Child Advocacy Studies Graduate Certificate at University of South Florida

Programme overview

A 9-credit interdisciplinary certificate preparing students for work in child welfare, especially child protective services, with one course each from social work, criminology and public health. It covers child maltreatment, trauma-informed work with victims and professional and system responses to violence, and is approved by the ZeroAbuse Project's Child Advocacy Studies Training (CAST) programme.

Faculty: College of Behavioral and Community Sciences | Department: School of Social Work | Duration: 9 credit hours | Study mode: full-time | Location: Tampa, FL, United States

What you will study

Three courses: Child Maltreatment (social work), Victimology (criminology) and Family and Community Violence in Public Health.

Career pathways

Child welfare field, especially child protective services.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

University of South Florida graduate certificates (university-wide): Graduate certificate applicants at USF need a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.00 (or a graduate GPA of 3.00, if applicable) and must be admitted to the certificate itself; admission to a certificate does not guarantee admission to a degree programme. Applicants without a bachelor's degree or higher from the United States or a designated English-speaking country submit English proficiency test scores (USF graduate minimums: IELTS 6.5; Duolingo English Test 110; TOEFL iBT 79 on the earlier scale or 4.5 on the scale used after 21 January 2026). Applicants are encouraged to contact the Graduate Certificate Director before applying.

Requirements published at program group level.

Tuition is charged per credit, so the total depends on the modules you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

Duration: 9 credit hours

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