Child and Youth Studies (B.S.)

Program Overview

A degree in Child and Youth Studies (CYS) prepares tomorrow's leaders through community-based teaching and learning. Authentic learning takes place with our extensive range of partners who facilitate students to be agents of change in our community and beyond. With over 400 hours of field experience upon graduation, students receive firsthand preparation in a variety of settings from non-profit organizations to child development centers. This program prepares human services, community development, and other Child and Youth professionals for employment in public, private, nonprofit, and for-profit organizations.

CYS Handbook

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Information for Current Students

Field Experience Information

Concentrations Overview

Community Engagement Concentration

Prepares graduates for leadership roles in informal learning environments such as youth organizations, clinical work with children with disabilities, museums, non-profit organizations, parks and recreation, and other community agencies.

Education Studies Concentration

Prepares graduates for teaching in childcare or other educational settings by providing them with the fundamentals of teaching, classroom management, and learning.

Career Paths

Community Engagement Concentration

Child Advocate
Outdoor and recreational education providers (counselors, coaches)
Youth Program Coordinator
Human services professionals, case managers, and counselors
Outreach workers
Residential care treatment providers
Child welfare workers
Disability advocates
Juvenile corrections staff
Non-Profit Organizations

Education Studies Concentration

Child Life Specialist
Applied Behavior Analysis (RBT)
Paraprofessional
Family Life Educator
After School Programs
Children’s Museums
Preschool Teacher

Information for Current Students

Student Teaching

Block 4 Student Teaching

The Student Teaching/ Clinical Experience at Florida Gulf Coast University is a two-semester experience that occurs during a student’s senior year. The Block 4 Student Teaching experience is the initial phase of a two semester clinical experience. During the Level I Student Teaching experience, teacher candidates are placed at a school site for two days each week for the duration of 12 weeks. During this experience, each teacher candidate will plan and teach three lessons per week and be active in all facets of classroom life. After successfully completing the Level I Student Teaching program, teacher candidates are placed at a different school site to complete the Level II Student Teaching experience.

Block 5 Student Teaching

The Block 5 Student Teaching experience is a full semester, capstone clinical experience where each teacher candidate is expected to report to their assigned school site each day and eventually assume lead responsibility for planning and delivering instruction to his or her assigned classroom using a co-teach model. This final experience typically takes place during a candidate’s last semester prior to graduation.

If you have any questions or are no longer planning to complete student teaching at this time, contact the Office of Clinical Experiences & Partnerships at 239-745-4529.

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Concentrations

Education Studies Concentration
Community Engagement Concentration

Accreditation
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Admissions Information
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Admissions Information for the 2022-2023 Catalog Year
If you are not yet an FGCU student, visit the Admissions Office Website
If you are a newly-admitted FGCU student please be sure to sign up for an Eagle View Orientation session. As part of this session you will be meeting with an academic advisor who will assist you in registering for classes for your major.
Admission Deadlines
Visit the Admissions Office Web site for information on admission deadlines of the university.
Program Requirements
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Program Requirements for the 2022-2023 Catalog Year
The General Education Program Website is located at https://www.fgcu.edu/academics/undergraduatestudies/generaleducation/
Program Progression and Additional Graduation Requirements
Degree-seeking students are classified as pre-majors prior to formal transition into a COE major. In order to transition from a COE pre-major to a major, students must (a) earn an overall GPA of 2.0 on all hours attempted, and (b) see an academic advisor for an approved plan of study. To be placed in a Final Internship, students must have passed all program courses except EDG 4936 which must be taken concurrently with EDG 4940.
- In addition to the program requirements, students must complete:
- A minimum of 48 upper division credits (courses numbered 3000 and higher).
- Complete 30 of the last 60 credits at FGCU.
- A cumulative GPA of 2.0 for all coursework attempted at FGCU.
- Satisfy College-Level skills and foreign language requirement.
- Satisfy Service Learning requirement. (See https://www.fgcu.edu/studentlife/servicelearning/)
- Satisfy Civic Literacy requirement.
The COE limits the transfer of coursework into its upper-division, undergraduate programs. To be considered, courses must have been completed with a minimum grade of C and no more than five years prior to the date of entry into the College of Education undergraduate program.
Program Requirements
1. FGCU General Education Program (https://www.fgcu.edu/academics/undergraduatestudies/generaleducation/)
  
  To prevent or minimize excess hours, select general education courses that satisfy common prerequisite requirements for your intended major.
2. Common Prerequisites
  None
3. Courses in the Major (24 credits)
  A minimum grade of C in each course and a GPA of 2.0 is required.
  
  EDF 4112 Child Growth and Development (3)
  EDF 4424 Youth Focused Evaluation (3)
  EDG 4942 Field Experience:CYS (3)
  EDG 4940 Practicum: Child/Youth Studies (9)
  EDG 4936 Seminar: Child/Youth Studies (3)
  TSL 3080 Foundations of ESOL (3)
4. Restricted Electives in the Major (3 credits)
  Select one of the following:
  RED 4344 Methods of Teaching Reading (3) or
  RED 4310 Early Learning Literacy (3)
5. Concentration Requirements (18 credits)
  Complete one of the following concentrations:
  
  Education Studies
  EDF 3253 Learning Mgmt Inclusive Class (3)
  EDG 3323 Professional Teaching Practice (3)
  EDG 4371 Creative & Affective Development (3)
  EEC 3268 Play Development & Assessment (3)
  EEC 4307 Cognitive Exp for Yng Children (3)
  EEX 4201 Young Children with Spec Needs (3)
  
  Community Engagement
  EDF 4650 Youth & Community Resilience (3)
  EDF 4731 Youth & Community Leadership (3)
  EDF 4810 Intro to Comparative Education (3)
  EDG 4077 Informal Learning Environments (3)
  EEC 4404 Family & Comm Partnerships (3)
  ENT 3503 Social Entrepreneurship (3)
6. University Requirements (3 credits)
  IDS 3920 University Colloquium (3)
7. Additional Electives - as needed to reach total credits required for the degree
Total Credits Required: 120
Curriculum Map
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Course Description
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Official Course Descriptions

Search for official course descriptions by using the Course Description Search utility.

Go to the Course Descriptions Search Web page, then follow these steps:
1. Select an Academic Year from the TERM dropdown (required)
2. Select a course prefix from one of the SUBJECT dropdowns (required)
3. Enter search words in the TEXT field (optional, but will narrow the search results)
4. Press Search
Course Schedule
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Getting started with the Course Schedule Search

Search for program courses by using the Course Schedule Search utility.

Go to the Course Schedule Search Web page, then follow these steps:
1. Select an Academic Year from the TERM dropdown (required)
2. Select one or more of the search options to narrow your results (for example, CAMPUS, COLLEGE, DEPARTMENT, LEVEL, PREFIX*, COURSEATTRIBUTE**). For virtual or web courses, select VIRTUAL in the CAMPUS field.
3. Press Search.
*A course prefix is a three-letter designator for a major division of an academic discipline (for example, ACG for Accounting , BSC for Biological Science, ENC for English Composition). See the Degree Requirements page for a list of courses (with prefix and number) that can be used to fulfill degree requirements.

**A course attribute identifies specific characteristics of courses that can be used in a Degree Evaluation to satisfy a degree requirement. (Course attribute examples are Humanities courses - GEHM and Social Science courses - GESO.)
Learning Outcomes
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Academic Learning Compact

Consistent with its mission and guiding principles, Florida Gulf Coast University is committed to academic excellence and continuous quality improvement, as supported by a sound teaching-learning process. Within this process, students and instructors share responsibility for learning that is a movement from the simple to the complex, the concrete to the abstract, and the dependent to the independent. The Academic Learning Compact (ALC) initiative supports the teaching-learning process by clearly identifying expected core student learning outcomes in the areas of content/discipline knowledge and skills, communication skills, and critical thinking skills; aligning curricula with expectations; and using assessment to guide continuous improvement.

Content/Discipline Knowledge and Skills
Graduates will be able to:
- Integrate learning experiences for children and youth of all ages.
Content/discipline knowledge and skills are assessed at the program level through assignments, journals, senior seminar action research projects and self-evaluations in the following: EEC 4307 Cognitive Experiences for Children, EDG 4936 Senior Seminar in Child and Youth Studies, and EDG 4940 Child and Youth Studies Practicum.
Communication Skills
Graduates will be able to:
- Develop ability to communicate effectively with colleagues, school/communicate with specialists, administrators, and families.
Communication skills are assessed at the program level through assignments, projects, and senior research project in the following: EEC 3268 Play Development and Assessment, EDG 4936 Senior Seminar in Child and Youth Studies, and EDG 4940 Child and Youth Studies Practicum.
Critical Thinking Skills
Graduates will be able to:
- Analyze situations to guide planning for and addressing activities for diverse populations of children and youth
Critical thinking skills are assessed at the program level through assignments, journals and senior research projects and self-evaluations in the following: TSL 4520 Second Language Acquisition, Communication, and Culture, EDG 4936 Senior Seminar in Child and Youth Studies, and EDG 4940 Child and Youth Studies Practicum.
Tuition, Fees, and Financial Assistance
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Tuition and Fees

Information on Tuition, Fees and estimated total Cost of Attendance is available on the Office of the Bursar web site.

Financial Aid Opportunities

Visit FGCU's Financial Aid Web site for information about grants, additional scholarships, loans, and student employment.
Destination FGCU Transfer Program
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Getting Started

If you are not yet an FGCU student, visit FGCU's Admissions Office Website.

If you are already an FGCU student, and are interested in applying for this program, visit the College of Education's Admission page to find out more information on how to apply.

FGCU ADMISSIONS COE ADMISSIONS

Concentrations Overview

Career Paths

Information for Current Students

Experience FGCU