Area of Emphasis for Regents Bachelor of Arts Students

West Virginia University announces a new online area of emphasis in child development for paraprofessionals working in public school, day care centers, and other educational settings. Students can take one or two of the courses or complete seven courses to earn an area of emphasis in child development within the Regents Bachelor of Arts degree.

These courses were developed to assist Title I paraprofessionals meet the mandate of the No Child Left Behind Act, as well as adult learners in the Regents Bachelor of Arts degree. The RBA degree is an innovative baccalaureate degree program designed for adult students. Students may earn college equivalent credit for selected work and life experiences by writing portfolios, which are evaluated by faculty in appropriate areas. While the RBA program offers no majors, students may focus their program of study with a sequence of courses known as an area of emphasis. There are 28 areas of emphasis that students can choose from on-campus and two delivered via distance learning.

The cluster of courses are designed to introduce students to topics such as social, emotional, intellectual, and physical development of children. These courses, taught by faculty in the Division of Family and Consumer Science, are highly recognized and will aid in the preparation of highly qualified paraprofessionals. Graduates will be prepared for career opportunities in a variety of settings including day care centers, hospitals, nursery schools, educational settings, human service agencies.

Students will complete a total of seven courses in the sequence and will learn the basics of birth through early childhood, as well as family life education.

West Virginia University offers all of these classes online. For information on the R.B.A. program visit http://rba.as.wvu.edu/ or call (304)293-5441. Students must be admitted to WVU or enrolled with a guest pass in order to register. You can register online with this form.