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Pacific Oaks College    
2024-2025 Academic Catalog and Student Handbook with Spring Addendum 
    
 
  Dec 22, 2024
 
2024-2025 Academic Catalog and Student Handbook with Spring Addendum

Bachelor of Arts in Human Development


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Locations: Pasadena, Online, and off-campus locations (availability of off-campus locations depends on enrollment) 

Total Credit Hours Required: 120 

Maximum Allowable Transfer Credits: 87 

Program Admissions Requirements: Program-specific admissions requirements can be found here: Admissions Policies 

Tuition and Fees: Tuition and fees for the College and individual programs can be found here: Financial Aid and Student Accounts Policies 

Number of Admit Terms per Year 

Pasadena: 3 

  • Fall 
  • Spring 
  • Summer 

Online: 6 

  • Fall Sessions I & II 
  • Spring Sessions I & II 
  • Summer Sessions I & II 

Program Overview

The Bachelor of Arts degree program in Human Development focuses on youth, adolescents, adults, older adults and their families and the social contexts in which development and growth takes place. Students gain foundational knowledge and appreciation for the varied arcs of development across the continuum from typical to atypical. Each domain of study is grounded in respect for the time, space, and socio-political context in which development occurs. Students are immersed in a multi-disciplinary curriculum through coursework aimed at developing a holistic lens of empowerment, equity, and social justice.  Attaining applied experience is critical for students committed to and engaged in their communities.

Field experiences at an approved site are part of the program.

Concentrations are additional areas of focus that are designed to immerse students in a more specific area of the developmental process. Some concentrations are available only in Pasadena.

Program Learning Outcomes (PLO)

Development: Students comprehend and analyze developmental and ecological theories impacting Human Development.

Diversity: Students value diversity, demonstrate commitment to social justice, equity, and inclusion. They are able to identify and analyze the dynamics of institutional and individual biases and the use of power.

Communication: Students implement and analyze individual, dyadic and group communications for efficacy, clarity, appropriate audience reception, authenticity, and experience of empowerment for self and others.

Research: Students are able to distinguish between observations and theory in published research. Students create original research, present their findings, and link their research with existing literature in the field.

Praxis: Students develop a philosophy of learning reflective of developmental theories guided by observation and grounded in a lens of equity and multiculturalism. Students evaluate these actions based on results and their impact on other persons, groups, and systems (ethics, values, principles, and empowerment). Students learn to incorporate developmentally and culturally appropriate practice with individuals and systems. Praxis will involve activities such as practica, fieldwork or student teaching.

Program-Specific Requirements

Credit Requirements

40 credits in General Education

18 credits in Human Development

12 credits in the selected concentration

50 elective Credits

120 total credits

This is a year-round program, including enrollment in summer. On-ground attendance includes fall and spring 16-week semesters and a 12-week summer semester. Online attendance includes two 8-week terms in fall and spring, and two 6-week terms in summer.  

A full-time student entering with 0 credits and successfully completing 12 credits per semester would have a time-to-completion of ten semesters, which is equivalent to 3 1/3 years, or 40 months.  

Fieldwork Requirements

Fieldwork is a required component of the program. Fieldwork includes study and learning that consists of practical and applied activities completed outside of the classroom or typical learning environment. Each student is required to engage in 45 hours of service at an approved fieldwork or internship site during the semester enrolled in the fieldwork course.

Residence requirement

All credits earned in courses offered by Pacific Oaks College are considered PO residence hours, regardless of whether the courses are taken on-line, on-ground, at instructional sites or at off-campus cohort locations. Credits earned from institutions other than Pacific Oaks College are considered non-resident credits. All students must complete a minimum of 30 residence hours to complete the program.

Graduation Requirements

To be eligible to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Development, students must successfully complete the following:

  • The approved program consisting of at least 30 credits completed in residency at Pacific Oaks; and
  • A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 in all coursework attempted at the College.

Students must submit the Petition for Degree Completion and fee to the Office of the Registrar during the semester before they anticipate completing their degree requirements. Students must also settle all outstanding fees with the Student Accounts Office, satisfy any deficiencies, and be in good standing in their program for the bachelor’s degree to be awarded.
 

General Education Requirements


Introduction


The General Education (GE) program at Pacific Oaks is an important part of undergraduate education. A well-planned General Education program of study will provide students with the skills they will need to excel in whatever disciplines they choose to pursue. 

GE courses may only be used to complete one GE category.  GE requirements may also be completed by Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) or college transfer credit. Please refer to the Transfer Credit Policy on PLA and transfer equivalencies.

To complete the General Education program requirements, each student must complete courses in the six categories listed below. All GE courses must be completed with a grade of C or better.

Courses


General Education (40 credits required) 

Pacific Oaks Culture and Pedagogy (3 credits required)


English Communication (9 credits required)


At least one course each in English Composition and Oral Communication

Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning (3 credits required)


Arts and Humanities (9 credits required)


At least one course from each:

Social and Behavioral Sciences (9 credits required)


At least one course from Social Science and one course from Behavioral Science:

Physical and Biological Sciences (7 credits required)


At least one course from Physical Science and one course from Biological Science:

Core Curriculum


Areas of Concentration


Students in the BA Human Development program must select a concentration as part of their course of study.  Limited concentrations are available online and in off-campus cohorts. All concentrations are offered in Pasadena.

Child Development

Lifespan Development

Social Change

Each concentration has its own specific requirements which are outlined below.

Early Childhood Education and Development Concentration


This concentration is designed for those who wish to increase their understanding of young children and enhance their skills in working with this age group. Courses focus on the mastery and implementation of child-centered curricula, working with diversity in early childhood classrooms, and understanding the importance of social and cultural context to a child’s development. The program is tailored towards candidates who have taken foundational coursework in Early Childhood Education or a related field or have prior experience working with children.

Working with Adults Concentration


This concentration is designed for those who wish to increase their understanding of adults across the lifespan and enhance their skills in working with this group. Courses focus on the mastery and implementation of adult-centered curricula, working with diversity in varied adult environments, and understanding the importance of social and cultural context to adults’ existential experience across the lifespan.

Requirements


Complete all core courses and nine (9) credits from the following electives in addition to three (3) credits from any other concentration:

Active Learning Across the Lifespan Concentration


This concentration is designed for those who wish to gain a holistic perspective of human development and identify those factors that influence learning across the lifespan. Coursework focuses on different phases of the lifespan, from birth to the later years, and also addresses issues spanning across multiple life stages.This concentration is designed for students who wish to work in integrated, cross-generational settings, including family and community advocacy, and those who want to work with children, adolescents, adults, or the elderly.

Requirements


Complete all core courses and nine (9) credits from the following electives in addition to three (3) credits from any other concentration:

Social Change Concentration


This concentration is for individuals who wish to acquire the skills to create large-scale social change. The belief explored in this course of study is that one’s own personal growth and the act of evoking positive social change are interconnected processes, particularly during national or global stress. Students in this concentration will learn how to collaboratively design and implement change in an organization, school, or community and in society at large by making processes more participatory.

Storytelling, dreaming, the arts, grant- writing, action research, the use of budgets and timelines, and autonomous community building are among the methods and mediums employed.

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