Youth Development

The Master of Arts in Youth Development is a collaborative, multi-institutional program offered totally online. This degree is designed to promote an understanding of communities and families and to prepare students to have an impact on the development of youth in their homes, neighborhoods, and society. American youth born since the early 1980s are projected to be the largest, most ethnically diverse generation of adolescents in the history of the United States, and this program is designed to address that demographic shift.

The curriculum is focused on the promotion of positive development of all young people. It is designed for individuals who wish to work in a variety of youth-related professions, including youth-serving organizations and programs such as Boys and Girls Clubs, community recreation specialties, youth programs sponsored by faith-based institutions, correctional professions, or within U.S. Extension Programs.

The College of Social Science, in collaboration with Innovative Digital Education Alliance (IDEA), offers this program with all course work delivered via the Internet/World Wide Web by faculty from multiple land-grant universities: Michigan State University, University of Missouri, North Dakota State University, Texas Tech University and the University of Nebraska.