Certificate

Parent Education Post-baccalaureate Certificate

The program is designed to prepare professionals to plan, coordinate and teach parent education programs and services for families with children from early childhood through adolescence. In addition to working in educational settings (including public school parent education programs, preschools, child care centers, and Head Start programs) certified parent educators may also work in health care, social-service agencies and institutions and faith-based settings.

The certificate DOES NOT meet eligibility requirements for working in Minnesota’s Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) program. This program is designed specifically for those outside of Minnesota, or for those living in Minnesota who do not plan to work in ECFE.

Students should, in consultation with their advisor, fill out a program checklist to ensure that all requirements will be met. An overall GPA of 2.8 or higher is required with a grade of "C" or higher earned in all required parent and family education courses in order to maintain good standing in the program.

Coursework (15-18 credits) 

Prerequisite – Child Development (3 credits)--CPSY 5301 or CPSY 5261 recommended 

FSoS 5937 – Parent-Child Interaction

FSoS 5942 – Diverse Family Experiences 

FSoS 5945 – Teaching and Learning in Parent Education 

FSoS 5944 – Curricular Design in Parent Education

FSoS 5946 – Assessment and Evaluation in Parent Education   

Optional: FSoS 5949 – Student Teaching in Parent Education 

See Course Planning tab for additional information 

Prerequisite Coursework

Completion of three semester-credits in child development is a prerequisite of the parent education certificate program. Students may be provisionally admitted to the program without meeting this prerequisite. Those students must complete the child development requirement prior to the beginning of student teaching.

Student Teaching (optional)

Students pursuing a certificate in parent education may complete a student teaching placement. Students should review the Student Teaching section for further details. 

Final Steps for the Parent Education Certificate

Contact famed@umn.edu during the last semester of coursework to verify/confirm completion of the Parent Education Certificate requirements.