Child Advocacy (Certificate) – Online
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Child abuse and neglect continue to be among society’s most pressing and preventable problems. For this reason, child advocates—trained professionals committed to the well-being of children—are in high demand. However, at present, many individuals working in this capacity are self-proclaimed child advocates. That is, they are dedicated to helping improve the life quality of children and families, but do not have specialized training in the complex dynamics of child abuse and neglect. Child advocacy also extends beyond protection to other domains of children’s lives, spanning multiple systems, including social welfare organizations, investigative roles, community based agencies, children and youth justice, etc. To effectively advocate in these areas, it is necessary to be culturally informed and have an understanding of the child serving systems with a multidisciplinary lens.
The Graduate Certificate offers 5 fully online courses, where students can begin their education and understanding of the field of Child Advocacy and Policy with a culturally informed and multidisciplinary lens.
Upon successful completion of the Graduate Certificate, students may transfer all 15 credits towards the Master of Arts in Child Advocacy, in accordance with all related graduate policy.
*Students seeking an F1/J1 visa are not eligible for this certificate program unless they are currently pursuing a master’s degree at Montclair State University and are able to simultaneously pursue both programs while maintaining their student visa requirements.
The Office of Graduate Admissions requires the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree in order to be eligible to apply for a graduate program. Applicants with non-U.S. degrees, please visit the International Applicants page to review the U.S. degree equivalency information.
In order to make applying for graduate school as seamless as possible for you, we have
created an application checklist. This checklist can be a reference point for you during the
application process to ensure that you have a comprehensive understanding of the steps
needed to apply, as well as all corresponding supplemental materials for your specific
program of interest.
- Application Deadline: Rolling Admission for Fall and Spring
- Submit Online Application: Please create your online account and submit your application by following the general application instructions and pay (or waive) the non-refundable $60 application fee. Once this step has been completed, the online portal will allow you to upload your supplemental materials.
The following is a list of the supplemental materials that will accompany your application for the Child Advocacy (Certificate) program:
- Transcript: One from each college attended.
- Please provide a personal statement of no more than 1,000 words, in which you answer the following questions:
- How will earning a graduate certificate in child advocacy and policy help you reach your professional goals?
- In what ways do your academic background and your professional experiences provide evidence of your potential for success in the program you selected and in your eventual career?
- Please give specific examples of relevant coursework and/or professional experience. – If your undergraduate GPA does not meet the requirements (preferred undergraduate gpa of 3.0 for MA and preferred undergraduate gpa of 2.5 for Certificate), please make sure you address why and how you plan to mitigate it.
- How do you identify regarding positions of privilege and/ or marginalization?
- How have those positions influenced your professional/ social situations?
- Serving children and families requires working with individuals of all cultures, races, ethnicities, and other diverse and varied backgrounds. Please describe your commitment to and engagement with social, racial, and/or economic justice.
- Address what, if any, challenges you have had or foresee to have, balancing work/ life/ coursework. How do you plan to address these challenges, if admitted to the program?
- What has your previous online academic experience been?
- How did you perform in it?
- How do you plan to mitigate potential future challenges in an online program?
- Applicants with non-U.S. degrees, please visit the International Applicants page to review the US degree equivalency information.
This five course, 15-credit graduate program provides a multi-disciplinary understanding of the role of the child advocate as seen through the disciplines of law, social work and psychology. Students who have earned a 3.0 GPA or higher in the certificate may apply all 15 credits toward the MA in child advocacy upon acceptance to the MA program. The Graduate certificate is available in both campus and online formats. For more information, please visit the Child Advocacy (Certificate) program listing in the University Catalog.
If you have any general questions regarding the application process and requirements, please email or call us:
Office of Graduate Admissions
Email: graduate@montclair.edu
Telephone: 973-655-5147
Fax: 973-655-7869
If you have specific inquiries regarding your program of interest, please contact the Child Advocacy (Certificate) Program Coordinator:
*During the summer months, there will be a rotating department chair available to answer your inquiry. Find the updated summer chair for this program.*
Program Coordinator: Lucy Takagi
Office: Dickson Hall
Email: takagil@montclair.edu
