Child Development
Put your understanding of young children to work by learning how their early development can be shaped in order to create healthy, respectful, and challenging environments that support and promote health and wellness. This concentration can help you discover how a child’s cultural, familial, and communal surroundings shape his or her development.
Explore how social, cognitive, and emotional challenges influence a child’s behavioral growth and learn to use systematic observations, documentation, and other effective assessment strategies. You will also have the opportunity to gain the knowledge and skills you need to work collaboratively with families and specialists in a variety of roles that promote and support child development, health, and wellness, including hospital child-life professional, child advocate, family crisis professional, or parent support specialist.
Completion Requirements
- 181 total quarter credits (including 45 cr. completed at Walden)
- Foundation course (1 cr.)
- General Education courses (45 cr.)
- Core courses (55 cr.)
- Concentration courses (30 cr.)
- Elective courses (45 cr.)
- Capstone course (5 cr.)
COMM 1001 Contemporary Communications (General Education course) and WLDN 1000 Dynamics of Walden Success: Learning Lab (Core course) must be taken before other General Education courses. These two courses are also prerequisites for the HLTH courses.
Time to completion may vary by student, depending on individual progress and credits transferred, if applicable. For a personalized estimate of your time to completion, call an enrollment advisor at 1-866-492-5336.Foundation Course (1 cr.)
| Course Code | Course Title | Credits |
| WLDN 1000 | Dynamics of Walden Success: Learning Lab | 1 |
Core Courses (55 cr.)
| Course Code | Course Title | Credits |
| HLTH 1000 | Concepts of Health Promotion | 5 |
| HLTH 1005 | Context of Healthcare Delivery | 5 |
| HLTH 4200 | Principles of Epidemiology | 5 |
| HLTH 4205 | Introduction to Research Methods and Analysis | 5 |
| HLTH 2110 | Behavioral and Cultural Issues in Healthcare | 5 |
| HLTH 2115 | Aging Across the Lifespan | 5 |
| HLTH 2120 | Health Informatics | 5 |
| HLTH 3100 | Ethical and Legal Issues in Healthcare | 5 |
| HLTH 3105 | Interdisciplinary Perspectives in Healthcare | 5 |
| HLTH 3110 | Current Issues in Healthcare Policy and Practice | 5 |
| HLTH 3115 | Public and Global Health | 5 |
Concentration Courses (30 cr.)
| Course Code | Course Title | Credits |
| EDUC 1004 | Child Development | 5 |
| EDUC 1005 | Child Health, Safety, and Nutrition | 5 |
| EDUC 1006 | Child, Family, and Community Relationships | 5 |
| EDUC 4004 | Children with Special Needs | 5 |
| EDUC 4005 | Cultural and Linguistic Diversity | 5 |
| EDUC 3203 | Infant/Toddler Mental Health | 5 |
Elective Courses (45 cr.)
At least one elective course must be at the 3000 level or above. These 45 credits of electives are in addition to the five-credit general education elective.Capstone Course (5 cr.)
| Course Code | Course Title | Credits |
| HLTH 4900 | Capstone | 5 |
Course Descriptions
For assistance in deciding which online degree concentration fits your goals, request information or speak with an enrollment advisor by calling 1-866-492-5336. A list of international toll-free phone numbers is available for students outside the United States.
