“Our mission is
to contribute theoretical and applied knowledge in the field and to provide
students with appropriate knowledge and skills for professional positions and
careers in family-related settings.”
Human Development and Family Studies Degree Program
Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) is a Bachelor of Science degree program that provides students with a comprehensive, ecological systems-based program of student in human development, family development, and family resource management. The HDFS curriculum provides students with a multitude of experiences through coursework and off-campus activities to give them the knowledge and professional skills needed for a career in family/human services. The
curriculum encompasses these studies:
- Changing needs, dynamics, and challenges of
- Management of human, material, financial, and
- Interrelationships of individuals, families, and of families over time. community resources to meet these needs. communities in the context of diverse socioeconomic and cultural systems.
“Being an HDFS major allowed me to be an active member of my community and has helped me strive in wanting to make a difference in those who are in these
communities.”
- Kelsie F. c/o 2019

HDFS Curriculum
The HDFS curriculum provides students with a comprehensive study of human development, family development, and family resource management. Students are prepared for positions in family service agencies; family life and parenting education programs; children's, youth, and gerontology programs; child care and early childhood education centers; and consumer affairs agencies. The courses cover these topics and more:
- Healthy family relationships
- Healthy and resilient human development at all ages
- Family caregiving for older adults and grandparents raising children
- Family public policy
- Family and consumer resource management
- Community leadership and resource development.