The psychology department is expanding its curriculum by adding a child development major this fall.

The department’s Web site said the child development major is a multidisciplinary program that spans across four colleges — Harris College of Nursing and Health Sciences, AddRan College of Liberal Arts, College of Education and College of Science and Engineering.

The major provides a core of courses in child development that will then be combined with courses in children’s studies from other departments.

Jackie Pennings, research coordinator for the TCU Institute of Child Development, said students will have the option of volunteering at the Institute for class credit if they are interested in research. The Institute, a program for students who want to work with children in their careers, was created in 2005 as a Vision in Action initiative and is part of the Center for Applied Psychology.

Pennings said students can also take independent study hours to get hands-on experience as part of the major.

Kaushal Amatya, a senior psychology major and research assistant at the TCU Institute of Child Development, said the new major complements what is currently required by the field.

“A lot of psychology majors at TCU want to work with children,” he said. “It’s a growing subject.”

A minor in child development is already available.