Parent Education

Certificate program

Program

The parent education certificate program is designed to prepare professionals to plan, coordinate, and teach parent education programs and services for families with children from early childhood through adolescence.

The 16-credit program prepares professionals who are well qualified to deliver programs designed to address the intellectual, emotional, cultural, social, and physical needs of parents and children. In addition to educational settings that may include public-school parent education programs, preschools, child care centers, and Head Start programs, parent educators may also work in health care and social-service agencies and institutions, and faith-based settings.

Certificate courses are offered online. Online coursework is designed to meet the needs of local and distance learners in Minnesota, around the country and the world.

Students participate in live online chat sessions and weekly reflections with their course instructors. They interview parents, read the latest research, and view presentations by University of Minnesota faculty and noted experts in the field.

The capstone course (CI 5949—Student Teaching in Parent Education) allows students to teach and interact with parents in a parent education setting under the supervision of a licensed or highly qualified parent educator approved by core faculty. This individualized student teaching allows each program participant to integrate and apply what they have learned to parent education experiences, preparing them for professional work in the field.

Students must complete the parent education program within four years, beginning with the first completed course, and maintain a 2.80 overall grade point average (GPA).

In Minnesota, a parent educator license is required for employment in ECFE (early childhood family education) programs offered by public school districts. For more information on the College’s parent and family education licensure program, go to the FYC program Web site.

Curriculum

Students must complete the following courses totaling 16 graduate semester credits:

CI 5932—Introduction to Parent Education (1 cr)
CI 5937—Parent-Child Interaction (3 cr)(to be available online fall 2008)
CI 5942—Everyday Experiences of Families (2 cr)
CI 5943—Parent Learning and Development: Implications for Parent Education (2 cr)
CI 5944—Parent Education Curriculum (2 cr)
CI 5945—Teaching and Learning in Parent Education (2 cr)
CI 5946—Assessment and Evaluation in Parent Education (2 cr)
CI 5949—Student Teaching in Parent Education (2 cr)

Note: CI 5943-CI 5949 must be taken in the sequence listed. CI 5932, CI 5937, and CI 5942 can be taken in any sequence.

Note: Course descriptions are available on the Web. For course schedules, refer to the University of Minnesota Class Schedule.

How to apply

Prerequisites for admission

Prospective students must:

Hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited U.S. institution or foreign equivalent with a 2.80 or higher grade point average (GPA).
Complete the equivalent of six semester undergraduate or graduate credits in child development courses before entering the parent education certificate program, completed within 10 years of admission to the certificate program. If these credits have not been completed at the time of application, the applicant may be admitted conditionally until they are completed and recorded on a transcript. The following CEHD courses are examples of child development courses that may meet this requirement:

CPSY 4302—Infant Development

CPSY 4331—Social and Personality Development

CPSY 4343—Cognitive Development

Applicants may be asked to submit syllabi of child development courses they have taken to determine that they include the content required to meet this prerequisite.
Have a score of at least 213 on the computer-based TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) if the student’s primary language is other than English. A minimum score of 550 is required on the paper-based TOEFL.

Applications

Applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis and may be submitted at any time.

Certificate application [.pdf; download and complete]
This application and the items listed below should be submitted to:

Certificate Admissions
CEHD Student Services
110 Wulling Hall
86 Pleasant Street S.E.
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Fax: 612-626-1580

A one-page personal statement describing professional qualifications, interest in the field of parent and family education, and how applicants expect to apply knowledge gained through the certificate program to their professional work
A current résumé of educational and professional experience
College or university transcript(s) that verify completion of six undergraduate or graduate credits in child development

Registration

Currently admitted degree seeking, certificate seeking, or non-degree seeking students may register online for coursework at the University’s One Stop student services Web site.

Students who want to begin certificate coursework before admission to a University of Minnesota degree or certificate program should complete a CEHD First-Time Registration for Non-Degree Seeking Students packet. You can download the packet or request a printed copy by contacting CEHD Student Services, 110 Wulling Hall, 86 Pleasant Street S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55455; 612-625-6501; e-mail: cehdgrad@umn.edu.

For questions about registration, contact CEHD Student Services at 612-625-5815.

Tuition/Financial Aid

Certificate tuition and other fees vary, depending on a student’s enrollment status and residency. Tuition fees are charged according to the following criteria:

Students seeking the certificate only pay the CEHD departmental master’s (M.Ed.) tuition rate
Students enrolled in certificate and master of education (M.Ed.) programs pay the CEHD departmental master’s tuition rate
Students enrolled in Graduate School programs (e.g., M.A., Ph.D., Ed.D.) pay Graduate School tuition rates.

For current tuition rates and additional fees, see the College’s tuition and fees page. Tuition rates are determined annually by the University of Minnesota Board of Regents before fall semester. Students may be billed for additional fees at the time of registration.

Financial aid advising and information are available from the University’s One Stop Student Services center, 200 Fraser Hall, 106 Pleasant Street S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55455; 612-624-1111; e-mail: helpingu@umn.edu.

Residents of Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Manitoba may be eligible for special tuition reciprocity rates comparable to Minnesota resident rates. Information about tuition reciprocity is available at the University’s Office of Admissions Web site.

For graduate assistantship/scholarship information (for students enrolled in graduate degree programs), contact the Graduate Assistant Employment office, 200 Donhowe (for mail) or 100 Donhowe (for walk in), Minneapolis, MN 55455; 612-624-7070; fax: 612-625-9801.