Admission Requirements & Deadlines

Child Life, Administration and Family Collaboration (M.S.)

Application Deadline

Admission to the Child Life, Administration and Family Collaboration (M.S.) is for the fall term only with the following deadline: 

  • Final Deadline: Jan. 15

Admission Requirements

  • No GRE scores are required.
  • Applicants must have a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university in family studies, family science, health science, human services, human development, psychology, sociology or another related discipline.
  • A minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.00 (on a 4-point scale) is required for full admission to the program, and 2.75 is required for conditional admission. GPA calculations may be based upon the cumulative units or the last 60 units of the degree. See graduate admission policies for more information.
  • Prerequisites: Completion of the following courses with a grade of “C” or higher (see Coursework Verification Form under Application Requirements):
    • Human Development across the Lifespan (one lower-division course)
    • Infant and/or Child Development and Adolescent Development Coursework (two courses — six upper-division credits)
    • Research Methods (one upper-division course)
  • Volunteer/Work/Practicum Experience: Applicants must have a minimum of 100 hours of volunteer, child life practicum or paid work experience (example, child life assistant) with children with special health care needs in a child life department under the direct supervision of a Certified Child Life Specialist. Applicants with volunteer hours beyond the minimum will be viewed more favorably. If you do not have the minimum 100 hours, we encourage you to contact Lisa Martinelli Beasley, Graduate Program Director, at for advisement.
  • Interview: The highest ranking applicants will be required to interview with the faculty of the Child Life, Administration and Family Collaboration program. Invitations to interview will be made in February. Interviews will take place in March.

Application Requirements

Submit an online application, application fee and official transcripts, along with: 

  • Essay: Applicants must write an essay not exceeding three double-space, 12 point font, 1 inch margin typed pages. The essay should answer the following questions:
    • Briefly describe ways in which the work of a child life specialist contributes to the health care experience of a child and his/her family.
    • How did you become interested in the field of child life?
    • Provide a specific example of a time that you used play to meet the developmental needs of a child in a health care setting.
    • Explain the relevance of research to child life. How do you see research informing your role?
  • Coursework Verification Form: Applicants must submit a Coursework Verification Form (PDF) showing completion of required prerequisites. 

Additional Requirements for International Applicants

U.S. Immigration requires F1 and J1 students to be enrolled full-time with the majority of their classes taken in-person and on campus. For a list of TU programs that comply as well as information on required credential evaluations and English-language proficiency, please see admission requirements for international students.