Undergraduate Program
**Summer 2008 Course Offerings**
In This Section:
Human Development and Family Studies (HD FS)
WHAT IS HDFS?
Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) is a department within Penn State's College of Health and Human Development , the first college in the country to have a combined emphasis on human development and human health. Created in 1987, the College brings together strong programs that once were offered by other Penn State colleges. Although the College is relatively new, its roots are strong. Several of its programs are among the oldest in the nation and many of its faculty are nationally and internationally renowned.
The Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) major is one of the most respected in the nation and prepares students for careers in human service professions working with individuals and families. An HDFS degree also can provide an excellent foundation for either graduate school in the social, behavioral, and health sciences or for advanced professional training in clinical and counseling psychology, social work, law, business, medicine, dentistry, and the allied health professions. This major is distinctive in its view of the whole person and the entire human life span from infancy to old age. Our interdisciplinary approach makes use of an outstanding faculty of psychologists, anthropologists, sociologists, demographers, and biobehavioral scientists who help students develop knowledge either for practical applications or as a base for graduate study (Learn more about the faculty and their interests here).
A scientific approach is used in understanding development, change, and the differences among individuals and families over time and in different communities and cultures. Through this approach, students develop the skills necessary to understand diversity in human development. Diversity education is emphasized in all areas of the major.
WHY CHOOSE HDFS?
The nation's elderly population is growing, child abuse occurs all too frequently, single parent families are rapidly increasing, and greater numbers of children are in daycare. Because of these and other trends, the demand for HDFS graduates is strong. Graduates work in day-care centers, drug and alcohol treatment centers, hospitals, child and domestic abuse centers, runaway shelters, and other service agencies . The rapidly growing number of older people is expected to spur job growth for activity directors in nursing homes, retirement communities, adult day care programs, and social service agencies. "Human service worker" is a term used to describe a number of different job titles such as case manager, alcohol or drug abuse counselor, mental health case worker, child abuse worker, gerontology aide, adult daycare worker, and community outreach worker. Recent HDFS graduates have been employed in settings involved with prevention of child sexual abuse, tenant relations in urban apartment living, and counseling of dying patients and their families at a hospice. Graduates also are in demand in business and industry for their understanding of people, their knowledge of group dynamics, and their skills in training and in program development and evaluation.
Why Choose HDFS (.pdf)
The HDFS major also provides an excellent foundation either for graduate school in the social, behavioral, and health sciences or for advanced professional training in clinical and counseling psychology, social work, law, business, medicine, dentistry, and the allied health professions, such as physical therapy and occupational therapy.
WHAT DO HDFS STUDENTS LEARN?
As an HDFS student you will learn about concepts and research that have helped us to understand human development across the life span. You will learn how people and families develop--biologically, psychologically, and socially. You will study individuals and families in your own and other cultures, and learn how the family, the workplace, the community, and the larger culture affect and are affected by the individual. Along with a solid background in the basic knowledge about the development of individuals and families, you will also study problems such as child and spouse abuse, drug addiction, and divorce. You will learn skills for helping individuals, families, or groups through prevention or intervention techniques. In addition to examining specific problems such as child abuse and divorce, you will learn how human service agencies and professionals deal with these problems. You will study moral, ethical, and legal issues you will face as professionals and learn to evaluate alternative approaches to promoting optimal development. Also, you are encouraged to develop the leadership and managerial skills necessary for success in administration and evaluation of human service programs.
You have the opportunity to learn:
- critical thinking skills
- communication skills
- helping skills
- group process skills
- program planning skills
- intervention skills
- evaluation skills
- research skills
For general information about admission to the Pennsylvania State University, go the Undergraduate Admissions Office site.
Questions
Please use the links at the top of the page to navigate through materials relevant to HDFS Undergraduates. For additional information on topics not addressed on this site, please contact us.
Campuses
HDFS courses are available at campuses at the different locations. Some locations also offer HDFS bachelor's and associate's degrees. For information on campuses offering HDFS degrees, refer to the Degrees and Options page.
World Campus
Some HDFS courses and the associate's degree are offered online through the Penn State World Campus. Courses taken through the World Campus may satisfy requirements for a HDFS bachelor's degree.
Continuing Education
Some HDFS courses are offered off-campus through Continuing Education. For more information on these courses, please consult the Penn State Continuing Education website. Courses taken through Continuing Education may satisfy requirements for HDFS degrees.