The child and family advocacy certificate provides training in effective advocacy at the individual, community, and public policy levels. Students will develop advanced communication skills in both writing and speaking, with an emphasis on instigating social change.

This certificate is offered by BYU-Idaho, with support and resources from BYU-Pathway Worldwide.

Essential Knowledge and Skills

Outcomes

Communicate persuasively regarding marriage and family.
Effectively use social media channels to advance causes related to healthy marriages and families.
Demonstrate innovative thinking about marriage and family.

Certificate of Child and Family Advocacy

Program Requirements

This certificate builds into the Marriage & Family Studies degree.

This is an advanced certificate. Prior to working on this certificate, you must complete Advanced Marriage and Family Functioning.

Certificate

15 CREDITS

Associate

60 CREDITS

Bachelor's

120 CREDITS

Certificate of Child and Family Advocacy

Course Code

Course Name

# of Credits

COMM102

Public Speaking

COMM102 — 3 credits

Public Speaking

This course is an exploration of the fundamental principles and practices of effective informative and persuasive speeches. This course examines basic elements of public speaking including increasing speaker confidence, ethics of speaking, audience analysis and adaptation, appropriate methods of delivery, researching supporting materials, effective use of presentational aids, and effective outlining and delivery of speeches.

FAML430

Family and Community Relationships

FAML430 — 3 credits

Family and Community Relationships

This course consists of ecological and gospel perspectives on providing family-focused prevention and intervention services and support to diverse families. Emphasis will be on communicating with families, empowering parents, developing family and professional partnerships, interagency collaboration, and accessing and linking families and community resources.

POLSC 110

American Government

POLSC 110 — 3 credits

American Government

This course consists of an English background of American institutions, colonial systems of government, the Constitution, and the evolution and adoption of government to the changing role of the United States as an industrialized member of the world of nations and the changing federal/state relations.

SMMBC160

Social Media Marketing Advocacy and Advertising

SMMBC160 — 3 credits

Social Media Marketing Advocacy and Advertising

Large brands are shifting their advertising budgets towards digital and social media. In this course, you’ll learn what social media advertising is. You will create advertising content using Canva and create and analyze advertising campaigns on various social media marketing platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Snapchat. You will also engage in social listening using Hootsuite and identify effective brand advocacy methods. This course was developed with the subject matter expertise and oversight of the LDS Business College (LDSBC). See the Course Sharing Policy in this catalog.

BUS374

Social Innovation

BUS374 — 3 credits

Social Innovation

Intended to help students become better disciple leaders by Doing Good, Better. Learn how to become a change maker and embrace some element of the social spectrum — anything from working for a non-profit to starting a hybrid or social business. Covers the broad spectrum of how individuals and organizations are solving the world’s greatest problems in new and innovative ways. Understand the different ways to make a difference in the word when the opportunity presents itself to give back. Learn about the broad spectrum of social innovation including: non profits, social businesses, NGO’s, impact investing, philanthropy, and corporate social responsibility. Hybrid class; all course content will be completed outside of class.

For questions about this program, contact BYU-Pathway Support

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Looking Ahead

Potential Employment

When seeking employment within the field of family studies and human services, these search terms may be helpful:

Child and/or family advocate
Case worker or aide
Parent educator
Social and human service assistant

Or, search for jobs requiring the skills obtained in this certificate, such as communication, innovation, conflict resolution, social media literacy, and leadership.

Why choose this certificate?

The child and family advocacy certificate emphasizes the development of employable skills, such as persuasive communication, effective advocacy through social media, and innovative thinking. These skills can help students obtain employment in a variety of work settings, such as child advocacy and other positions related to effecting change in an organization or community. The child and family advocacy certificate will provide students with a deeper understanding of the relationship(s) between family, community, and government.

BYU-Pathway has found that certain combinations of certificates lead to better job opportunities. Most degrees have a recommended plan of certificates that will help students increase their income and improve their employment possibilities.