Child and Adolescent Development

Child and Adolescent Development AA-T

The Associate in Arts in Child and Adolescent Development for transfer degree is designed to provide students a seamless transfer to the California state university system. The degree is designed to prepare students for baccalaureate degree in Child Development.

The West Hills College Child Development Program offers a comprehensive background in the field of child adolescent growth and development. Program emphasis includes information directed at working with culturally diverse families, working with children ages 10 – 18 years in an elementary school setting, and creating and teaching developmentally appropriate environments for adolescence. Students will be offered information and skills for future employment in primary and secondary school systems.

This program is intended for students planning to transfer to a California State University to pursue elementary teaching, social services, and counseling.

Program student learning outcomes:

  1. Students will implement knowledge of the characteristics of children, birth through adolescence, and the multiple influences on their development as related to the high-quality care of children.
  2. Students will apply the theories and concepts related to children, birth through adolescence, in the learning environment.
  3. Students will analyze and evaluate theories, concepts, and moral questions related to children from birth through adolescence.

Students must meet the following requirements to qualify for an Associates for Transfer Degree (ADT):

  • Complete 60 semester units or 90 quarter units that are eligible for transfer to the California State University (CSU), including both of the following:
    • The Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) or the California State University General Education (CSU GE) Breadth Requirements
    • A minimum of 18 semester units or 27 quarter units in a major or area of emphasis, as determined by the community college district.
  • Obtain a minimum grade point average of 2.0
  • Minimum grade of “C” (or “P”) for each course in the major, and

Completion of the IGETC and/or CSU GE-Breadth

Career and employment information may be obtained through:

Course # Title Units
Required Core Courses (10 Units)
CD 005 Child Development 3
PSYCH 001 Introductory Psychology 3
MATH 025 Introduction to Statistics 4
Pluse 9 units from the courses listed below:
BIO 010 Fundamentals of Biology 3
or BIO 015 Biology for Education 3
CD 002 Teaching in a Diverse Society 3
CD 010 Child, Family and Society 3
CD 012A Principles & Practices of Early Childhood Education 3
PSYCH 003 Developmental Psychology 3
SOC 001 Introduction to Sociology 3
SOC 003 Marriage and Family Relations 3
Total Major Units 19
Units to be double-counted as General Education 12-18
CSU GE Breadth or IGETC Units 37-39
Transferable Elective Units 14-20
Total 60