• Fall 2021 Priority Deadline: April 8, 2021
• Fall 2021 Regular Deadline: May 20, 2021

Youth Studies is an emerging multidisciplinary field that spans the humanities, social sciences, the arts and sciences. Integrating theory, research, public policy, and practice, Youth Studies provides an opportunity to deepen students’ understanding of the relationship of youth and society through critical thinking, research and writing.

The Advanced Certificate in Youth Studies, through on campus, online, and hybrid coursework, responds to the needs of those who work in the youth services field and is innovative in its approach to providing a pathway for professional development.

We invite you to learn more about the program, its students, and its faculty by watching this video:

Career Prospects

Graduates of the Advanced Certificate in Youth Studies are better prepared to engage in meaningful research with youth, as well as design and offer programs that exemplify best practices in youth work. Students learn to develop policy for public education, juvenile justice, social welfare, and medical systems that caters to the needs of youth.

Meet our Faculty

• Elizabeth Bishop, PhD
• Limarys Caraballo, PhD
• Adrienne Evans, PhD
• Leslee Grey, PhD
• Whitney Hollins, PhD
• Lance Ozier, EdD
• Jen Siaca Curry, EdD
• Julie Stein Brockway, LCSW
• Sarah Zeller-Berkman, PhD

Research Agenda

The CUNY SPS Youth Studies Program has an active research agenda: The Intergenerational Change Initiative. With support from the Mayor's Young Men's Initiative and the Ford Foundation, we have launched a youth participatory action research project aimed at involving young people in shaping the policies and institutions that impact their lives. We currently have a project in partnership with the Administration for Children's Services (ACS) and the Department of Education (DOE.) As a collective, we are exploring the implications of our findings on policies and practices while collaborating with city agency partners to use youth-generated research to inform their work. ICI recently launched a research tool created by and for youth called Amplify that houses our annual Youth ask Youth (YAY) Census.

With generous support from the New York Community Trust, we launched the Immigrant and Refugee Youth Action Fellowship, an intergenerational group of people that work with or have experience being an immigrant or refugee. This group has created a critical participatory action research project related to the “everyday experiences of immigrant and refugee families during the COVID-19 crisis.”

On Campus Class Schedule

Each course meets once a week in the evening from 6:15 to 9:15 pm at our Manhattan campus. Please contact the Academic Director at sarah.zeller-berkman@cuny.edu if you have any questions about the class schedule.

Online and Hybrid Classes

Starting in Fall 2020, we will offer a pathway where students can complete their degree with a combination of fully online and hybrid courses (classes in which students complete most of their coursework online and attend three on campus Saturday classes each semester). This addition to our on campus learning format ensures that youth workers in and outside the NYC metro area have access to our program.