Master of Arts in Youth Studies

Format: Online, Synchronous
Application Deadlines
  • Fall 2024 Priority Deadline: April 4, 2024
  • Fall 2024 Regular Deadline: May 16, 2024

The MA in Youth Studies degree, the first program of its kind in New York, equips students with the knowledge and skills needed to design, run, research, and work in youth settings. This degree benefits those who work in various settings (after-schools, community centers, college and career, child welfare, advocacy, arts/sports/religious youth development) with youth ages 12-24. Through online synchronous coursework, the program provides the flexibility that people need with strong connections to professors and colleagues.

The program trains students in a participatory approach to program planning, research and evaluation through which students are taught to incorporate young people in shaping the programs, institutions, and policies that impact their lives. This MA promotes youth development principles and practices with a strong emphasis on youth-adult partnerships as well as a commitment to social justice and equity.

As a student in this program, you will also:

  • Leadership positions at youth-serving organizations and/or city agencies (middle/upper management).
  • Capacity building
  • Teaching in higher education
  • Consultancy
  • Research/evaluation
  • Entrepreneurial Youth Development
  • Development/grant writing
  • Potential to earn up to 15 credits/5 courses to be applied towards eligible Doctoral Programs

Additionally, the program applies a participatory approach through which students are taught to incorporate young people in shaping the programs, institutions, and policies that impact their lives. This MA promotes youth development principles and practices with a strong emphasis on and commitment to social justice and equity.

As a student in this program, you will also:

  • Examine how age, gender, gender identity, sexuality, race, class, immigration status, (dis)ability, and region impact youth development
  • Analyze current youth policies, opportunities, and best practices related to the field
  • Apply principles and practices in program management, facilitation, and evaluation
  • Engage multiple stakeholders and partners in order to ensure the positive development of youth, staff, and communities

Mode of Learning

The Youth Studies program is excited to introduce a new online asynchronous pathway, providing students with the opportunity to attain their degree entirely online, starting with incoming students in the Fall 2024 semester. Furthermore, we are committed to maintaining our online synchronous option, catering to students who prefer real-time virtual classroom interactions with their professors and peers.

Research Labs

For students interested in doing their doctorates in psychology, education or related fields, we have hands-on research opportunities to develop skills by becoming a co-researcher in one of our Socially Engaged Participatory Research Labs!

Meet our Faculty


Elizabeth Bishop
Elizabeth Bishop

Adjunct Faculty, Youth Studies

Headshot of Manijeh Hart
Manijeh Hart

Adjunct Lecturer

Head Shot
Whitney Hollins

Substitute Lecturer

María Torre
María Torre, PhD

Adjunct Faculty, Youth Studies

Headshot
Sarah Zeller-Berkman

Academic Director of Youth Studies Programs at CUNY SPS

Admissions Criteria

Applicants must possess a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution, with a GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale. Applicants are required to write a personal statement, upload a resume, and provide two letters of recommendation. Letters of recommendation may be submitted before or after submitting an application. An individual interview may be necessary if an applicant meets most but not all requirements.

Application Deadlines

  • Fall 2024 Priority Deadline: April 4, 2024
  • Fall 2024 Regular Deadline: May 16, 2024
Apply Now

Student/Alumni Profiles

Rachel Johnson

MA in Youth Studies 2018

"My experience at CUNY SPS helped me strengthen my approach to working in education settings and building better partnerships with many stakeholders including students, faculty, administrators, and guardians. Furthermore, I am a filmmaker and my studies have also improved my ability to write and direct more insightful stories featuring youth as protagonists and supporting characters."

Matt Conlin

MA in Youth Studies / MA in Disability Studies 2021/2015

"For me, one of the more defining aspects of CUNY SPS is its community. I have found an incredible support system in my colleagues, peers, and mentors."

Mike Hidalgo

MA in Youth Studies 2020

"If you were accepted into a program here, you belong here. And if you are passionate about the field you are in, then you can shape it for the better.”

Tyler McCormick

MA in Youth Studies 2018

"My time with CUNY SPS reinforced my love for this work, and the importance of developing a praxis to elevate youth development more broadly.”

Recent News About Master of Arts in Youth Studies

Black & white photo of CUNY students protesting in 1970s used as still from the documentary The Five Demands

Youth Studies Program Introduces Film Series for Annual Community and Youth Organizing Event

March 07, 2024

This year's Community & Youth Organizing series featured screenings of three documentaries that demonstrate youth and/or community organizing principles in action.

CUNY SPS Youth Studies students at Winter Wonderland data sharing event

Partnering with Youth on Policy Change

January 04, 2024

CUNY SPS Blog

In December 2023, students from the CUNY SPS Youth Studies programs participated in Winter Dataland, a citywide event in which the program shares data generated by young people in partnership with YS students and hundreds of other young people in NYC. Patricia Kerrigan, a BA in Youth Studies student, shared her reflections on the evening and the possibilities it offered for youth workers and advocates in the year to come.
The cover of "Whiting Out" by CUNY SPS Youth Studies Professor Dr. Elizabeth Bishop

Whiting Out: Writing on Vulnerability, Racism and Repair

November 14, 2023

Myers Education Press

CUNY SPS Youth Studies Professor Dr. Elizabeth Bishop recently published her book "Whiting Out: Writing on Vulnerability, Racism and Repair." The book "Whiting Out" is for both aspiring and experienced teachers (especially white folks), as well as anyone open to writing new narratives and imagining new possible worlds. The text calls upon all critical educators to (re)commit to deep learning toward our collective anti-racist queer-inclusive liberation, toward intersectional futures where healing, justice, and repair are prioritized.

CUNY Office of Research Awards $400,000 in Seed Funding to 10 Cross-Disciplinary Research Projects

April 03, 2023

CUNY Office of Research

Dr. Regina A. Bernard-Carreno, associate professor in the CUNY SPS youth studies program, is one of several researchers who have been awarded the CUNY 2023 Interdisciplinary Research Grant (IRG). Offered by the CUNY Office of Research, this grant funds projects that join expertise across disciplines and stipulate a clear path to expansion and new external funding. Dr. Bernard-Carreno will collaborate with Anna Ortega-Williams from Hunter College on “NYC Land-Based Historical Trauma Healing Project,” which will look at how gardens and urban farms affect the well-being of youth of color in the context of historical trauma and structural racism. Dr. MacLachlan, director of grants and research programs for the CUNY Office of Research, is also a student in the CUNY SPS MS in Research Administration and Compliance program.