Judy Bonner Child Development Center

Special Requirements For Child Life Concentration

Special Requirements For Child Life Concentration

**Attention Child Life Concentration Students (if you have not taken HD 426)**

Application to the Child Life Concentration should be submitted once students have completed 60 overall credit hours and at least 12 hours of HD major courses. Students must be formally accepted into the program before they can take HD 426 Hospitalized Children and Youth and before they can be scheduled for an internship. Internships require formal application to the desired hospital or healthcare setting, and they typically need to be arranged one semester ahead of time.

Applications are reviewed to ensure students meet eligibility criteria of the concentration (3.0 major and overall GPA, successful completion of 12 HD courses, and a resume showing initiative of pre-internship experiences with children). Applications will be reviewed once a semester. In the fall, the applications will be due the first Wednesday of October. In the spring semester, the applications will be due the first Wednesday of February. In the summer, the applications will be due the third Wednesday of May.
Students will receive information regarding the committee’s decision on their application the month following each application deadline. To apply to the concentration, please complete this application. The electronic form will ask you the following:

  • Your name
  • Your CWID
  • Upload a 1 page resume
  • Upload a 1 page paper about the role of child life specialists, how you became interested in child life, and what characteristics you display that make you a good fit for the profession

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Sherwood Burns-Nader at sburns@ches.ua.edusburns@ches.ua.edu