Master of Arts in
Child Life

Criteria

To be eligible to apply for this program, applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

• Hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
• Have completed all academic coursework required by the Association for Child Life Professionals (ACLP) for certification eligibility. A full list of required courses is available on the ACLP website here.

Provisional admission:
Applicants who have completed most, but not all, ACLP-required coursework may be considered for provisional admission.

Provisionally admitted students must complete any remaining ACLP academic requirements prior to progressing fully in the program.

Applicants who have not yet completed the required ACLP coursework should apply through EWU’s Post-Baccalaureate pathway to complete the necessary academic preparation before entering the MA program.

If you’re unsure whether your coursework meets ACLP requirements, we encourage you to complete the ACLP Eligibility Assessment or reach out to the Program Director for guidance.

Application Components

As part of the application process, applicants will be asked to complete the following:

• Request official transcripts from every institution where college credit was earned. Transcripts should be sent electronically to Eastern Washington University.
• Upload a current résumé outlining relevant academic, volunteer, and professional experiences.
• Provide the contact information for one certified child life specialist and one academic reference who can provide a letter of recommendation on your behalf.
• Submit a cover letter (1–2 pages) describing:
  your interest in the EWU Child Life MA program,
  your professional goals related to child life, and
  how this advanced program aligns with your background and career trajectory.
• Provide contact information for two references, including:
  1. one Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS), and
  2. one academic reference,
     who can each submit a letter of recommendation on your behalf.
• Upload an essay (300–500 words) responding to the following prompt:
  “What is your child life philosophy? Provide an example of how your philosophy has influenced an interaction you have had with a child in a hospital or pediatric healthcare setting.”
• Complete and upload results from the ACLP Eligibility Assessment.
  This assessment is required to verify that you have completed (or are completing) the 10 academic courses required by the Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP) prior to beginning the graduate program.
  The ACLP Eligibility Assessment is completed directly through the ACLP website here.
  allows you to self-report completed coursework, and
  generates a summary confirming whether academic requirements have been met.

Instructions and access to the assessment can be found here:
www.childlife.org/certification/become-certified/eligibility-assessment

Applicants should upload their completed eligibility assessment results to the application portal. If you have questions about the eligibility assessment or are unsure whether your coursework meets ACLP requirements, we encourage you to reach out before submitting your application.

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