CAST Curriculum

Required Courses (12 Credit Hours)

For HS Majors

• HS 3950: Perspectives on Child Maltreatment and Child Advocacy
• HS 3960: Professional and System Responses to Maltreatment
• HS 4950: Advanced Internship for Human Services Professionals or a practicum/internship course in the student’s major with preapproval from the CAST Program Coordinator/HS Program Director*

*Students in the CAST program must complete a field placement experience (i.e., internship or externship or coop) of 120 hours. Minors may use a practicum/internship course in their major provided they meet this standard and have the approval of the CAST Program Coordinator/Human Services Program Director prior to beginning the course. Prior approval is needed to ensure CAST learning outcomes are met along with the minimum number of hours. If the course is less than six (6) credit hours, then the student can make-up the additional credit hours needed for the minor by completing a second CAST elective(s).

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Elective (3 Credit Hours)

Select one of the following:

• HS 3900: Dynamics of Family Violence
• HS 3970: Global Child Advocacy
• HS 4600: Working with Children and Youth
• IPE 4413: Interprofessional Care and Collaboration
• CRJU 4430: Victimology
• PSYC 3340: The Psychology of Family Interaction: A Developmental Perspective
• PSYC 4460: Child Psychopathology

Program Total (15 Credit Hours)

*Human Services Majors may elect to take CAST as an embedded certificate program.
**Majors can take classes as elective & related studies options. 

Program Notes: 

1. HS 3300: Human Socialization or ECE 2250: Child Development and Early Learning or PSYC 2103: Introduction to Human Development or SOCI 3364: Sociology of the Family serve as the prerequisite course for HS 3950 and HS 3960. Students should complete one of these courses before declaring the minor. Students must make a “C” or better in all courses related to the minor for credit.
   
   
2. Students interested in the CAST minor should declare at the beginning of their studies, but no later than after the completion of HS 3950 or HS 3960. Students declaring the minor must also complete the program application.
   
   
3. Students selecting an elective course not on the approved list must get approval to use the course in their program of study from the CAST Coordinator or the HS Program Director prior to enrolling in the course.
   
   
4. A completed criminal background check may be required by the student’s proposed internship site. The results of the background check may prohibit placement and lead to the student not being able to complete the minor.