The Human Development and Family Science option focuses on the acquisition and application of scientific knowledge about development and family functioning across the life span for the purposes of enhancing personal and family development. Through course work and undergraduate internships or research projects, students develop skills relevant to career objectives, such as counseling, human assessment, program planning and evaluation, and research.
For the B.S. degree in Human Development and Family Studies, a minimum of 120 credits is required.
Internships that serve children, youth, adults, or older adults
This degree option requires an approved internship in a setting that serves children, youth, adults, or the aged. Typical employment settings include preschools, daycare centers, hospital programs for children, youth, and families, institutional and community mental health programs for individuals and families, programs for abused or neglected children and adolescents, women's resource centers, human resources programs, employee assistance programs, nursing homes, area agencies on aging and other community settings for older adults, and public welfare and family service agencies.
Graduate Study with an HDFS Degree
Students completing this degree sometimes pursue graduate study in areas including:
- Social work
- Mental health counseling
- School counseling
- Couple and family therapy
- Behavioral health
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Public administration
- Social policy and law
- University research and teaching fields in
- behavioral and social sciences
- Education (Early childhood, Special ed.)
- Gerontology
- Forensics
- Applied behavioral analysis
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