Family-Professional Collaboration Certificate
Program Website: https://www.towson.edu/cla/departments/familystudies/grad/family-professional-certificate/
Program Director: Amanda Ginter
Phone: 410-704-2032
Email: aginter@towson.edu
The Post-Baccalaureate Certificate program in Family-Professional Collaboration is an interdisciplinary graduate program that is designed to enhance the education and subsequent practice of professionals working in school, health, and community settings. A focus on family-professional relationships has evolved into an important area of competency for educators, related school personnel, and practitioners in health care and community agencies. The courses within the program prepare individuals for applying principles of family-based practice in their own professional work. Individuals already employed in disciplines such as psychology, sociology, education, and health care will advance their knowledge of and research skills in family-related areas of study. This program is especially beneficial for professionals who need to enhance skills related to implementing public laws and policies that mandate actively involving families in developing education and health care plans for children with special needs.
The interdisciplinary design of the program allows students to benefit from a carefully designed sequence of study that uses case study research, needs assessment, and program development to understand and enhance collaboration with families in the community.
The curriculum design is intended to work with existing master’s degree programs. Many graduate programs are well-suited to integrate the graduate certificate in Family-Professional Collaboration within their 9 units of electives. The certificate may also be earned as a stand-alone for those not wishing to pursue a master’s degree. This program can be completed in one to two years.
Admission Requirements
Application deadlines and a full listing of materials required for admission can be found on the website.
Certificate Requirements
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| FMST 601 | APPLIED FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS | 3 |
| FMST 610 | FAMILY-PROFESSIONAL COLLABORATION | 3 |
| FMST 615 | APPLIED RESEARCH METHODS IN FAMILY SCIENCE 1 | 3 |
| FMST 620 | PROJECT IN FAMILY FOCUSED PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT | 3 |
| 500-700-level Elective 2 | 3 | |
| Total Units | 15 | |
- 1
Other courses must be approved by the program director.
- 2
Course must be approved by the program director.
There are multiple TU master's and doctoral programs that may be well-suited to integrate the graduate certificate coursework in Family-Professional Collaboration with some additional course work or within the program's electives to earn both the master's/doctoral degree and the PBC. Please reach out to the graduate program director if you have questions.
- Participate in ethnographic interviews to understand family relationship and world views and to recognize objective and subjective information from a variety of sources.
- As part of a collaborative team, conduct action research to understand and identify ways to enhance family/professional relationships (University Core Learning Outcome #3).