Susan Curnan, Concentration Chair

The Child, Youth and Family (CYF) Policy concentration prepares graduates for a wide variety of leadership roles in organizations that foster the healthy development of children, youth, and families. CYF students acquire technical skills through rigorous preparation in core management concepts, tools, and applications for use in government, nonprofit and private-sector organizations. The curriculum combines theory and practice to ensure that graduates bring scholarly knowledge to bear on real-world problems.

Students in the concentration benefit from access to the Institute for Child, Youth, and Family Policy, a research institute engaging in both quantitative and qualitative research studies of children and families as well as the social policies that directly affect their well-being, and the Center for Youth and Communities, which works to improve the quality of education, workforce development, and community systems in order to prepare young people for college, work, and life.

Course Requirements

• The full spectrum of MPP core courses
• The following specialized courses:
  • HS 334a, Child and Family Policy: U.S. and Cross-Cultural Perspectives
  • HS 511b, Contemporary Issues in the Management of Child, Youth, and Family Services
• Additional course(s) selected from the following list in consultation with a faculty advisor:
  • HS 217f, Eli J. Segal Seminar in Citizen Leadership
  • HS 312f, National and International Perspectives on Youth Policies and Programs
  • HS 320f, The American Gay Rights Movement: Social Justice and Social Policy
  • HS 324f, Social Experimentation in Child, Youth and Family Policymaking
  • HS 335f, Perspectives on Youth Policy, Program Management, and Systems Design
  • HS 534b, Assets and Social Policy
  • ED 155b, Education and Social Policy