Master of Science in Child Life

Bridges of Hope is an organization offering grief and bereavement support for children, teens and families. Our students are involved in designing and implementing the programming for Bridges' Shannon’s Hope Camp, an overnight camp for children who have experienced the loss of a loved one. Our students also independently facilitate Sand Dollar Club, a 12 week in-school bereavement program for children and adolescents.

Camp Rise Above provides camp experiences for children and young adults who are facing serious illnesses, life challenges and disabilities. Our students have the opportunity to serve as camp counselors during the summer sessions. Additionally, they help facilitate activities and programming throughout the year at Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital.

The Lonon Foundation serves children affected by a parent or caregiver's cancer diagnosis. Through this partnership, our students have the opportunity to assist at monthly events as part of the UPLIFT program. These events provide children the opportunity to engage in fun and healthy activities while building relationships with peers who are experiencing similar circumstances.

Camp Happy Days provides year-round programming for children and teens diagnosed with cancer and their families. Our students are involved in helping facilitate summer camp and additional events throughout the year such as Pediatric Cancer Awareness Day. Camp Happy Days includes siblings and parents in programming which allows our student to engage with the family as a whole.

Our program provides educational and community-based experiences to best prepare students for the competitive process of internship selection. Internships are required to qualify to sit for the ACLP certification exam and for graduation.

MSCL students have completed internships at the following hospitals:

• AdventHealth for Children
• Children’s of Alabama
• Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
• Children’s Hospital Colorado
• Children’s Hospital of Greenville Health System
• Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
• Children’s Medical Center Dallas
• Children’s National Health System
• East Tennessee Children’s Hospital
• Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida
• Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital
• The Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital
• The Johns Hopkins Hospital
• Levine Children's Hospital
• Massachusetts General Hospital
• MUSC Health Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital
• Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt
• Nicklaus Children's Hospital
• NorthShore University HealthSystem
• Norton Children’s Hospital
• Prisma Health Children's Hospital-Upstate (Greenville)
• Prisma Health Children's Hospital-Midlands (Columbia)
• Seattle Children’s Hospital
• St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital
• Texas Children’s Hospital
• University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital
• UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
• Wolfson Children’s Hospital of Jacksonville

Join a network of successful child life specialists who have graduated from our program! Our goal is for students to feel confident and competent in their graduate education and applied skills. Our graduates have been successful in passing the ACLP certification exam on their first attempt and securing positions as Certified Child Life Specialists.

MSCL graduates work or have worked at the following institutions:

• Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children
• Camp Happy Days
• Children's Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock
• Children's Hospital of Georgia: Augusta University Health
• Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
• Children's Medical Center Dallas
• Children's Hospital of Greenville Health System
• Cohen Children’s Medical Center
• Dayton Children's Hospital
• Driscoll Children's Hospital
• Levine Children's Hospital
• The Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital
• MUSC Health Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital
• Mission Children's Hospital
• NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital
• Prisma Health Children’s Hospital
• Seattle Children's Hospital
• Texas Children's Hospital
• University of Virginia Children's Hospital
• UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh

• September 1: Application period begins. 
• January 15: Application deadline. All application materials and support documents must be received by this date. 

You should request recommendations from academic sources well before the application deadline. Notify recommenders to expect an email from the Graduate School with instructions for submitting references. 

You should begin compiling volunteer experience forms and personal resume into a single PDF file before the application deadline. 

• Bachelor’s Degree: Must be from an accredited college or university with a minimum GPA of 2.75 overall.
• Transcripts: Unofficial transcripts are accepted for the application process; however, official transcripts are required upon admission.
• Three Letters of Recommendation: Two must be from academic sources. In the online application portal, applicants provide names and email addresses of their recommenders, who then receive instructions for submission. Recommendations should be submitted before the January 15th deadline.
• Volunteer and Work Experience: A minimum of 100 hours of documented volunteer experience with children and adolescents, preferably including some hospital settings. Additional hours are encouraged. A personal resume highlighting the applicant's background and experiences must also be included, compiled into a single PDF along with the volunteer experience forms.
• Personal Statement: This should detail the applicant's interest in the child life field, preparation for graduate study, and career goals.
• TOEFL Scores: Required if the applicant's primary language is not English, with minimum scores of 20 in writing, 23 in speaking, 17 in listening, and 21 in reading.

Application Review and Interviews 

After the January deadline, all completed applications are reviewed by the Graduate School Admissions Committee for the MSCL program. Select applicants will be invited for interviews. 

If you have any questions during the application process, feel free to contact the program for assistance.

Coursework Requirements:

• At least one course in infant, child, and adolescent development (ages 0-18).
• 15 credit hours in related areas, including:
  • Multicultural child and family issues
  • Childhood medical conditions
  • Health communication
  • Medical terminology
  • Developmental psychology
  • Health psychology and/or child life theory
• Additional recommended courses:
  • Medical ethics
  • Anatomy and physiology
  • Note: A course in child development is mandatory. If the course title does not specifically indicate "Child Development," a syllabus may be required to verify content coverage.
• Academic Requirements:
  • A recommended GPA of at least 3.0 in the final 60 hours of undergraduate coursework and/or a GPA of 3.0 in a major related to child life (e.g., family studies, psychology, sociology, therapeutic recreation). A related major is recommended but not required if the applicant has completed the necessary prerequisite coursework.

Application Questions

When are applications due?

Applications are accepted from September 1 through January 15 each year. All application material and support documents need to be received by the January 15 deadline. To apply, please visit the Graduate School web page by clicking on the 'Apply to the College' link on the left side of this page. The application is in an electronic format. There is only one application to complete for the program, and it is administered through the Graduate School. 

What types of classes do you count toward the prerequisite requirements?

You can find a list of required and recommended classes here. The admissions committee will evaluate all coursework. Please contact us with any questions you may have regarding coursework completed at your university. If you are unsure if a course will be accepted or meets the requirements, it is recommended that you keep a copy of the syllabus for the course. The admissions committee may ask for a course description or syllabus to determine if the course meets the admissions requirements. This is especially true for courses related to child development but not specifically titled "child development."

Can I still apply to the programs for the fall if I do not graduate until the spring of that year?

Yes. Students must be graduated by the time the MSCL program begins in fall. However, students are welcome to apply prior to graduating. In this case, an unofficial transcript should be submitted with the application, but a final official university transcript must be submitted following graduation and prior to beginning the program. At the present time, we do not allow for deferral of acceptance. 

Cohort-Specific Questions

How many students do you accept?

Each year, we accept a cohort of approximately 10 students. Our model is one of close mentorship and supervision to best meet the academic needs and professional readiness of our students.

Can I enter the program as a part-time student?

No. The MSCL program is a full-time, on-campus program. Only students accepted into the MSCL program are permitted to enroll in our courses. Students will not be allowed to complete the program on a part-time basis. Classes are subject to be scheduled during morning, afternoon, or evening time slots. With the exception of the internship capstone class, no online classes are offered. 

Do I have to complete a specific undergraduate major to apply to your program?

No. Students from many different undergraduate majors are eligible to apply to our program. However, students must meet the specific academic prerequisites. 

What is the timeline of the program?

The program takes 2 years to complete. 

When can I begin the program?

The program follows a cohort model in which students enter the program in the fall and progress through the two-year program as a group. Therefore, students are only accepted for the upcoming fall semester and cannot begin the program in the spring.

Experience and Internship Questions

What types of experiences can I count toward the 100 hours of required volunteer experience?

All volunteer experiences must be unpaid and involve direct hands-on work with children and/or their families. Experiences to consider include: volunteering within a hospital-based child life department, volunteering at day or overnight camps serving children with various medical conditions or those that specialize in bereavement, volunteering at a child development center, and/or volunteering with traditional day or overnight camp populations. You do not need to complete all 100 hours with the same organization, and can combine experiences from multiple organizations to meet the minimum 100 hours of volunteer experience. In a competitive applicant pool, volunteer hours in a child life setting are particularly valued by the admission's committee.

Will I be able to complete my internship in Charleston?

Most likely, your internship will not be in Charleston. Students in our program are required to apply to least 15 internship programs, which necessitates applying to programs outside of Charleston and outside of South Carolina. Although you may choose to apply to the internship program at the Medical University of South Carolina, this is separate from our master degree program. We encourage diversity in training and encourage our students to complete their internships in diverse settings. Please note that based on personal preference, the competitive nature of the internship selection process, and the limited number of intern positions within any hospital, there is a high likelihood that you will need to temporarily relocate to complete your child life internship.