Young child playing with legos with markers and coloring sheet on table
  • Program Type
    Major
  • Degrees Offered
    B.A., B.S.
  • School
    Liffrig Family School of Education and Behavioral Sciences

Gain the professional and personal skills you need to positively impact the lives of children and families.

What You'll Learn

Colleges of Distinction Education Seal

In child development studies, you’ll develop an essential understanding of human and child development. You’ll work closely with an advisor to create an interdisciplinary course of study suitable for your personal and professional goals that complements our core set of early childhood and development courses. The program pairs well with majors and minors in liberal arts, business, behavioral sciences, and health-related fields.

Learn How to Collaborate Effectively

You’ll cultivate the knowledge and skills to collaborate with a variety of different agencies to support the development of a child.

Strengthen Critical Thinking and Communication Skills

You’ll think critically about and clearly communicate critical components of child development and child development studies.

Grow Professionally and Personally

Gain skills for both professional and personal growth in a curriculum firmly grounded in Christian, Catholic, and Benedictine values.

Program Information

Please visit our catalog for admission requirements and a full list of our courses.

Careers & Outcomes

Employment Trends

Child development studies prepares students for a variety of career paths — from education and pre-school childcare to graduate study. Because the major can be tailored to your interests and professional goals, your child development studies degree is an asset for entering and advancing in a wide variety of fields.

Career Paths

  • Educator
  • Childcare Provider
  • Entrepreneur 
  • Nonprofit Manager
  • Guidance Counselor
  • Family Services Provider  

Featured Faculty

Tina Ding, MEd

Assistant Professor of Education, Director of Early Childhood Education, Director of Child Development Studies

For most of my life, I was drawn to teaching and serving others. This was evident through the jobs I took, starting with babysitting to working as a preschool paraprofessional, teacher, assistant director, and director of childcare centers in both North Dakota and Minnesota. I knew education was my passion and life-long career. My first public school teaching experience was in a departmentalized fifth-grade teaching setting. Later, I pursued my graduate degree in early childhood special education, allowing me to teach preschool special education; and, most recently, teaching kindergarten for Mandan Public Schools.

Take Your Next Step in Child Development Studies