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An online master’s degree in youth development from MU can help you provide youth with positive opportunities to learn and grow. This program is rooted in the principles and practices of positive youth development, which are dedicated to helping youth thrive now and into adulthood. If you want to gain the knowledge and skills to create, facilitate and evaluate programs promoting healthy youth development, this may be the degree for you. Graduates of this program are well-equipped as evidence-informed youth practitioners and program administrators.
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Quick facts
Official name
Master of arts in human development and family science with an emphasis in youth developmentCampus
Program type
Master's degreeAcademic home
College of Education & Human Development | Department of Human Development and Family ScienceDelivery mode
100% onlineAccreditation
Higher Learning CommissionCredit hours
36Estimated cost
$21,600.00*This cost is for illustrative purposes only. Your hours and costs will differ, depending on your transfer hours, your course choices and your academic progress. See more about tuition and financial aid.
Career prospects
This degree may help you qualify for positions in
- 4-H
- Local and national afterschool programs (e.g., Boys and Girls Clubs)
- Foster care programs and transition services
- Juvenile justice programs
- Faith-based youth groups
- Non-profit organizations
Program structure
Delivery of this program is 100 percent online: no campus visits are required.
Courses are semester-based and offered by multiple universities taking part in the Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance. Depending on which university is teaching your course that semester, your courses may have different start and finish dates.
Students typically take two classes each semester and finish in two to three years. Students are able to customize their program of study by choosing elective courses and a final capstone option that meet their professional goals.
Course work includes
- Principles and practices of the positive youth development approach
- Normative pathways of adolescent and emerging adult development
- Understanding the influence of families and communities as settings for youth development
- Examining the influence of localized and public policy on youth outcomes
- Key aspects of managing youth programs and working with key youth stakeholders (e.g., volunteers, boards, etc.)
- Utilizing evidence to design, implement and evaluate the efficacy of youth programs
Delivery
100% onlineCalendar system
Semester-basedTypical program length
2 or 3 yearsTypical course load
2 classes per semesterAccreditation
The University of Missouri is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States.
Great Plains IDEA
Great Plains IDEA is a consortium of 19 universities offering fully online graduate programs and courses in agriculture disciplines. Students apply to and are admitted by one university, enroll in all of their courses through that university and graduate from that university. However, the online courses are taught by faculty in the discipline from several universities.
Learn more about Great Plains IDEA.
Faculty spotlight
Melissa Herzog is the academic advisor for all students admitted to the University of Missouri's youth development graduate program. Dr. Herzog teaches the foundations of positive youth development and adolescents and their families courses. As an academic advisor, she has an open-door policy to support individual program planning and mentors all master's student capstone projects in the program. She is currently co-principal investigator of a federally-funded, statewide relationship education program for single adults across Missouri where she oversees evaluation and quality improvement. She has previously worked on social competence intervention development, teacher training and program evaluation for middle school youth on the autism spectrum.
For questions about the youth development graduate program and how it fits your personal and professional goals, reach out to Dr. Melissa Herzog.