The Master of Arts degree in the Department of Child and Adolescent Development (ChAD) prepares students for advanced study leading to professional careers in settings that serve children, youth, and families.
Detailed information about the program can be found on the department website: https://www.sjsu.edu/chad/academics/ma-degree.php.
Program Delivery
Online Program
University Admissions Requirements
Applicants must submit a complete graduate application by applying through the CSU Cal State Apply system and meet all the university admission requirements .
Candidates apply separately to the university to obtain approval for university-level admission and to the department to obtain admission to the ChAD master’s program. Note that applicants must have an undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 (B) or better in the last 60 semester units of undergraduate work.
Admission to Graduate Standing - Classified
In addition to meeting university requirements, the minimum requirement for admission to the ChAD MA program is:
- A baccalaureate degree awarded by an accredited institution
- A completed department application
- Two letters of recommendation
- A statement describing the area of child and adolescent development that the applicant is interested in
- A statement describing the importance of leadership in the applicant’s future work with children, adolescents, and/or families
- an essay on various topic areas in child and adolescent development.
Preference is given to candidates with a background in ChAD or a related field (e.g., Psychology, Sociology, Education, Social Work, Nursing). Applicants can be admitted either in a conditional or classified status.
Applicants from countries in which the official language is not English must achieve a minimum English-language proficiency test score as indicated on the Graduate Program Test Requirements webpage at GAPE.
Advancement to Candidacy
The university requirements for advancement to candidacy for the master’s degree are outlined in the Graduate Policies & Procedures section. Students should seek advancement to candidacy as soon as possible for their given program and on the advice of their graduate program coordinator. Graduate students may submit a Petition for Advancement to Graduate Candidacy form to the Graduate Admissions & Program Evaluations (GAPE) office after satisfying the following: achieved classified status; completed a minimum of nine letter-graded units with all grades “C” or higher; fulfilled the Campus Graduate Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (CGGWAR) requirement; achieved a minimum cumulative and program 3.0 GPA, and, graduate within the seven-year time limit for degree completion. Graduate students must submit their petition no later than one semester prior to graduating. Courses that satisfy the CGGWAR are listed in the course requirements for the program.
During the fall semester of their second year, the ChAD MA candidate will need to submit a Petition for Advancement to Graduate Candidacy form [pdf]. This form must be signed by the ChAD graduate program coordinator and submitted to GAPE by the appropriate deadline. Check the deadline for submitting the Petition for Advancement to Graduate Candidacy form [pdf]. Any changes made in the program degree academic plan as listed on the candidacy form need to be requested using the Request for Course Substitution form. This form must be signed by the ChAD graduate program coordinator prior to submission to GAPE.
Program of Study Requirements
Students must complete all residency, curriculum, unit, GPA, and culminating experience requirements as outlined in the Graduate Admissions and Program Evaluations Graduation Student Guide section. Students must comply with all other graduate requirements contained in this catalog.
Course Requirements
Students are expected to complete all required core courses and three ChAD MA electives. In some circumstances, students may petition for individual approval from the ChAD MA program coordinator to take an elective outside of the ChAD program. In order to meet degree requirements, candidates for the MA in ChAD must maintain a 3.0 GPA in all courses with no single course grade below a B-. Students who earn less than a B- in any required course (CHAD 260A , CHAD 260B , CHAD 262 , CHAD 264 , CHAD 266 , and CHAD 272 or CHAD 274 ) must retake the course and earn a grade of B- or better. For electives in which the earned grade was less than a B-, students have the option to retake the same course or to select a different elective.
Culminating Experience (Plan A or Plan B)
Plan A (Thesis)
CHAD 299
Plan B (Project)
CHAD 298
