Human Development and Family Studies Major

Are you interested in what makes people tick?

At a glance

This major prepares you for a range of careers, whether you know exactly which concentration(s) you plan to declare, or are still exploring how you’d like to help people. You’ll learn to identify factors that influence cognitive, emotional, social, and physical development through infancy, childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, later adulthood, and aging. You’ll graduate prepared to work in a variety of settings, including youth services, education, healthcare, for-profit and non-profit organizations, juvenile and adult corrections, family and community services, and long-term care facilities. This program is also available online.

Degree typeBachelor of Science
FormatOn campus and online
Part ofCollege of Health and Human Sciences
Competitive major?No
Accelerated option?Yes
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Concentrations

A concentration allows you to specialize in a certain area within your major, offering a depth of information and hands-on experiences that you may not otherwise get. Many students in this major will concentrate in one area to work in a specific field after college, as well as find mentors and internships before they even graduate.

Early Childhood Professions

This concentration will prepare you to work with young children (infants to third grade) in a variety of settings including education, healthcare, non-profit organizations, foster/adoptive care, and others. It is also an ideal choice for HDFS majors who are thinking about the Early Childhood Education Major with Teacher Licensure.

General Human Development and Family Studies

You will enter the major with this general concentration and may continue without declaring another concentration or seeking specialized training. Through this path, you will take courses in human development, psychology, social work, and selected courses from other disciplines for a well-rounded, robust education in human development and family studies. 

Leadership and Advocacy

This concentration is an excellent choice if you have a passion for advocacy and/or an interest in leadership positions in a variety of settings that promote the optimal development of individuals and families. Coursework focused on diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice is combined with opportunities to take classes in finance, management, marketing, public policy, professional communication, and leadership. 

Pre-Health Professions

If you’re interested in a career or graduate school in a healthcare profession, this is the concentration for you. In addition to your major advisor, you’ll work closely with the Health Professions advisors on campus to ensure you’re aware of requirements and prepared to apply to the schools and careers in the medical field you are interested in.

Prevention and Intervention Sciences

If you’re interested in a career as a counselor, therapist, social worker, or other helping/human services professional, this is the concentration to take. The coursework also provides great preparation for working in education, healthcare, non-profit organizations, and many other settings where you can design and implement community-based prevention and intervention programs for youth, adults, and families.

Some Career Options

Human Development and Family Studies prepares you to work in a wide range of human-service-sector settings, such as youth-service organizations, education programs, healthcare, corrections and criminal justice, and programs serving older adults. You’ll be ready to pursue graduate studies in mental health, behavioral and social sciences, education, health and medicine, policy and public health, and other professional programs (such as law school). In general, you will graduate with a degree that applies to your personal development and a diversity of careers.

Tour and info session options

Tours may be available as part of Admissions tours and info sessions, offered throughout the year.

For additional opportunities, please reach out to:

College of Health and Human Sciences recruiter at [email protected]

academic Info and Tips

Explore even more

Want a more in-depth look at this major? Take a look at the program website to learn more.