Master’s in Child Development: Child Life Concentration

We award over $2 million in scholarships to students enrolled in our degree and graduate certificate programs. Erikson also participates in the federal Direct Loan programs, and assuming you meet all eligibility requirements, you will have access to both Unsubsidized and Graduate PLUS loans to help finance your Erikson higher education.

Over 90% of our students work either part-time or full-time as they are pursuing their Erikson degree. You can choose to enroll at Erikson as part of the day cohort with most of your classes during the day on Mondays and Wednesdays, or as part of the evening cohort, which will allow you to take your classes in the evenings. The cohort model allows you to balance your work and Erikson course schedules.

The other factor to consider as you think about your work schedule is whether you want to pursue your master’s degree program in two or three years. While there are always exceptions to this, most students who wish to work full time while enrolled at Erikson opt for the three-year program. Students who have more flexibility in their work schedule or want to complete their program in a shorter period of time while working part-time tend to enroll in the two-year program.

It’s important to note that depending on your chosen concentration and specific internship requirements, you will be required to be available during business hours two or three days per week during your internship year. Evening/weekend internships are very uncommon, so we encourage you to plan ahead and communicate as necessary with your employer in advance of your final year in the master’s program.

The staff in our Field Education and Career Services Office will work with you to prepare you for seeking positions while you’re enrolled at Erikson and upon graduating from the program. You’ll receive feedback on your resume and cover letters, and we also maintain a job board on our campus portal where employers list part-time and full-time positions for which they’re hiring.

The Career Services team also plans an annual social work, early education, and child development job fair for Erikson students and alumni. In concert with the job fair, you can submit your resume to be included in an annual Resume Book that we distribute to organizations and managers who are interested in hiring Erikson students and alumni.

Erikson students live in a wide range of neighborhoods in Chicago and in the suburbs. We do not offer campus housing. While we can’t make specific recommendations about where you should live, we encourage you to find a neighborhood that suits your style, taste, and budget. To help you in your housing search, we work closely with StudentSpace, a free apartment-finding service that specializes in helping graduate students find housing in Chicago.

Because of Erikson’s small size, you’ll have access to a wide range of both informal and formal student support services. These include:

• The Field Education and Career Services team will help you identify and apply for your internship placement. Erikson has hundreds of pre-approved internship sites, so you don’t have to worry about finding a placement site on your own.
• Advising about your financial aid options, including personal financial education, is coordinated through the Financial Aid Office.
• Academic advising is facilitated through your faculty advisor and program director.
• The Academic Success Center provides services to help you with the academic reading and writing expectations of your program. The Center also sponsors discussion groups for selected masters degree program courses.
• The Director of Disability Services provides advising and support for students with disabilities and students who need accommodations for their academic work.
• WorkLifeMatters is a confidential graduate student assistance program offered to all Erikson students through Guardian and Integrated Behavioral Health (IBH). You have unlimited access to consult with a professional counselor via telephone. Face-to-face counseling sessions are available, if needed, with an IBH network provider — and up to eight sessions are free of charge as part of WorkLifeMatters.
• Validated parking at a reduced rate is provided to Erikson students in three nearby parking garages. You will also have access to deeply discounted public transportation through the CTA U-Pass program.

No. This degree program is considered a campus program where you are required to complete some or all your courses at our Chicago campus. Our child life-specific coursework, taken over the 3 semesters prior to internship, is offered in-person in a “community learning lab” style environment with your cohort. Cohorts are small and lend themselves to close and meaningful learning relationships, especially in the time that you share together on our Chicago campus. This specific coursework is offered on-campus only.

If you complete our 3-year program, you can choose to complete the first 3 semesters in Chicago on our campus or virtually from any remote location (please note: some synchronous course sessions on Zoom may be required, while other work can be done asynchronously on your own schedule). Then, the following 3 semesters are completed on campus prior to your two internship semesters. Your internship semesters can be done from the location of your internship placements.

Our 2-year program is completed with 3 semesters on campus, and 2 semesters which can be done from the location of your internship placements.

Please see the list of accredited hospital sites across the nation on the ACLP website. Erikson will support you in securing an internship with mentoring and coaching.

We cannot guarantee placement in an approved child life internship since the decisions for acceptance into the internships are the purview of the child life clinical programs. If you are unable to secure an approved internship in either the fall or spring semester, you will need to secure a child life internship during the summer term after the completion of your coursework. If you do not secure an internship after three attempts, you will need to graduate from Erikson Institute with a Master’s Degree in Child Development, but without a child life concentration. You may continue to seek a child life internship on your own after graduation but as an independent applicant, not affiliated with Erikson Institute.

In addition to the general admission and degree requirements for the child life specialist master’s program, we require the following for admission to this highly competitive child life graduate program:

1. Verification of at least 100 hours of work with children and families in a professional supervised setting through an internship or direct volunteer experience in a medical setting prior to your first academic term. Preferred: Evidence of a completed child life practicum in a hospital, verified by a Certified Child Life Specialist. If you don’t have hospital provided documentation, you can complete and submit Erikson’s hospital experience verification formOpens a new window prior to your first academic term.
2. A resume listing paid and volunteer experiences with children and families.
3. At least one letter of recommendation from a Certified Child Life Specialist.

Yes, our endorsed program allows you to pursue an internship at any hospital offering a formal internship program across the US. Your final year at Erikson is intentionally designed to be able to be completed from anywhere outside of Chicago, with all of your required coursework being offered virtually.