HDFS Honors Program

Are you wondering about how you can help to make a difference in the lives of individuals and families? Are you eager to learn about and discuss big ideas and unanswered questions in human development and family studies? Why are some children, youth and families resilient in the face of adversity, while others develop problems? How are individuals affected by their families, friends, workplaces, communities and society? What are the best ways to help families overcome problems in their lives? How can communities and families help children and youth by creating positive options? The HDFS Honors program offers an exciting environment for students to study these and other topics in depth. The HDFS Honors program also provides the opportunities for students to extend their interests in learning how to help children, adolescents, older adults and families develop psychologically and socially healthy lives, and to conduct their own research in this area.

By joining the HDFS Honors program, you will be empowered to make the best of your college years, you will have access to faculty members in one of the best human development programs in the nation (Newsweek rankings, 2007). An HDFS degree with Honors from Penn State will open doors to graduate school and career opportunities. As a graduate of Penn State with Honors, you will be seen as a person with initiative and creativity by employers and graduate schools. If you are planning to pursue graduate study, we strongly encourage you to consider the Honors program.

In the HDFS Honors program, you will participate in Honors seminars which are small, discussion-based classes with 6-12 students. You will have a program of study that is individualized to our own interests. In addition, as an Honors student, you will work closely on a research project with a faculty thesis advisor to produce your honors thesis. You will be able to register early for courses, ensuring that you will be enrolled in the courses you choose, including Honors courses in any university department or program.

Additional benefits from the Schreyer Honors College include financial and academic support for international travel, social and professional events for Honors students, and opportunities for grants to fund travel and research, as well as opportunities for leadership and community service. Interested students are encouraged to learn more about the Schreyer Honors College.

Admission to the HDFS Honors program

High School students interested in HDFS and the Schreyer Honors College can declare HDFS as their intended major on their Penn State Undergraduate Admissions application. Prospective students and first-year college students who enter the Schreyer’s Honors College with a declared HDFS major, or an interest in exploring HDFS as a possible major, are strongly encouraged to make an appointment with the HDFS Honors advisor, Dr. Kathy Hood. Dr. Hood, will be happy to talk with you to discuss the HDFS program and its match with your academic and professional interests and to help arrange your academic plan to fit your goals for college and beyond. In 2004, Dr. Hood received the university-wide Schreyer Honors College Award for Excellence in Advising.

Current Penn State Honors students can be admitted into the HDFS major in the sophomore or junior year. Rising juniors are admitted through the Junior Gate. Invitations are sent in the spring semester to HDFS majors with a 3rd , 4th or 5th semester cumulative GPA of 3.7. Motivated students with a lower GPA also may be admitted. Interested students can contact Dr. Hood.

Not more work, a different kind of work

You may be concerned that the Honors program will be more work, compared with the usual plan of study. But, we design Honors courses to be a different kind of work, not more work. Instead of multiple choice tests, you will have structured writing assignments and in-class discussions. You will read different material, with more opportunity to write and receive feedback. Your colleagues in class will be other Honors students: active thinkers, involved leaders and peers. Seminar assignments are designed to support your developing knowledge base related to your own interests. Grades in Honors courses are similar to grades that Scholars would earn in their regular courses. Most important, your HDFS Honors experiences help build toward your future success by preparing you for graduate school and professional settings. Strong letters of reference from professors who have worked with you and know you well, such as your thesis advisor and your Honors advisor, will support your applications to graduate school and employment opportunities.

The Honors Curriculum in HDFS

The HDFS Honors curriculum includes three dedicated Honors courses, HDFS 129H; HDFS 300H, and HDFS 310M. In addition, Honors seminars on special topics of particular interest to faculty and students are offered periodically. You also may consider using an “Honors option” to create an Honors experience within a regular course offering (with permission from the instructor). You will also conduct an individually focused thesis research project in partnership with a faculty member.

If you enter the Schreyer’s Honors College as a first-year student with a declared HDFS major, or with an interest in exploring HDFS as a possible major, you are strongly encouraged to take HDFS 129H during the Fall semester of your first or second year. HDFS 129H is a small seminar that provides a broad overview of major concepts, theories and research findings in human development and family studies. You will learn about development across the entire lifespan – from birth to death.

HDFS 300H is an Honors seminar on core concepts and major research findings in the field of human development and is typically taken during the fall of your Junior year. In this course you will read specially chosen articles and books about key issues such as change over the course of development, risk and resilience, variations in family life, and successful models of intervention for individuals and families. Throughout the course you will be invited to share your perspectives in class discussions and written critiques on research and policy issues, while learning the views of others. You also will explore the ongoing research projects that are directed by HDFS faculty. These faculty members are potential advisors for your Honors thesis.

HDFS 310M is an advanced methods and writing intensive course. The seminar is offered every spring semester. It builds on the foundational information about scientific methods you learn in the required course, HDFS 312W. In the 310M seminar, you will enrich your understanding of research design, selecting appropriate measures, considering methods of analysis, and interpreting the meaning of results. This seminar includes a research project designed and carried out by seminar members working as a team. In addition, you will choose your own research subject, review the literature in your field, develop a research question, and identify appropriate methods to address your question. A third component of the course is to assure that you have selected a thesis advisor by the end of the spring semester. The course is intended to prepare you to carry out your Honors thesis.

During your senior year you will register for 3 credits of HDFS 494H (faculty-supervised thesis research) in the fall and 3 credits in the spring. In this course you will meet independently and work closely with your faculty thesis advisor to produce your Honors thesis.

image of spring 2008 honors students

Spring 2008 HDFS Honors Students

The HDFS Honors Thesis

The culmination of your HDFS Honor’s experience is writing your Honor’s Thesis. The thesis is your opportunity to demonstrate your scholarship and mastery of a topic and to make a contribution to the field of human development and family studies. It is also a chance to challenge yourself to learn more about a topic that you care deeply about. The thesis is a giant step in your development as a scholar and as a human development professional. Although your thesis project will be supervised by a selected faculty advisor, the project is yours to conduct with substantial independence.

There are two kinds of Honors theses in HDFS, an empirical study and a scholarly review. It is your decision which type of thesis is most useful for your goals. If you are interested in gaining research experience by conducting an empirical study, you may find that your interests fit with existing research projects of HDFS faculty members. Alternatively, you may initiate your own research project. For an empirical project, you will develop a research question, design a way to test that question, perhaps collect your own data, analyze those data (quantitatively or qualitatively) and interpret and communicate your results in writing. An empirical thesis is typically 40 pages in length, or longer.

A scholarly review involves reviewing the theoretical and empirical literature on a specific topic in the area of human development and family studies. Your thesis advisor will support your review process by helping to clarify your ideas and by directing you to the most important reports in the literature related to your interests. Your review will analyze, interpret and critique the literature in this area. You also might make recommendations about how to advance knowledge related to your topic. A scholarly review is usually 60 or more pages in length.

You may use an HDFS internship experience or another applied experience as the basis for a scholarly review. For example, you might have a special interest in how youth adjust after they leave the foster care system. You could do an internship in a foster care agency and for your thesis, write about your experiences and also review the literature about the best programs for foster care youth.

In your junior year, you will begin to define an area of interest for your senior thesis, and choose a thesis advisor. By discussing your interests with possible thesis advisors, and perhaps by working on independent study projects with them, you may mutually agree on a project which provides the best fit for your honors thesis project. Your thesis advisor must be a tenured or tenure-track faculty member. Your thesis advisor will meet with you on a regular basis to guide the thesis process.

Honors theses are hard-bound and housed in Pattee Library, where they are part of the permanent collection. Honors theses in Pattee Library can be checked out. Copies also are kept in the HDFS office in 211 S. Henderson. You may stop in to review these theses, which will give you a good sense of the range of topics and styles of Honors theses. Graduating Honors students report that completing the thesis is one of the most gratifying parts of the Honors program, along with the intellectual stimulation of peers and close relationships with faculty.

Titles of Recent Honors Theses

Requirements of the Schreyer Honors College

The Schreyer Honors College expects that Honors students will maintain a 3.33 semester and cumulative GPA, and that Honors students will take 14 credits in Honors courses in the last two years of study. You can earn Honors credit by:

  1. taking specifically designated Honors courses, including the required 6 credits of HDFS 494 (Thesis research) in the senior year.
  2. adding a component to an already existing course to earn Honors credit, through agreement with the professor and a brief course project proposal to your Honors advisor.

HDFS Honors Courses

Typical semester plan of study for Honors students

To learn more about the HDFS Honors Program contact Dr. Kathryn E. Hood, 110 Henderson Building South, University Park, PA 16802-6504; (814) 865-2657 or email ig4@psu.edu.

You may also contact The Schreyer Honors College, Atherton Hall (814) 863-2635. Their website is: http://www.shc.psu.edu