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Master's Program in Child, Youth, Family & Community Studies 

The renewal of our Master's Program was approved at all levels of governance at UVic and the MA Program was relaunched as the Master's Program in Child, Youth, Family & Community Studies in the fall of 2022.

Here is an overview of the MA Program, including program outcomes, requirements, courses, and course schedule:

Program Name

In alignment with the renewal of program and the community-engaged scholarship of many of our faculty, the name of our MA program is now Child, Youth, Family and Community Studies. This new name more accurately reflects the scope of our program, the expertise of our faculty, and the type of research and practice undertaken by our students. It recognizes that our program situates children and youth as inextricable from their families and communities. The name of our undergraduate program and academic unit will remain unchanged.

Admissions Requirements

The program aims to accept a larger and more diverse annual cohort than in the past. There is a greater emphasis on relevant work and life experiences in the admissions process, and our admission requirements include a minimum of 2 years (3,000 hours) relevant human services experience concurrent with/after an undergraduate degree, with two supporting professional references and a resume/CV outlining the experience.

Please note that our application window is shorter this year. Our online admission portal opens on September 1, 2023 for September 2024 entry and closes on NOVEMBER 30, 2023. Please see our APPLY page for instructions on how to apply and more detailed application information.

Program Outcomes

By the end of the MA program, graduates will be able to demonstrate:

1. Knowledge of decolonial, critical and justice-oriented approaches to research, practice and leadership in diverse local, national and global contexts for the purposes of promoting child, youth, family and community well-being.
2. Respect for and commitment to the wellbeing, resurgence and self-determination of Indigenous nations globally, with responsibilities to local First Peoples.
3. Ethical, strengths-based, relational approaches to working with diverse children, youth, families and communities, and ability to respond to intersecting forms of historical and ongoing structural and systemic exclusion based on race, gender, sexuality, class, ability, and citizenship, among others.
4. Capacity for responsive and collaborative leadership, advocacy, activism and systems-level change in preparation for leadership roles in diverse human service sectors that serve children, youth and families (including organizations, government, private, not-for-profit, community, other).
5. Knowledge and application of diverse research methods, methodologies and knowledge mobilization approaches that reflect multiple contexts, knowledges and research paradigms.

Program Requirements

• Courses - Six required core courses (see list below)
• Practicum - 1.5 unit/200 hour required practicum course
• Thesis or Applied Research Project
• No required electives

Courses