STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Tarleton State University’s Child Development and Family Studies program has been approved as a Certification in Family Life Education program by the National Council on Family Relations, the country’s oldest nonprofit, nonpartisan, multidisciplinary professional association focused solely on family research, practice and education.

“The National Council on Family Relations has an esteemed 86-year history of supporting and promoting the discipline of family science across the nation by holding academic programs to rigorous standards to continually improve the field,” said Dr. Kristina Higgins, division Director and Associate Professor for Child Development and Family Studies. 

“Program approval from NCFR will help Tarleton’s Family Life Education program gain national recognition within the discipline of family science as well as allow our students to graduate with the opportunity to apply for their Certification in Family Life Education.”

Tarleton launched the Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences in child development and family studies in fall 2018. The BS program is designed for students who want to work with children and families outside the public school setting and offers three concentrations: Family Life Education, Early Childhood Education and Child Life. 

They will be added to the BAAS in fall 2024. One hundred sixty-nine undergraduates are enrolled in the program this spring, with 24 in the Family Life Education concentration.

The program is fully online. To learn more, visit https://www.tarleton.edu/degrees/child-development-and-family-studies-bs/.Founded in 1938, the NCFR includes members from more than 35 countries and all 50 U.S. states who work in research, college teaching and pedagogy, program development, family life education, counseling and human services. Approximately 125 college and university family science degree programs in the U.S. and Canada use NCFR Family Life Education curriculum standards as guidelines for their undergraduate and graduate students.

A founding member of The Texas A&M System, Tarleton State University is breaking records — in enrollment, research, scholarship, athletics, philanthropy and engagement — while transforming the lives of approximately 18,000 students in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Bryan and online. For 125 years, Tarleton State has been committed to accessible higher education opportunities for all while helping students grow academically, socially and professionally through programs that emphasize real world learning and address regional, state and national needs.