• Description of Program
• Degree Requirements
• Special Opportunities
• Careers

Description of Program

The Youth Development major prepares students for the professional delivery of services which focus on the infant, child, and adolescent across all ability levels and within both family and community contexts. Required courses build a strong foundation to serve youth through integration of key professional topics including: professionalism, cultural and human diversity, applied human development, relationships and communication, and program development.

Degree Requirements

This is a four-year program leading to a Bachelor of Science in Applied Health Science degree with a major in Youth Development. Graduation requirements include:

• completion of general education requirements.
• completion of youth development major requirements.
• a minimum of 120 successfully completed credit hours which count toward the degree program.
• a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA.
• a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA in courses used to complete the portion of this degree entitled: youth development core. 
• No Pass/Fail except for free electives.

General Education (20–39 credits)

All undergraduate students must complete the IU Bloomington campus-wide general education common ground requirements. Such students must visit the 2021-2022 General Education Bulletin to view these requirements.

Major (76 cr.)

Youth Development Core (49 cr.)
A minimum grade of C– is required in each professional core course.
Complete the following courses:

• SPH-B 150 Introduction to Public Health (3 cr.) +S&H
• SPH-F 150 Introduction to Life Span Development (3 cr.) +S&H
• SPH-F 180 Survey of Practice with Youth and Families (3 cr.)
• SPH-F 255 Human Sexuality (3 cr.)  +S&H
• SPH-F 330 Leadership Theory and Practice in Youth Development (3 cr.)
• SPH-F 345 Parent Child Relations (3 cr.)
• SPH-F 347 Human Development II—Middle Childhood through Adolescence (3 cr.)
• SPH-F 410 Positive Youth Development (3 cr.)
• SPH-F 417 African American and Latino Families (3 cr.)
• SPH-F 430 Professional Preparation in Human Development and Family Studies (3 cr.)
• SPH-F 458 Family Law and Policy (3 cr.)
• SPH-F 497 Internship in Human Development and Family Studies (6 cr.)
• SPH-H 160 First Aid and Emergency Care (3 cr.)
• SPH-H 494 Research and Evaluation Methods in Health and Safety (3 cr.)
• SPH-L 102 Participant Leadership Development (1 cr.)
• SPH-N 220 Nutrition for Health (3 cr.)

Additional Required Courses (27 cr.)
A minimum grade of C- is required in each additional major course.
Complete the following courses:

• Computer Literacy: SPH-K 200 Microcomputer Applications in Kinesiology (3 cr.) or BUS-K 201 The Computer in Business (3 cr.) or CSCI-A 110 Introduction to Computers and Computing (3 cr.) +N&M
• CJUS-P 375 American Juvenile Justice System (3 cr.)
• SOC-S 100 Introduction to Sociology (3 cr.) +S&H or SOC-S 101 Social Problems and Policies (3 cr.) +S&H
• SOC-S 316 The Family (3 cr.)
• SPH-H 263 Personal Health (3 cr.) +S&H
• SPH-Q 381 Introduction to Biostatistics (3 cr.) or equivalent statistics course
• SPH-R 210 Inclusion in Recreation, Parks, and Tourism (3 cr.)
• SPH-R 230 Recreational Sports Programming (3 cr.)
• SPH-R 431 Youth Sport Management (3 cr.)

Suggested Youth Development Courses for the First-Year Student
Fall Semester
IUB GenEd English Composition (3 cr.)
SPH-F 180 Survey of Practice with Youth and Families (3 cr.)
SPH-H 263 Personal Health (3 cr.)
IUB GenEd Arts and Humanities (3 cr.)
Free Elective (3 cr.)

Spring Semester
IUB GenEd Math Modeling (3-4 cr.)
SPH-B 150 Introduction to Public Health (3 cr.)
SPH-F 150 Intro to Life Span Development (3 cr.)
SPH-L 102 Personal Leadership Development (1 cr.)
SPH-F 255 Human Sexuality (3 cr.)
Free Elective (3 cr.)

Special Opportunities

Students participate in required internships with faculty supervision and are encouraged to engage in a variety of youth-serving settings.

Students also have access to a career class, the SPH-B Office of Career Services, leadership development student organizations, clubs, individual research with faculty members, and involvement in service and professional organizations.

Careers

Graduates are equipped to work in a wide variety of youth-serving agencies including: hospitals, schools, group homes, non-profit organizations, juvenile justice systems, public health agencies, and community youth services, and afterschool programs. The Youth Development degree was designed to complement efforts to provide high-quality professionals who are prepared to maintain credentials at both state and national level. The youth development curriculum also provides a strong base of theoretical and practical knowledge which serves students who may pursue advanced degrees in public health, criminal justice, social work, physical therapy, and medicine.