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Minor in Youth Services

Rex R. Campbell, Coordinator
Department of Rural Sociology
in cooperation with:

Department of Human Development and Family Studies, School of Social Work
Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism*
4-H and Youth Development, University Extension

Undergraduate students from any college, school or academic unit at MU may select the minor in Youth Services. Students with an interest in youth services and education outside the formal classroom are ideal candidates. The minor can prepare students for careers with organizations such as 4-H, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Boys and Girls Clubs and YMCAs, as well as entities such as city governments, parks, recreation centers, and after-school programs.

The demand for academically prepared and qualified youth work professionals is increasing. Collectively, the fifty member organizations of the National Collaboration for Youth serve more than 40 million young people and employ over 100,000 paid staff supervising more than six million volunteers.

*Any person taking this minor may not take the minor in Parks Recreation and Tourism. A person completing a College of Business degree may not take any minor including this minor.

What does a minor in Youth Services offer?

Students who select the minor will complete courses from six domains. The minor is interdisciplinary and complements a variety of undergraduate majors. Recognized standards for youth development professionals were used to create the minor. For information on the standards, see National 4-H.

How do students apply?

• Apply for the minor as soon as possible in the undergraduate program. Submit the form, which is available from academic advisers.
• Students from College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, College of Human Environmental Sciences, and School of Social Work should submit the form to their academic adviser. Students from other colleges or schools should submit the form to 226 Gentry Hall, Rural Sociology Department.
• A student may consult with faculty in any one of the academic units listed for information.

How is the minor awarded?

• The minor is verified and awarded the semester a student graduates and after grades have been finalized.
• The minor is recognized when the undergraduate degree is completed.
• Students who satisfactorily complete the requirements will have a notation of the Minor in Youth Services on their official transcript.

Course Requirements

Students must have a minimum of 18 hours from the courses listed. All required courses must be completed at a 2.0 grade or higher. This requirement will be effective with all courses starting with the Fall Semester 2007.

At least 15 of the 18 total hours must be taken in residence at the University of Missouri-Columbia. A student is able to use only one transfer course from another institution for the minor and it must be below the 3000 level. A student may be advised by faculty in any one of the four academic units listed above.

Courses are listed by major areas. (See National 4-H for a description of the major areas).

Youth Development

Required:

• Human Development and Family Studies 2430, Adolescence and Young Adulthood. (3)

Optional:

• Social Work 4360, Working with Minority Youth. (3)

Equity, Access and Opportunity

Required: Select one of the following four courses:

Volunteerism and Organizational Structure

• Rural Sociology 1101, Youth and Youth Service in a Global World (Permanent number to be added)
• Human Development and Family Studies 2300, Multicultural Study of Families and Children.(3)
• Social Work 4390, Helping Strategies with Children and Adolescents. (3)

Optional:

• Human Development and Family Studies 4700, Children and Family in Poverty. (3)

Partnerships

Required: Select One of the Following Two Courses:

• Social Work 4740, Introduction to Community and Organizational processes. (3)
• Rural Sociology 4341, Building Communities from the Grassroots.(3)

Optional:

• Social Work 4320, Rural Human Services. (3)

Youth Program Development

Required: Select One of the Following Two Courses:

• Parks and Recreation and Tourism 3215, Program Development in Leisure Services (3)
• Human Development and Family Studies 2530, Out-of-School Programs (3)

Optional:

• Education and Counseling Psychology 2400, Learning and Instruction (2)

Organizational Systems

Required:

• Rural Sociology 4325, American Community Studies (3)

Optional:

• Human Development and Family Studies 4720, Child and Family Advocacy. (3)
• Parks and Recreation and Tourism 4208, Administration of Leisure Services (3)
• Human Development and Family Studies 4510, Administration of Programs for Children and Families (3)

Volunteerism

Required Capstone Practicum: Volunteerism and Organizational Structure (3) (To be taken during the Senior year)

This course may be taken in any of the participating departments. It must include a practicum and must be integrative of all required courses. A preferred practicum would include working in a youth services agency. A paper that includes a report on experiences learned during the field work and integrating the substantive materials from the required courses is required (20 or more pages).