Bachelor’s in Human Development and Family Studies

The Bachelor’s in Human Development and Family Studies at UNCG is committed to excellence in teaching, research, and service in human development and close relationships across the lifespan. Students will be equipped to serve as advocates and educators to support working with children, adolescents, adults, the elderly, and their families.

Bachelor’s In Human Development and Family Studies Program Distinctions

Students enrolled in the Human Development and Family Studies bachelor’s program will have access to faculty’s research programs, which are among the best in the country.

• The Princeton Review recently reported that UNCG’s Human Development and Family Studies programs receive “enthusiastic praise from current students.”
• Faculty are nationally recognized experts in several fields, including:
  • Early childhood development, care, and education
  • Parent-child relationships
  • Adolescence
  • Close relationships, marriage, and divorce
  • Human development and family diversity in sociocultural context.
• HDFS operates a variety of research and educational centers. These including the Child & Family Research Network; Child Care Education Program; North Carolina Rated License Assessment Project; Early Childhood Leadership & Policy Network; Triad Child Study; and the National Research Center on Hispanic Children & Families.

The Human Development and Family Studies online Program

The Bachelor’s in Human Development and Family Studies degree is also offered fully online. Students will be mentored by faculty who are nationally recognized experts in their field. They will learn from these individual, and develop the skills that employers and graduate school admissions’ review committees look for.

The Human Development and Family Studies Student Experience

Students in the Human Development and Family Studies bachelor’s program will have access to opportunities that will advance them professionally and personally. Engaged faculty and staff, like Dr. Jocelyn Smith Lee, make learning fun and help to engage students with community work.

• Undergraduate students serve as research assistants for a variety of projects within Human Development and Family Studies.
• Students connect through the Collaborative of HDFS Professionals student group.
• Students work on HDFS Disciplinary Honors projects under the supervision of HDFS faculty members.
• HDFS and the Department of Social Work offer a language and culture immersion in Costa Rica every other summer as an opportunity for students to increase knowledge of Latinx culture and improve Spanish language skills. Students have daily language instruction and stay with Costa Rican families.

After Graduating with a bachelor’s in Human Development and Family Studies

Upon graduation, students have attended graduate school for counseling, social work, human development and family studies, public health education, personnel administration in higher education, and early childhood literacy employment. Alumni work with Guilford Child Development; Guilford County Schools; Women’s Resource Center of Alamance County; UNC TEACCH Autism Program; Tristan’s Quest; Act Together Crisis Center—Youth Focus; YWCA of Greensboro; and the Department of Social Services.

• Potential career paths include:
  • Psychologist
  • School Counselor
  • Case Manager
  • Social Worker 
  • Development Consultant
  • Teacher
  • Research Technician
  • Family Outreach Coordinator
  • Residential Care Planner
  • Military Family Support Manager

FAQs about the Human Development and Family Studies Bachelor’s