Student enrollment
Enrollment by program
Master’s programs: 230
Doctoral program: 15
Certificate programs: 55
Academic programs
Master of science degrees
Certificate programs
- Irving B. Harris Infant Specialist Certificate Program, with specializations in prevention/early intervention and infant/toddler child care
- Irving B. Harris Infant Mental Health Certificate Program
- Bilingual/English as a Second-Language Certificate Program
Doctorate in child development (in collaboration with Loyola University Chicago)
See program
accreditation information.
Professional development
More than 2,500 working professionals
participate each year in courses, workshops, seminars, and customized on-site staff development offered
throughout the greater metropolitan Chicago
area. These research-based programs focus on
| • teaching and learning |
• early intervention |
| •leadership and supervision |
• infancy |
Faculty research and community engagement
Forty full- and part-time faculty and 10 research associates teach Erikson courses and actively conduct applied research on a wide range of topics.
Putting knowledge about child development to work in the community is a vital part of Erikson’s mission. We do so through an ever-growing variety of projects and partnerships. A few are listed here:
Center for Children and Families
A multidisciplinary team provides comprehensive, family-centered assessment and treatment for children birth to age eight with behavioral, social-emotional, learning, and developmental issues.
Early Mathematics Education Project
Young children get a better grounding in math concepts as this project coaches 100 preschool and kindergarten teachers to bolster their proficiency and help them weave math's big ideas into classroom activities.
Illinois Department of Children and Family Services Early Childhood Unit
DCFS contracted with Erikson to administer developmental screenings for all children ages birth through five entering the foster care system and assess their biological parents and oster caregivers, to determine required services.
Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Project
This project enhances the capacity of Prevention Initiative (birth to three) and state pre-K program staff to promote infant's and young chldren's mental health and school readiness.
Herr Research Center for Children and Social Policy
The center informs, guides, and supports effective early childhood policy in the Great Lakes region with original research regional and dissemination of knowledge that promotes the well-being of young children.
New Schools Project
This project brings Erikson’s early childhood expertise directly into pre-K through third grade classrooms in the Chicago Public Schools. Consultants partner with schools to establish positive learning environments so children experience school success.
See more research and community projects »
See experts guide »
Alumni
More than 1,400 Erikson alumni serve children and families in every capacity. Among our graduates are:
Louise Beem, cofounder, DuPage Children’s Museum, and founder, early childhood care and education program at College of DuPage;
Carol Brunson Day, president, National Black Child Development Institute and former executive director, Council for Early Childhood Professional Recognition;
Leon Denton, manager of Head Start, Salvation Army Child Care Program;
Chipo Dyanda, dean of the faculty of education, University of Zimbabwe;
Toby Herr, founder and director of Project Match, a community-based employment program that recently won a MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions;
Pat Manning, director of Child Life and Family Education, University of Chicago Children’s Hospital; and
Molly McGrath, director of Baltimore City Department of Social Services.
Roughly 70 percent of alumni work in the Midwest; 5 percent work outside of the U.S.
