J o h n F K e n n e d y U n i v e r s i t y

MA IN CAREER DEVELOPMENTWide-ranging societal changes and the increasing complexityof the labor market have created an expanded, moresignificant role for career development professionals. TheMaster of Arts in Career Development program—one offew such programs in the United States—combines careertheory, management techniques, humanistic psychology, andpractical skills to prepare students to assist individuals andgroups with career issues.Academic coursework is balanced with fieldwork givingstudents the opportunity to apply classroom lessons in aprofessional environment. Students typically begin theirfieldwork at the university’s career center located in PleasantHill which serves both the university community and thegeneral public. Subsequent internships occur at external sitessuch as businesses, universities, or nonprofit organizations.The program concludes with a final project, in which studentsdemonstrate the competencies needed to function effectivelyas career development professionals. Projects are developedfor diverse settings and populations according to the student’sarea of professional interest.Admission RequirementsIn addition to the university’s admission requirements,applicants to this program must possess a bachelor’s degreefrom an institution whose accreditation is recognized bythe Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).Applicants who are interested in graduate programs and whodo not yet have an undergraduate degree should refer to thedescription of the School of Management’s linked BS/MBAProgram.Applicants must also submit a statement of purpose: twodouble-spaced, typewritten pages describing educational andprofessional goals including what the applicant expects from,and can contribute to, the program. Please include your nameon your statement.Finally, applicants must submit a resume of work experiencedetailing professional background.Experiential ComponentPrior to beginning the experiential component of theprogram, students must complete all prerequisites and thefollowing courses: CDV 5001 Philosophy of Work, CDV 5020Theories of Career Development, CDV 5045 Career PlanningResources, CDV 5100 Assessment Approaches in CareerDevelopment, CDV 5230 Career Counseling Interview, andCDV 5240 Professional Orientation Practicum. Experientialcourses include CDV 5245 Clinical Issues in CareerCounseling; CDV 5810 Planning, Conducting, and EvaluatingWorkshops; CDV 5991 Research in Career Development; andCDV 5700 Supervised Internship.With the approval of the Career Center director and theCareer Development program chair, students who livein the San Francisco Bay Area will begin their internshipat the university’s Career Center. Interns engage inindividual counseling, career assessment tools, and dailyhands-on management of the center. Training includesindividual supervision, case management, counselingskills development, administration of a career center, andcounseling forums. Subsequent internships will occur atexternal sites such as business, colleges, universities, ornonprofit organizations.Through the two-course sequence CDV 5992 ProposalResearch and Evaluation and CDV 5993 Project Developmentand Evaluation, students demonstrate the competenciesneeded to function effectively as career professionals.Before the final quarter of their program, students develop aresearch-based written proposal that presents the design oftheir final project. Under the direction of the program chair,students design, complete, and evaluate an original projectwith a tangible result.Field Studies ProgramStudents outside the San Francisco Bay Area may earn theMaster of Arts or post-graduate certificate in Career Developmentthrough the program’s field studies component.This guided study program consists of coursework deliveredthrough a variety of methods including self-directed study,e-mail, and phone. Students also complete an intensive twoweekresidency during two summers of the program.Students may take some elective units and CDV 5250 GroupWork in Career Development at a local college or universityas approved by the program chair. Students who liveoutside of the San Francisco Bay Area will take all of theirinternship units at a business, college, university, or nonprofitorganization in their local area.94 SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT JOHN F. KENNEDY UNIVERSITY