Child development practitioners and researchers focus on providing better ways to foster the intellectual and emotional development of children. The child learning and development major focuses on the fundamental processes of child and adolescent development within the contexts of families, schools, peer groups and larger cultural surroundings.

The degree provides undergraduate students a rigorous science-based curriculum that immerses them in the theories, findings, research methods and best practices that the scientific study of child development has to offer. Opportunities for supervised and independent research, as well as field placements that involve working with children, families, schools and social services, are provided in addition to formal schoolwork.

Careers in Child Learning and Development

The child learning and development degree prepares students for a wide range of careers in education, psychology, social work, family medicine, public health, family law and public policy.

The major is especially well-suited for students seeking elementary teacher certification. Students who elect to add teacher certification will develop a strong foundation in child development as well as accumulate clinical teaching skills and field experience.

The University’s Career Center is an important resource for students pursuing their careers. Professional career counselors are available to help clarify career goals, provide strategies for mastering job interviews and writing professional cover letters and resumes and help students connect with campus recruiters.

Child Learning and Development at UT Dallas

UT Dallas offers two undergraduate degree plans in child learning and development:

• The BS in child learning and development requires 120 hours to graduate: 42 hours from the University’s core curriculum, 36 hours of child learning and development courses and 41 hours of electives and a one-hour seminar.
• The BS in child learning and development with the EC-6 teacher certification requires a minimum of 45 additional hours of coursework that can be completed within the free elective hours.

Internships

Junior and senior child learning and development majors with at least a 2.5 GPA are eligible to receive college credit for a volunteer internship in the community.

Fast Track

The Fast-Track program enables undergraduate students to take up to 15 hours of graduate courses that will count toward both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in applied cognition and neuroscience, communication disorders, or human development and early childhood disorders. Students must have at least 90 credit hours and meet the graduate admission requirements to qualify.

The School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences is focused on the intersection of mind, brain and behavior. Through the school’s research-intensive culture, our professors and students work together to unravel mysteries that will improve human lives. They accomplish this by translating the latest research into treatments and sharing this knowledge through community outreach.

About the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences

The School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences brings together innovative research, student training and community outreach in a climate that fosters collaboration and learning.

The school’s mission is to study the biology and psychology of thought and language, development and aging, pain, social interaction and perception in both healthy adults and children and in those with illness or atypical development. Through this work, we aim to enhance the health, education and quality of life of adults and children, their families and their communities. This is accomplished with fundamental investigation of brain and behavior, and applied research in remediation and compensation, including the use of advanced technology.

Additional Facts about BBS

• Our Audiology program ranks No. 3 and Speech-Language Pathology program No. 21 in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report.
• The school is home to leading experts in psychology, neuroscience, and speech, language, and hearing.
• In fiscal year 2024, BBS faculty members were responsible for more than $30 million in research awards.
• BBS has more than 2,300 undergraduate students, over 600 graduate students, and 17,000 alumni.

Degrees Offered

Bachelor of Science: Child learning and development, cognitive science, neuroscience, psychology, speech-language and hearing sciences

Master of Science: Applied cognition and neuroscience, human development and early childhood disorders, psychology, speech-language pathology

Doctor of Philosophy: Cognition and neuroscience, psychology, speech-language and hearing sciences

Doctor of Audiology: Audiology

Research Centers

In addition to the many research opportunities in faculty labs, students also can gain valuable experience through the school’s six affiliated centers committed to research, treatment and outreach.

• Callier Center for Communication Disorders — BBS’ Callier Center focuses on the causes, prevention, assessment and treatment of communication disorders. Callier’s two locations, in downtown Dallas and on the UT Dallas Richardson campus, house sophisticated clinical and neuroscience facilities for research. The center provides excellent opportunities to study a broad range of communication disorders, including outpatient clinics for people with speech, language and hearing disorders, as well as infant and preschool programs serving hearing, hearing-impaired and language-impaired children.
• Center for Advanced Pain Studies — The Center for Advanced Pain Studies researches the fundamental mechanisms underlying chronic pain and migraine, seeking novel therapeutics via cross-disciplinary investigations. Their areas of expertise include neuroscience, pharmacology, molecular biology, bioengineering and chemistry. The center will advance discoveries, translate findings, and foster the next generation of multidisciplinary scientists through research leadership, entrepreneurship and innovation with the goal of creating new, non-opioid pain therapies.
• Center for BrainHealth — Located in downtown Dallas, the Center for BrainHealth is focused on understanding, protecting and healing the human brain. The center works through research programs to understand the brain’s ability to restore or protect healthy brain function, protect the brain from unnecessary mental decline, and heal the brain through treatments that regenerate brain function. A key part of the center is the Brain Performance Institute, which provides scientifically validated programs and assessments that enhance individual brain performance and health.
• Center for Children and Families — Housed in BBS’ facilities on the Richardson campus, the Center for Children and Families is focused on all aspects of child development from birth through adolescence. The center promotes optimal child development by enhancing research, practice and outreach. CCF offers an array of clinical and community outreach activities organized around three initiatives: parenting healthy families, strengthening interpersonal relationships and enhancing learning and thinking.
• Center for Vital Longevity — Located in downtown Dallas, the Center for Vital Longevity is focused on understanding and expanding the capacity of the aging mind. Center researchers use cutting-edge brain imaging technologies and advances in cognitive science to understand how the brain changes from young to old adulthood, the consequences of neural aging for everyday function and what interventions show promise for slowing cognitive aging.
• Texas Biomedical Device Center — The Texas Biomedical Device Center consists of scientists, engineers, medical doctors, regulatory specialists and clinicians committed to the development of affordable and innovative therapies to improve the quality of life for individuals suffering from neurological disorders. Center researchers are developing new medical devices to detect and treat these disorders by harnessing the brain’s natural ability to adapt and reorganize.

View a complete list of the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences research labs.