Developmental Disabilities Certificate

The CIDD offers a Certificate Program in Developmental Disabilities supported by the North Carolina University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD). This program is tailored to graduate students interested in pursuing a career dedicated to improving the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DDs). It is intended to provide graduate students with opportunities to demonstrate specialization in I/DDs. Core topic areas covered through participation in the certificate program include: 

  • Mechanisms and Etiology
  • Clinical Presentation
  • Family and Systems Issues
  • Cultural Diversity
  • Neuropsychological Assessment
  • Evidence-Based Intervention
  • Ethics

Course Requirements

Core Courses
Nine total hours from the following group of courses:
EDUC 763Biological Bases of Children's Development3
HSCI 862Developmental Disabilities Across the Lifespan I: An Interdisciplinary Approach 12
HSCI 864Developmental Disabilities Across the Lifespan II: An Interdisciplinary Approach 12
NBIO 800Gene-Brain-Behavior Interactions in Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Perspectives on Disease Mechanisms3
NBIO 801Clinical Syndromes and Neurodevelopmental Disorders3
CRMH 816Evidence-Based Counseling Practices with People with Developmental Disabilities1.5
HSCI 915Developmental Disabilities: Current Research and Practice I1
HSCI 916Developmental Disabilities: Current Research and Practice II1
SPHS 888Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities in Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing I1
SPHS 889Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities in Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing II1
Approved LEND or CIDD faculty-sponsored independent study 2
Minimum Hours9
1

Available to LEND trainees only.

2

Please note that this must be pre-approved by the certificate director.

Non-Course Certificate Requirements

  1. The expectation is to attend 50% of the following seminars within one academic year
    1. CIDD Community Talk Series: Please contact angela.cousin@cidd.unc.edu to be added to the email distribution list.
    2. CIDD Investigator Forum Series: Please contact angela.cousin@cidd.unc.edu to be added to the email distribution list.
    3. CIDD Didactic Lecture Series: This seminar series is part of HSCI 915 or HSCI 916, in which case full attendance is required.
  2. Dissertation/thesis/final project requirement: Dissertation/thesis/final projects of certificate program participants must include a developmental disabilities component, though these projects need not necessarily be defended prior to earning the certificateAdditionally, at least one dissertation/thesis/final project committee member must be either a CIDD faculty member or a DD-focused UNC-CH faculty member approved by the certificate program’s advisory panel faculty.