Earn Your Online Child and Family Studies Degree at Southern Miss!

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Child & Family Studies BS

Undergraduate

Are you passionate about having a career that promotes a better quality of life for all families? The fully online Child and Family Studies Degree (BS) – emphasizing child development – prepares students to work with children and their families in educational, institutional, and human service settings. Our online child and family studies degree graduates are qualified to obtain a license to teach Pre-K and Kindergarten. Course work focuses on a family systems perspective and highlights developmental observations.

With this American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences accredited online child and family studies degree, students have the opportunity to earn a degree without having to come to campus. Let The University of Southern Mississippi help you get the degree you need to become a Child and Family professional. This is your life, plus college.

Looking for a graduate degree? Check out our fully online Child and Family Studies MS here!

General Education Curriculum
Written Communication (6 hours)
Course Credits
Composition One
3 hrs.
Composition Two
3 hrs.
Natural Science (8-10 hours minimum)

Select 2 courses with labs:

Course Credits
Biology and Society *
3 hrs.
Principles of Biological Science I *
3 hrs.
Principles of Biological Science II *
3 hrs.
Chemistry and Our Environment *
3 hrs.
General Physics I *
3 hrs.
General Physics II *
3 hrs.
Humanities
Course Credits
World Literature
3 hrs.

Select 2 courses, 1 history required:

Course Credits
World Civilizations: Beginnings to 150 C.E.
3 hrs.
World Civilizations: 1500 to the present
3 hrs.
Introduction to Philosophy
3 hrs.
Ethic and Good Living
3 hrs.
Comparative Religion
3 hrs.
Aesthetic Values (3 hours)

Select 1 course:

Course Credits
Art Appreciation
3 hrs.
Dance Appreciation
3 hrs.
The Enjoyment of Music
3 hrs.
Social and Behavioral Sciences (6 hours)

Select 2 courses:

Course Credits
The Human Experience: A Global Perspective of Human Diversity
3 hrs.
Basic Economics
3 hrs.
World Geography: Dynamics of a Changing Earth
3 hrs.
American Government
3 hrs.
General Psychology
3 hrs.
Understanding Society: Principles of Sociology
3 hrs.
Mathematics (3 hours)
Course Credits
Quantitative Reasoning
3 hrs.
College Algebra
3 hrs.
High-level MAT course
3 hrs.
Writing-Intensive Requirement (Major Area)
Course Credits
Family Life Education
3 hrs.

ENG 101 & ENG 102 prerequisites

Speaking Intensive Requirement (3 hours)

Select 1 course:

Course Credits
Oral Communication
3 hrs.
Capstone Requirement (Major Area)
Course Credits
Contemporary Issues Affecting the Quality of Life
3 hrs.
Program Curriculum
Major Area of Study Requirements (55 hours)

Minimum grade of “C” required in all Major Area of Study courses.

Course Credits
Child Development
3 hrs.
Advanced Child Development
3 hrs.
Behavior and Guidance of the Young Child
3 hrs.
Infant Development
3 hrs.
Developmental Disabilities in Early Childhood
3 hrs.
Social and Professional Development
3 hrs.
Personal Development and Interpersonal Relationship
3 hrs.
Introduction to Child and Family Studies
3 hrs.
Children, Families, and Technology
3 hrs.
Marital and Family Relationships
3 hrs.
Families and Adolescents
3 hrs.
Family Life Education
3 hrs.
Personal and Family Financial Management
3 hrs.
Sexuality in the Family System
3 hrs.
Parenthood
3 hrs.
The Family in Later Life
3 hrs.
Family Theories
3 hrs.
Contemporary Issues Affecting the Quality of Life
3 hrs.
Practicum
3 hrs.
Additional Requirements (18 hours)
Course Credits
General Psychology
3 hrs.
Principles and Processes of Case Management
3 hrs.
Abnormal Psychology
3 hrs.

Select 1 course:

Course Credits
Drugs and the Whole Person
3 hrs.
Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Intervention
3 hrs.

Select 3 courses:

Course Credits
Administration of Child and Family Programs
3 hrs.
Professional Presence and Influence
3 hrs.
Introduction to Marriage and Family Therapy
3 hrs.
Special Problems in Family and Consumer Sciences
3 hrs.
Counseling Theory and Practice
3 hrs.
Multicultural Counseling
3 hrs.
Public Education in the United States
3 hrs.
Forensic Psychology
3 hrs.
Additional Note

Please note that the above information is meant to be a guide and is not official. For further information regarding courses for this degree, see the University Bulletin. Please be aware that not all course choices listed in the University Bulletin are available online. However, sufficient online options are available to complete this degree.

* Requires additional 1 hour lab
Frequently Asked Questions
Can this program be completed fully online?

All CFS courses are offered online and other courses, if not offered online by The University of Southern Mississippi, can be taken through the Mississippi Virtual Community College while enrolled at Southern Miss for Southern Miss credit. You will not need to come to the Southern Miss campus for the online child and family studies degree.

The Office of Admissions will provide information for the steps you’ll need to complete in order to be admitted to The University of Southern Mississippi.

124 hours are needed to graduate with a BS in Child and Family Studies with an emphasis in Child Development. At least 50 percent of the hours applied to a degree at The University of Southern Mississippi must be earned from a senior college, and 45 of these hours must be in courses numbered 300 or above. The student must earn at least 21 of the last 30 hours of course work and at least 12 hours in the major area of study from Southern Miss. See Residence Hour Requirements for more information.

To find pricing information, click here. For financial aid information, click here. For detailed tuition information, click here.

Follow this link and choose the term that applies to view the costs associated with part-time enrollment for the online child and family studies degree.

You should NOT be charged out-of-state fees, because the online child and family studies degree students are considered in-residence.

Yes, there are fees around $75 for the online child and family studies degree.

Visit the site for more information: http://www.usm.edu/financialaid

Other classes that are not listed may count towards your degree once your transcript has been evaluated and posted.

Admission Requirements

FRESHMAN ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS  

Students planning to enter the university as freshmen must complete the College Preparatory Curriculum (CPC) listed below and submit a composite ACT or combined SAT (verbal/quantitative) score. Please note that the writing components of the ACT and SAT are not used in evaluation for admission. Full admission will be granted to the following:  

  1. All students completing the College Preparatory Curriculum (CPC) with a minimum of a 3.2 high school GPA on the CPC and a submitted ACT (composite) or SAT score
  2. All students completing the College Preparatory Curriculum (CPC) with a minimum of a 2.5 high school GPA on the CPC or a class rank in the top 50 percent, as well as a score of 16 or higher on the ACT (composite) or a combined score of *770 or higher in critical reading and math on the SAT
  3. All students completing the College Preparatory Curriculum (CPC) with a minimum of 2.0 high school GPA on the CPC and a score of 18 or higher on the ACT (composite) or a combined score of *860 or higher in critical reading and math on the SAT
  4. Students who satisfy the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) standards for student-athletes who are full qualifiers under Division I guidelines

*Based on any SAT taken before March 2016  

The University of Southern Mississippi accepts scores from both the old SAT (any SAT taken before March 2016) and the newly redesigned SAT. If you have taken the SAT after March 1, 2016, use College Board’s SAT Score Converter to compare your SAT scores to old SAT scores.  

TRANSFER ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS  

A transfer applicant can be admitted to Southern Miss through several different routes. Please note that admission to some academic programs may require students to meet additional requirements.  

ADMISSION THROUGH TRADITIONAL TRANSFER REQUIREMENTS  

Students must have either an associate degree intended for transfer from a regionally accredited institution or have completed the 30 semester hours of designated coursework outlined below with a minimum 2.0 cumulative grade point average for admission.  

  • 6 semester hours of English Composition (English Composition I and II)  
  • 3 semester hours of mathematics (college algebra, quantitative reasoning, or higher mathematics)  
  • 6 semester hours of natural science (courses must be laboratory-based, with the lecture courses accompanied by the respective lab course)  
  • 9 semester hours of humanities and fine arts (common examples of acceptable coursework are history, philosophy, religion, world literature, art, music)  
  • 6 semester hours of social or behavioral sciences (common examples of acceptable coursework are anthropology, geography, sociology, psychology, social work)  

ADMISSION THROUGH FRESHMAN REQUIREMENTS  

Students must meet freshman admission requirements and have earned a minimum 2.0 cumulative college grade point average for admission. Please note that transfer students admitted through this route must submit transcripts from all colleges/universities attended after high school and that transfer credits will be applied toward their degree at Southern Miss.  

CONDITIONAL ADMISSION THROUGH ADULT STATUS  

An applicant who is at least 21 years old and does not meet any other admission requirements may apply for admission as a non-degree-seeking student, which is commonly referred to as the conditional status. Students seeking admission through this route must have a minimum cumulative college grade point average of 2.0. Students with this status may enroll in no more than 12 semester hours and must a minimum 2.0 grade point average during the first 12 hours of enrollment at the university. Once these requirements are satisfactorily met, all restrictions are lifted and the student is considered degree-seeking. Students admitted on this status may experience financial aid restrictions, including Pell Grant ineligibility. Once conditional status requirements are satisfied, all financial aid restrictions will be lifted.  

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