exceptional Children | 3 |
| EDU 309 | Early Literacy I | 3 |
| EDU 334 | Early Literacy II | 3 |
| Kinesiology Electives (Choose 2) | ||
| Interdisciplinary Courses | 18 | |
| ART 207 | Art for Children | 3 |
| BIO 145 | Earth Science | 3 |
| GEO 210 | Principles of Geography | 3 |
| KIN 107 | First Aid & CPR | 3 |
| KIN 312 | Family Life and Wellness | 3 |
| MUS 225 | Music for Children | 3 |
| Electives | 20 hours of general electives, or select from the specialty concentration courses listed below | 20 |
| Total | 120 |
See the MC Catalog for the most up-to-date course requirements.
2 hours of general electives
Choose Six:
MIN 201 Foundations of Christian Ministry
MIN 224 Ministry of the Church
MIN 300 Essentials of Ministry
MIN 302 Christian Formation
MIN 315 Ministry to Youth
MIN 316 Church Administration
MIN 403 Church Leadership
MIN 404 Development of Christian Worship
MIN 410 Faith Development
MIN 480 Ministry Internship
MIN 490 Special Topics in Ministry Studies
MIN XXX Children’s Ministry
2 hours general electives
Required Courses
MSS 301 Introduction to Missions
MSS 302 Evangelism & Cross-Cult Witness
MSS 303 History of Missions
MSS 304 Contemporary Missions Strategies
MSS 305 Spiritual Warfare & Missions
MSS 306 The Missionary Lifestyle
2 hours general electives
Required Courses (9 hours)
PSY 201 Introduction to Psychology
PSY 314 Developmental Psychology
PSY 423 Abnormal Psychology
Choose 3 PSY electives (9 hours)
2 hours general electives
Required Courses (12 hours)
MLG 450 The Multicultural Classroom
MLG 451 Second Language Acquisition
MLG 452 Applied Linguistics
MLG 453 Methods and Field Studies
Choose 2 (6 hours)
MLG 205 Cross-Cultural Understanding
MLG 375 Phonetics & Phonology of Eng
MLG 401 Sociolinguistics & Dialect
COM 301 Nonverbal Communication
ENG 321 Science and Grammar Style
ENG 322 Language and Diversity
ENG 455 Methods and Teach Comp & Gram
2 hours of general electives
Required Courses
CAST 400 Perspectives on Child Maltreatment
and Child Advocacy
CAST 401 Professional and System Responses
to Child Maltreatment
CAST 402 Responding to Survivor of Child
Abuse & Survivor Response
CAST 403 The Church’s Response to Child
Maltreatment
CAST 404 Strengthening Families: Building
Protective Factors
CAST 405 CAST Capstone Proj & Exp
