Advanced Certificate in Youth Studies

Format: Online, Synchronous
Application Deadlines
  • Spring 2025 Extended Priority Deadline: November 21, 2024
  • Spring 2025 Regular Deadline: December 5, 2024

Please note there is no application fee for graduate applications submitted by the Priority Deadline.

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

The Advanced Certificate in Youth Studies is a stackable credential which includes 12 credits toward the MA in Youth Studies. The certificate can be utilized for those who already have a masters degree but found themselves working with young people and want to upskill while being part of an active learning community. It can also be used by those who have not yet decided if they want to commit to a masters degree program.

Through online synchronous coursework, the Advanced Certificate in Youth Studies program provides the flexibility that people need with strong connections to professors and colleagues.

Mode of Learning

The Youth Studies program is excited to introduce a new online asynchronous pathway, providing students with the opportunity to attain their degree entirely online, starting with incoming students in the Fall 2024 semester. Furthermore, we are committed to maintaining our online synchronous option, catering to students who prefer real-time virtual classroom interactions with their professors and peers.

Educational/Career Prospects

  • Potential salary bump at participating agencies
  • Upskilling and a community of committed professionals
  • A stackable credential for those interested in an MA in Youth Studies.
  • A way to demonstrate master’s level capacity for those looking to do an MA in a related field

Admissions Criteria

Candidates for admission to advanced certificate programs must possess a bachelor’s degree with a 3.0 GPA or higher from a regionally accredited undergraduate institution. Applicants are also required to write a personal statement, upload a resume, and provide one letter of recommendation. The letter of recommendation may be submitted before or after submitting an application. An individual interview may be necessary if an applicant meets most but not all requirements.

Application Deadlines

  • Spring 2025 Extended Priority Deadline: November 21, 2024
  • Spring 2025 Regular Deadline: December 5, 2024
Apply Now

Student/Alumni Profiles

Carolina Moquete

Advanced Certificate in Youth Studies

"It definitely empowered me to have a certain level of confidence in the work I was doing with young people that I didn’t necessarily have in my first year in the role."

Amanda Ebokosia

MA/Advanced Certificate in Youth Studies

"My cohort has held a two-year WhatsApp group. It's like having your own cheer squad or support group in your pocket. I've now met colleagues who I consider to be real friends."

Chanira Rojas

MA/Advanced Certificate in Youth Studies

"We are a tight-knit group with a passion for providing youth with the tools they need to become empowered individuals that will change their lives and the lives of others."

Carolina Moquete

Youth Studies

"The most gratifying aspect of my job is having the opportunity to plant seeds of what’s not only possible but realistic for my students to achieve. I get to help students impact their future in a positive way every single day."

Recent News About Advanced Certificate in Youth Studies

CUNY SPS Youth Studies Professor Whitney Hollins

Positive Youth Development and Disability in OST Settings | Youth Studies CUNY SPS

November 19, 2024

YouTube

CUNY SPS Youth Studies is committed to supporting its students in understanding the best practices at the intersections of positive youth development and disability. In this video, the talented Youth Studies BA student Natalie Green, Director of Community Action Programs at DYCD, interviews Associate Professor Dr. Whitney Hollins about Dr. Hollins' course, YS 308 - Critical Disability: A Youth Studies Perspective.

Legislature Should Reconsider Youth Vote for School Boards

November 04, 2024

Brattleboro Reformer

Op-ed article mentions a CUNY SPS Youth Studies affiliated program, the Intergenerational Change Initiative (ICI). The opinion piece spotlights the important work the ICI does by empowering youth groups in the process of policy and legislative decisions.
First Cohort Of Youth Mental Health Advocates

CUNY SPS Recognizes the Office of Innovative Learning Solutions’ Impact on City and State Workforce

September 30, 2024

The unit reflects upon recent program highlights as part of its observance of Workforce Development Month.

Bold Solutions to Re-Engage

September 23, 2024

The Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation

CUNY SPS' efforts to support students through credit for prior learning opportunities, as well as the Youth Studies program's work with young adults through the Working the Gap initiative, were discussed in the learning brief "Bold Solutions to Re-Engage." This report, published in Summer 2024 by The Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation, highlights the latest programs and practices funded by the Foundation that strengthen college and career pathways for low-income New Yorkers.