BS in Education & Human Development
At BU Wheelock, we are dedicated to transforming systems (educational, social, health-related, legal, and economic) that create equitable outcomes for children and families. The BS in Education & Human Development is designed for students who want to work directly with or on behalf of children and families. Its exploratory design and field-based learning experiences allow students the time and space to immerse themselves in interdisciplinary coursework in education and human development before selecting a specialization prior to their junior year.
Human development is an applied form of developmental psychology focused on how people grow, develop, and adapt to life’s stages from birth through old age. Students will learn about child, adolescent, and adult development by studying and applying theories of cognitive, social, emotional, physical, and cultural development. They will also consider sociological perspectives of human development and the impact of ecological systems on development.
Students will be introduced to a range of potential careers including those as educators, mental health counselors, youth justice advocates, Deaf education support specialists, child policy analysts and researchers, and educational designers and social entrepreneurs. Students interested in pursuing teacher licensure or earning a license in school or mental health counseling are encouraged to speak with their academic advisors early about their interest and pursue a related specialization prior to their junior year. They also may be eligible for preferred admission into one of our several master’s degree licensure programs and bachelor’s-to-master’s sequential degrees.
Learning Outcomes
Students will:
- Develop disciplinary knowledge of historical and contemporary theories, research, and practices in education and applied developmental psychology.
- Apply an ecological model of development to children and families by considering their psychological, social, emotional, physical, cognitive, and cultural needs.
- Develop policy recommendations for complicated, real-world problems facing youth and families in Boston, in neighboring communities, and beyond.
- Design and implement a community-based research project within the city of Boston that has a positive impact on a school, health organization, neighborhood, museum, or community-based organization.
- Build knowledge and develop anti-oppressive practices to disrupt unequal systems of power, privilege, and access for children and families through coursework focused on self (positionality, intersectionality).
- Use design-based thinking and learning principles to help create effective solutions to social problems that affect children and families.
- Represent BU Wheelock’s equity and access mission when working with or on behalf of children and families in field-based learning experiences and research-related internships.
- Study the history, language, education, and culture of the Deaf community in the United States.
Academic Requirements
Students must successfully complete the below series of core courses and signature courses, select a specialization, and fulfill their BU Hub requirements to complete the 128-unit Bachelor of Science in Education & Human Development at BU Wheelock.
All BU undergraduate students, including both entering first-year and transfer students, will pursue coursework in the BU Hub, the University’s general education program that is integrated into the entire undergraduate experience. BU Hub requirements can be satisfied in a number of ways, including coursework in and beyond the major as well as through cocurricular activities. Students majoring in Education & Human Development will ordinarily, through coursework in the major, satisfy some BU Hub requirements in Philosophical, Aesthetic, and Historical Interpretation; Scientific and Social Inquiry; Diversity, Civic Engagement, and Global Citizenship; Communication; and the Intellectual Toolkit. Remaining BU Hub requirements will be satisfied by selecting from a wide range of available courses outside the major or, in some cases, cocurricular experiences.
Core Courses (28 units)
- WED CE 142 Anti-Oppressive Practice: Education & Applied Psychology (4 units)
- WED ED 140 An Interdisciplinary Approach to Professions in Education & Human Development (4 units)
- WED ED 220 Language Development in Education and Society (4 units)
- WED ED 230 Introduction to Design as Educational Inquiry (4 units)
- WED ED 431 Child Policy (4 units)
- WED HD 136 Introduction to Human Development (4 units)
- WED HD 265 Social Science Research for Community Impact (4 units)
Signature Courses (8 units)
Select 8 units:
- WED DE 300 Introduction to the Deaf World (4 units)
- WED ED 200 Introduction to Justice Based Education (4 units)
- WED ED 300 Learning as a Cultural Process (4 units)
- WED YJ 360 Positive Youth Development (4 units)
Specialization Declaration Process
Prior to the start of their junior year, all students must submit the Specialization Declaration Form, processed through Data & Enrollment Management to identify which of the following required specializations they will focus on in their studies:
Specializations:
Child & Adolescent Mental Health (26 units)
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
- WED CE 500 Introduction to Counseling (4 units)
- WED CF 510 Child & Adolescent Mental Health (4 units)
- WED CL 210 Child & Family Health Systems (4 units)
- WED HD 224 Emotional Development (4 units)
- WED HD 385 Psychological Trauma (4 units)
- Field-Based Practicum Experience:
- WED HD 410 Practicum in Child & Adolescent Mental Health (4 units)
- WED HD 415 Capstone in Child & Adolescent Mental Health (2 units)
Deaf Studies & Deaf Education (26 units)
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 term “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 pursue a one-year EdM in Deaf Education or dual teaching licensure in a one-year EdM should discuss the possibility with their academic advisor early.
Required Courses
- WED DE 381 ASL 1 (4 units)
- WED DE 382 ASL 2 (4 units)
- WED DE 383 ASL 3 (4 units)
- WED DE 384 ASL 4 (4 units)
- Select 8 units from:
- WED DE 350 History and Culture of the Deaf (4 units)
- WED DE 351 Deaf Literature and Visual Arts (4 units)
- WED DE 385 Academic ASL (2 units)
- WED DE 386 Academic ASL (2 units)
- WED DE 503 ASL/English Instructional Methods: Content Areas (4 units)
- WED DE 504 ASL/English Instructional Methods: Literacy (4 units)
- WED DE 507 Dynamics of Diversity & Oppression, and Social Justice within Deaf Communities (4 units)
- WED DE 533 Social Psychology & the Deaf World (4 units)
- WED DE 534 Sign Language Structure (4 units)
- Culminating Experience (select 2 units):
- WED DE 352 Capstone in Deaf Studies (2 units)
- WED DE 561 Pre-Practicum: Initial Strategies (2 units)
Educational Design for Transformative Social Futures (24 units)
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
Select 12 units from below or other courses with the consent of the advisor:
-
- WED ED 310 Critical Making/Creative Inquiry (4 units)
- WED ED 315 Gamifying Learning (4 units)
- WED ED 320 Critical Media Literacy (4 units)
- WED ED 330 Advanced Seminar: Ethical Foundations of Educational Design (4 units)
- Field-Based Practicum Experience:
- WED ED 415 Practicum 1: Educational Design (2 units)
- WED ED 416 Seminar 1: Educational Design (2 units)
- WED ED 417 Practicum 2: Educational Design (2 units)
- WED ED 418 Capstone: Designing in Collaboration with Field-Based Sites (2 units)
Teaching & Learning (26 units)
The Teaching & Learning specialization 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 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
- WED ED 331 Approaches to Learning (4 units)
- WED ED 405 Designing Learning Experiences (4 units)
- WED ED 406 Family and Community Engagement (4 units)
- WED SE 250 Disability, Education & Public Policy (4 units)
- Select 4 units from:
- WED EC 507 Role of Play in Early Childhood Education (4 units)
- WED ED 350 Sense-Making in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (4 units)
- WED ED 507 Global Citizenship in Education (4 units)
- WED LR 551 Reading Development, Assessment, and Instruction (4 units)
- Field-Based Experience:
- WED ED 480 Field Experience in Teaching & Learning (4 units)
- WED ED 495 Capstone in Teaching & Learning (2 units)
Youth Development & Justice (24 units)
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 roles 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
- WED YJ 201 Intro to Youth Justice & Delinquency (4 units)
- Select 8 units from:
- WED HD 384 Restorative Justice in Youth-Serving Settings (4 units)
- WED YJ 301 Juvenile Courts and Juvenile Law (4 units)
- WED YJ 380 Youthwork & Advocacy (4 units)
- Field-Based Practicum Experience:
- WED YJ 401 Practicum in Youth Development & Justice (4 units)
- WED YJ 403 Capstone in Youth Development & Justice (4 units)
- WED YJ 404 Practicum Seminar for Youth Development & Justice (4 units)
