Personalize Your Experience
Get Involved!
Are you itching to get involved on campus? That’s a great sign! Below are some amazing opportunities in the CADV department.
Our department is deeply committed to students having positive experiences as they navigate the CSUN University journey. Dynamic peer networks and quality interactions can be a powerful way college students can be influenced and effectively reach graduation.
Our Peer Mentoring Program integrates a learning-centered approach to understanding emerging adulthood. Peer Mentors serve fellow CADV peers by providing resources and activities around topics such as:
- effective study habits,
- how to successfully navigate the CADV major,
- advising resources,
- available campus resources and/or events that augment college success
Peer Mentors gain professional skills including how to develop quality interpersonal interactions, provide guidance in navigating the MAP/DPR, further develop effective presentation and public speaking skills, and enhance technology skills.
Interested in being a CADV Peer Mentor? E-mail Dr. Rika Meyer at Rika.Meyer@csun.edu.
Interested in getting involved on a research project? Are you interested in developing research skills necessary for entrance into graduate school? Research assistants often have the opportunity to travel to cities across the U.S. at national conferences in the field of child and adolescent development. Contact your professors and ask them about their current research projects. They will guide you in shaping your research interests.
Formal Research Apprenticeships
National CADV organizations offer undergraduate research trainings, workshops, or retreats once a year; applications are typically due in the fall and the training/retreat is usually in the spring or summer. Students can travel and receive mentoring in any of the following topics: research training on highlight topics, advice selecting graduate programs and how to apply, or you may be paired with a reputable faculty member to conduct actual research.
Examples include:
- AERA Undergraduate Student Education Training Workshop
- SRA Young Scholars Program
- NIH Undergraduate Scholarship Program
- APA's compiled list of research opportunities
Informal Research Apprenticeships
You can gain research experience here at CSUN as well. One pathway is to contact a professor you are interested in working with and inquire if they have any active research projects that require assistance. Most professors prefer to work with students they already know; however, read about their research interests (in their faculty bio on the department website) to determine a research interest match.
Occasionally CSUN professors have a research grant and can pay undergraduate students to work on their research. These opportunities are typically advertised via email, flyers, or word of mouth; stay alert and talk to numerous individuals expressing your interests.
CSUN professors enjoying working with undergraduate on research and especially enjoy traveling to national conferences to jointly present research.
Interested in being a research assistant? See "CADV Research Assistant" for current labs looking for research assistants.
The Department Honors Program supports the professional development of exceptional undergraduate students earning the B.A. in Child and Adolescent Development through advanced coursework, one-on-one faculty mentorship, and a hands-on, experiential honors project. Students who successfully complete all requirements are granted the designation of Department Honors on their diploma and official transcripts upon completion of the degree.
Applications open March 2025 and will be available on the CADV website. In the meantime, interested students can review the Frequently Asked Questions to learn more about the program. Please contact Dr. Tissyana Camacho, the Department Honors Program Coordinator, for more information.
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION: The CADV Chapter of the Alumni Association offers several scholarships eligible to most CADV majors. Contact this CADV Alumni Chapter for more details.
NORTHRIDGE SCHOLARS: The University offers a highly funded scholarship eligible to all currently enrolled students. CADV majors regularly are awarded these scholarships. Contact the University Scholarship Office for more details.
Join a student organization through Matasync!
Ever wonder what it’s like to live in another country or attend another school in the US? You can do this AND earn course credit while doing so!
The CADV major makes it easy to study abroad and across the country without adding time to your graduation AND without costing anything more than your regular CSUN tuition and fees!
Connect with a CADV advisor to learn more and explore options at the International and Exchange Student Center.
Work with a faculty member by visiting the Career Center.
WHAT IS THE CADV INTERNSHIP?
APPLICATION PERIOD (Fall 2023 to Spring 2024): Placements are made on a first come first serve basis.
We offer a department-sponsored internship program that students typically complete in their junior or senior year. This internship spans a full academic year (begins in Fall semester and concludes at the end of the Spring semester).
We have partnered with a variety of community organizations including schools, youth development, family support agencies, and medical & therapeutic facilities in the San Fernando Valley and Greater Los Angeles area to allow students opportunities to apply theory to practice in professional settings, and to develop professional networks and mentoring relationships with established professional in the field. Information on each of our current community partners is available in the link below.