The specialization in Youth Development & Justice is designed to prepare students to become leaders and professionals ready to work for and with youth in a wide range of settings. Using a positive youth development foundation, students will gain a thorough understanding of the conditions and circumstances that place youth at risk, as well as those that help youth thrive. Students will be prepared to work for and with young people through jobs in fields such as law, policy, politics, education, after-school time, recreation, and sports. Students will explore the challenges facing young people from multiple perspectives, analyzing the role of individuals, families, communities, and broader societal trends. Students will consider the US legal system as it relates to youth and the role of balanced and restorative justice practices in youth-serving systems such as schools and courts. With a firm grounding in adolescent development and the strengths-based practice of positive youth development, the goals of this specialization are to prepare students to: 1) understand and support youth at risk, and 2) cultivate the positive development and growth of all young people.

Required Courses:

• SED YJ 201 Intro to Youth Justice & Delinquency (4 cr)
• Choose 2 of:
  • SED HD 384 Restorative Justice in Youth-Serving Settings (4 cr)
  • SED YJ 301 Juvenile Courts and Juvenile Law (4 cr)
  • SED YJ 380 Youthwork & Advocacy (4 cr)
• Field-Based Practicum Experience:
  • SED YJ 401 200-Hour Practicum (4 cr)
  • SED YJ 404 Practice Seminar for Youth Justice & Advocacy (4 cr)
• SED YJ 403 Senior Integrative Capstone in YJA (4 cr)

The specialization in Child & Adolescent Mental Health provides students with an understanding of child and adolescent emotional and behavioral health and well-being. Students will gain knowledge in mental health, illness, diagnosis, and evidence-based treatment, as well as biological, psychological, and social factors that affect young people’s well-being. Further, students will critically examine the historical, cultural, and systemic contexts of mental healthcare, through both in-class and field-based courses. As an undergraduate specialization, it does not lead to licensure; however, it is optimal preparation for graduate programs in counseling or clinical psychology, school counseling, school psychology, social work, child life, behavioral health, or related fields.

Required Courses:

• SED CE 500 Introduction to Counseling (4 cr)
• SED CF 510 Child & Adolescent Mental Health (4 cr)
• SED CL 210 Child & Family Health Systems (4 cr)
• SED HD 224 Emotional Development (4 cr)
• SED HD 385 Psychological Trauma (4 cr)
• Field-Based Practicum Experience:
  • SED HD 410 200-Hour Practicum (4 cr)
• SED HD 415 Practicum/Capstone Seminar (2 cr)

The specialization in Deaf Studies offers an immersive cultural and linguistic experience right here in Boston. Students will engage with Deaf communities, develop an appreciation for Deaf culture, and gain an understanding of the histories of Deaf communities around the globe. By embedding themselves in Deaf culture, students will learn how to communicate and build relationships with people who may be different from themselves. Through partnerships with Deaf people, students will gain important skills in communication, advocacy, and allyship. Starting with introductory ASL courses, students will build fluency in ASL during their time in the Deaf Studies program. All of the specialization courses are taught in ASL, with ASL-English interpreters as needed. In their junior year, students will have the opportunity to deepen their cultural immersion by taking a semester “abroad” at Gallaudet University—the only university for Deaf students in the world—in Washington, D.C. The Deaf Studies program is a highly interdisciplinary liberal arts program that draws from psychology, linguistics, film and communication, speech language hearing sciences, medicine, and more. It prepares students to work with Deaf people across a broad range of careers including interpreting, research, social work, medicine, law, and more. 

Students who wish to become licensed teachers in Deaf education are highly recommended to also complete the Pre-Deaf Education minor and discuss the possibility of pursuing an EdM in Deaf Education with their academic advisor early.

Required Courses:

• Select 4 credits from the following advanced ASL courses:
  • SED DE 384 ASL IV (4 cr) 
  • SED DE 385 Academic ASL (2 cr)
  • SED DE 386 Applied ASL (2 cr)
• Select 12 credits from the following courses:
  • SED DE 340 Dynamics of Diversity & Oppression, and Social Justice within Deaf Communities (4 cr) 
  • SED DE 350 History and Culture of the Deaf (4 cr)
  • SED DE 351 Deaf Literature and Visual Arts (4 cr) 
  • SED DE 372 Social Psychology & the Deaf World (4 cr) 
  • SED DE 472 Sign Language Structure (4 cr) 
• Field-Based Practicum Experience: 
  • SED DE 354 Field Experience: Deaf Studies (4 cr)
• SED DE 352 Capstone—Deaf Studies (4 cr) 

The Educational Design for Transformative Social Futures specialization is designed for undergraduates who are interested in becoming creative, innovative designers who collaborate with communities, families, youth, and educators to transform education across a range of settings. Grounded in critical commitments to diversity, equity, and justice, the specialization takes a transdisciplinary approach to learning, integrating critical theory, collective engagement in practices of making and designing, community and field apprenticeships, social media discussion forums, and design-centered research projects. Combining creative and critical modes of inquiry, the specialization prepares students to be designers who think expansively, grapple with complexity, integrate theory and practice, question and disrupt structures of inequality in education and society, and foster justice and dignity. Students will: a) develop knowledge of approaches to design as well as how to build with and beyond existing approaches to address complex challenges in education and social life more broadly, and b) learn to work in ethically responsible relationships of collaboration to cultivate spaces for social connectedness, critical insight, and expansive learning and thriving.

Required Courses:

• • SED ED 310 Critical Making/Creative Inquiry (4 cr)
  • SED ED 315 Gamifying Learning (4 cr)  
  • SED ED 320 Critical Media Literacy (4 cr)
  • Field-Based Practicum Experience:
    • SED ED 413 Practicum I (2 cr)
    • SED ED 414 Seminar I (2 cr) 
    • SED ED 415 Practicum II (2 cr) 
    • SED ED 416 Seminar II (2 cr) 
    • SED ED 417 Practicum III (2 cr) 
  • SED ED 418 Capstone: Designing in Collaboration with Field-Based Sites (2 cr)

The Teaching & Learning pathway is designed for students who are interested in developing an understanding of the processes of teaching and learning with a focus on children and youth, the contexts where those processes occur, and the role that education can play in creating and supporting equity in society. Through this specialization, we will prepare potential educators to develop into reflective practitioners who recognize the important work educators in both traditional and nontraditional settings can do to contribute to more than just schooling experiences for children and youth, as well as those interested in how to analyze the policies that have implications for access, equity, and justice in education. Students will select one of the three tracks below: Childhood Education for Diverse & Exceptional Learners, Global Citizenship & Education, and STEM Learning, Action & Impact.

Students interested in pursuing a teaching license are encouraged to speak with their academic advisor early about their interest. While the BS in Education & Human Development does not lead to a license at the undergraduate level, faculty and staff will guide you to determine the best routes to educator licensure at the master’s level appropriate for your interest. 

Required Courses:

• SED ED 205 Designing Learning Experiences (4 cr) 
• SED ED 206 Family and Community Engagement (4 cr) 
• SED ED 213 Approaches to Learning (4 cr)
• SED SE 250 Disability, Education & Public Policy (4 cr)

Select among one of three possible tracks:

Teaching & Learning Track Option: Childhood Education for Diverse & Exceptional Learners (26 credits)

The Childhood Education for Diverse & Exceptional Learners track builds on students’ knowledge acquired through the core courses and field experiences by focusing on the role that teaching can play in facilitating and maximizing development and learning for all students, including those with disabilities. Central to this track’s mission is a focus on developing educators who are prepared to work in traditional and nontraditional settings where the diversity of students’ ideas and perspectives are valued resources in the construction of meaning.

An emphasis will be placed on developing students’ understanding of how racism, sexism, ableism, and other systems of discrimination and oppression interfere with the development and learning of children in early childhood, elementary, and special education settings. The program emphasizes the importance of developing and implementing an inclusive curriculum, as well as using antiracist teaching approaches that promote equity.

Students will learn through coursework and field experiences in area schools where they can observe high-quality teaching in action. Additionally, students will complete a capstone project designed in consultation with their academic advisor. Students can tailor this project to their professional interests. We hope to create leaders in the field who strive to make changes in their communities.

Students will pursue a course sequence in consultation with their faculty advisor that is either exploratory or that leads to licensure at the master’s degree level in early childhood, elementary, or special education. In some cases, it may be possible to pursue more than one licensure.

Required Courses:

• Choose 1 of:
  • SED EC 507 Role of Play in Early Childhood Education (4 cr) 
  • SED LR 551 Reading Development, Assessment, and Instruction (4 cr) 
• Field-Based Experience (Choose 1 of):
  • SED ED 470 Field Experience in Early Childhood Education (4 cr)
  • SED ED 471 Field Experience in Elementary Education (4 cr)
  • SED ED 472 Field Experience in Special Education (4 cr)
• SED ED 490 Capstone in Childhood Education (2 cr)

Teaching & Learning Focus Option: Global Citizenship & Education (28 credits)

The Global Citizenship & Education pathway is designed for students interested in exploring what it means to be a global citizen. Its curriculum focuses on the teaching of social studies, world languages, English, and English as second language. Through this program, prospective educators will learn to become reflective practitioners who are committed to working in urban, rural, and suburban schools and with diverse student populations. Our program emphasizes teaching through inquiry, designing and implementing an inclusive curriculum, and teaching for equity. Students will have the opportunity to work in area schools and classrooms and be required to complete a capstone project that demonstrates their competency in curriculum design and pedagogy, as well as their general knowledge of social studies education, and global language engagement. This focus is designed to create leaders in the field who strive to make positive change in their communities.

Required Courses:

• SED ED 507 Global Citizenship in Education (4 cr)
• SED SO 520 Project Citizen: Promoting Civic Engagement (2 cr)
• Field-Based Experience (Choose 1 of):
  • SED ED 473 Field Experience in Social Studies Education (4 cr)
  • SED ED 474 Field Experience in World Language Education (4 cr)
  • SED ED 475 Field Experience in English Education (4 cr)
  • SED ED 476 Field Experience in English as Second Language (4 cr)
• SED ED 491 Capstone in Global Citizenship in Education (2 cr)

Teaching & Learning Track Option: STEM Learning, Action & Impact (26 credits)

In this track, students will understand how the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) play a role in individual lives, communities, and careers. This area of focus emphasizes sense-making through the STEM fields with a particular focus on recognizing the role of mathematical and scientific sense-making in the human lifespan and in our engagement in the world. Students will engage in critical thinking with and about science, engineering, and mathematical practices and develop skills in problem-solving, sense-making, and understanding data. They will develop the dispositions of attending to and supporting the sense-making of others. Students will have the opportunity to learn about what STEM has to offer by exploring different fields and potential careers through collaborations with partners inside and outside of BU Wheelock. Students will be expected to complete a capstone portfolio that demonstrates their competency in these areas. 

Required Courses:

• SED ED 350 Sense-Making in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (4 cr)
• Field-Based Experience (Choose 1 of):
  • SED ED 477 Field Experience in Mathematics Education (4 cr)
  • SED ED 478 Field Experience in Science Education (4 cr)
• SED ED 492 Capstone in STEM Education (2 cr)