Graduate Programs in
Human Development and Family Studies
Programs:
The Department of Human Development and Family Studies offers graduate programs leading to the:
Master of Science (non-thesis): Family Life/Parent Education,
Master of Education: Interdisciplinary Studies in Education and Development in Birth-Kindergarten (B-K ISED)*, and the
Doctor of Philosophy degrees.
The department also offers a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Early Care and Education Leadership*.
Programs of study are multidisciplinary, calling for a synthesis of knowledge from the social and behavioral sciences, and for an examination of the influence of social context and policy variables on individual and family behavior. Graduate coursework focuses on the contributions of family, peer, school and other cultural contexts to the social and intellectual development of children and adults, the changing nature of the family constellation, local and national policies affecting families, media and technological innovations, adolescent and adult development, family resource management and issues related to the elderly. Doctoral students have considerable flexibility in tailoring their studies to special interests and career goals. Faculty research interests range from micro-analytic analyses of peer and parent interactions and experimental tests of children's social and cognitive development to national surveys and the secondary analysis of child and family survey data. Within these general areas of concentration students focus upon more specific topics of study..
* This is an online program.