Minors
Minors in Culture, Health, and Human Development, Gerontology, and Human Development and Family Sciences are offered. Please refer to their descriptions in the “Minors” section of this Catalog.
Concentration in Early Childhood Development and Education
Students with a GPA of 2.7 or above through their third semester and experience working with young children are eligible to apply to the Early Childhood Development and Education concentration. For more details and to apply see Early Childhood Specializations.
Honors Program
The Human Development and Family Sciences Honors Program offers motivated students a way of enhancing their studies while providing distinction to their academic records through more in-depth study and the opportunity for independent projects or research. Human Development and Family Sciences majors with an overall GPA that meets the University Honors minimum and a GPA in the major of 3.5 or higher are eligible to apply to the Honors Program in Human Development and Family Sciences. Students should apply as early as possible, and applications will not be accepted after the first semester of a student’s junior year. Honors Scholars who complete the required honors course work and an approved honors thesis project, as well as maintain the required GPA, will graduate with a degree with Honors. For more information on this program, contact the Human Development and Family Sciences Honors Advisor.
Requirements
Students in the Human Development and Family Sciences major must complete the following requirements:
The major in Human Development and Family Sciences requires 43 credits at the 2000 level or above including 31 credits in Human Development and Family Sciences and 12 credits in courses related to but outside the major department. A student completing requirements for a major must have a grade point average of 2.0 or better in the credits that count toward the major in Human Development and Family Sciences. Students are allowed much flexibility in tailoring their major to meet their particular interests and educational goals. Working with their advisors and other faculty, students can develop their HDFS plan of study to reflect inter-related areas of expertise in areas such as Early Childhood Education, Child and Adolescent Development; Adulthood, Aging, and Gerontology; Couples, Parents, and Families; Health, Wellbeing, and Prevention; and Diversity and Culture.
Required Courses
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| HDFS 2001 | Diversity Issues in Human Development and Family Sciences | 3 |
| HDFS 2004W | Research Methods in Human Development and Family Sciences | 4 |
| HDFS 2100 | Human Development: Infancy Through Adolescence | 3 |
| HDFS 2200 | Human Development: Adulthood and Aging | 3 |
| HDFS 2300 | Family Interaction Processes | 3 |
| 3 |
| Legal Aspects of Family Life | |
| Public Policy and the Family | |
| Child Welfare, Law and Social Policy | |
| Comparative Family Policy | |
| 3 |
| Professional Communication in HDFS | |
| Honors Thesis | |
| 9 |
| Special Topics | |
| Introduction to Programs for Young Children | |
| Exploring Conservation and Sustainability with Preschoolers | |
| Human Development, Digital Media, and Technology | |
| Seminar Internship | |
| Foreign Study 1 | |
| Research Practicum in Human Development and Family Sciences 2 | |
| Special Topics | |
| Variable Topics in Human Development and Family Sciences | |
| Infant and Toddler Development | |
| Early and Middle Childhood Development | |
| Adolescent Development | |
| Social and Community Influence on Children in the United States | |
| Integrated Curriculum Methods and Materials for Infants and Toddlers | |
| Integrated Curriculum Methods and Materials for Preschool and Kindergarten | |
| Professional Development and Advocacy in Early Childhood | |
| Developmental Approaches to Intergroup Relations and Victimization | |
| Gender And Aging | |
| Disabilities: A Lifespan Perspective | |
| Biotechnology, Disability and the Family | |
| Death, Dying, and Bereavement | |
| Men and Masculinities | |
| Issues in Human Sexuality | |
| Parent Child Relations in Cross-Cultural Perspective | |
| Parenthood and Parenting | |
| Risk and Resilience in Individuals and Families | |
| Individual and Family Interventions | |
| Family Resource Management | |
| Abuse and Violence in Families | |
| Low Income Families | |
| History of the Family | |
| Food and the American Family | |
| The Family-School Partnership | |
| Families and Work | |
| Latino Health and Health Care | |
| Planning and Managing Human Service Programs | |
| Legal Aspects of Family Life 3 | |
| Public Policy and the Family 3 | |
| Child Welfare, Law and Social Policy 3 | |
| Comparative Family Policy 3 | |
| Senior Seminar in Research Methods | |
| Professional Communication in HDFS | |
| Living with Chronic or Life-Threatening Illness | |
| Total Credits | 31 |
Concentration in Early Childhood Development and Education
Students with a GPA of 2.7 or above through their third semester and experience working with young children are eligible to apply to the Early Childhood Development and Education concentration.
Early Childhood Development and Education (EC) concentration requirements replace nine credits of electives toward the HDFS major. Students take their second “W” course requirement within the concentration coursework, meeting that major requirement. EC concentration students must complete an additional five courses beyond their minimum requirements for the major.
Early Childhood Development and Education Concentration Required Courses
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| HDFS 2120 | Introduction to Programs for Young Children | 3 |
| HDFS 2192 | Observing Early Childhood Development | 3 |
| HDFS 3101 | Infant and Toddler Development | 3 |
| HDFS 3102 | Early and Middle Childhood Development | 3 |
| HDFS 3122 | Integrated Curriculum Methods and Materials for Infants and Toddlers | 3 |
| HDFS 3123 | Integrated Curriculum Methods and Materials for Preschool and Kindergarten | 3 |
| HDFS 3127W | Professional Development and Advocacy in Early Childhood | 3 |
| HDFS 3192 | Early Childhood Development and Education: Supervised Fieldwork Practicum | 4 |
| HDFS 4192 | Early Childhood Development and Education: Supervised Teaching Practicum | 9 |
Writing in the Major and Information Literacy Requirements
Students must meet the information literacy and writing competency requirements through satisfactory completion of:
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| HDFS 2004W | Research Methods in Human Development and Family Sciences | 4 |
| 3 |
| Professional Communication in HDFS | |
| Honors Thesis | |
University Common Curriculum Requirements
Every student must meet a set of core requirements to earn a baccalaureate degree, in addition to those required by the student's major course of study and other requirements set by the student's school or college. For more information about these requirements, please see Common Curriculum Requirements.
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Degree Requirements
Students must meet a set of requirements established by the college in addition to the University's Common Curriculum requirements. For more information, see the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section of this catalog.
