› Human Development and Family Studies UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM
In the HDFS program, you will learn how people and families develop biologically, psychologically, and socially
› Human Development and Family Studies
Learning About the Person
› BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE
Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) is a program in Penn State’s College of Health and Human Development. In the HDFS program, you learn how people and families develop biologically, psychologically, and socially. It also provides you the opportunity to learn the foundations of working in a wide range of human services with many different groups of people. We will support you as you learn about promoting normal development, identifying and managing real-life problems, and intervening when appropriate. Through HDFS’s interdisciplinary approach, you will learn about the intricacies of the human lifespan from birth to old age. You will explore the biological, psychological, and the sociological facets of life in order to help others live healthy, successful lives. With a focus on child and adolescent development, adult development and aging, biological aspects of human development, family studies, or prevention and developmental research, students learn how individuals progress and change from birth to old age; how families and communities influence these processes; and how to apply this knowledge in order to develop, implement, and evaluate interventions designed to improve people’s lives.
› Program overview The program helps you prepare for a career where you will work with people in a supportive role. Life Span Human Services Option
Life Span Developmental Science Option
As a student in LSHS, you will focus on family functioning and human development for the purposes of enhancing people’s lives. This option is designed to assist you to gain knowledge and experience through coursework and internship opportunities.
As a student in LSDS, your focus will be on understanding the theories and methods of developmental and family research. The coursework and research experiences in this option will help you to develop critical thinking and writing skills. You will work closely with faculty conducting research.
Students can pursue one of four optional emphases: Addressing Individual and Family Problems; Health, Wellness, and Prevention; Advocacy and Policy; and Business, Technology, and Service Innovation.
Concurrent Majors
Minors
If you are interested in teaching, HDFS has a concurrent major option that allows you to earn a degree in HDFS (either option) and a bachelor of science degree in Childhood and Early Adolescent Education.
The HDFS minor is useful in many fields that require an understanding of individual and family development, such as health care, education, liberal arts, business, and law. HDFS is also home to the intercollege minor in Gerontology, which is designed to assist students in gaining an in-depth understanding of the aging process and old age.
Help prevent and treat social and mental health problems and become an advocate for new social policies and programs. Careers You will study individuals and families in your own and other cultures and learn how the family, workplace, schools, the community, and the larger culture affect and are affected by the individual. Along with a solid background on the healthy development of individuals and families, you will study how to prevent problems such as child, spouse and elder abuse, substance use, and divorce. You will learn skills for helping individuals, families, or groups through prevention programs and other intervention techniques. In addition to examining specific problems, you will learn how human service agencies and professionals deal with these problems.
As a successful student in HDFS, you will have the opportunity to gain skills and knowledge in: • The complexity of individual and family development across the life span in diverse contexts and changing environments • Evaluating and applying research and theory to practice and policy • Analyzing processes, policies, and contextual factors that affect the delivery of human services to individuals and families • The professional, ethical, and culturally sensitive standards of conduct • Helping, leadership, and administrative skills for human services
› Careers Overview Social work, counseling, and psychology
Business careers
If you are interested in exploring careers in social work, counseling, and psychology, many careers are available. Working in these fields during the summer or school year may help you decide if you want to pursue this kind of career.
Businesses need individuals with strong people skills. HDFS students receive training in communicating, listening, understanding group processes and dynamics, and working with others. These skills are essential to business. HDFS students can pursue careers in human resources, public relations, training, and development.
Teaching and education If you are interested in careers that involve teaching and education, there are a number of options. HDFS students work in childcare centers, youth service organizations, and adult education. They can work for America Reads or enter programs like Teach for America. Learn about our dual-degree program with Childhood and Early Adolescent Education. You can combine your love of HDFS with a degree in education that can lead to PK-4 teacher certification.
Advocacy and non-profit work As an HDFS student interested in careers that involve advocacy and non-profit work, you have a lot of options. Local and national organizations have people who combine their knowledge of healthy human development and intervention with good administrative and management skills to work at non-profit organizations focused on solving social problems. These jobs involve less direct service and more program coordination and planning, developing public information materials, and advocating for social change.
Health careers If you are interested in exploring health-related careers, you can combine your interest in helping people with clinical training or providing support in a medical setting. A range of careers is available for students interested in health-related careers, including medicine, psychiatry, and clinical psychology.
Research Students with strong quantitative skills may want to consider a career in research. Penn State is a world-class research institution, and professors in the HDFS department are engaged in a number of research topics. With a number of research career opportunities, it is possible to get a position after graduation, particularly if you have worked on a research project as an undergraduate student.
You will study moral, ethical, and legal issues that you will face as professionals and learn to evaluate alternative approaches to promoting optimal development
› Human Development and Family Studies College of Health and Human Development The Pennsylvania State University 315 Health and Human Development–East University Park, PA 16802 814-863-8000 hhd.psu.edu/hdfs
Penn State is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, and is committed to providing employment opportunities to minorities, women, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and other protected groups. Nondiscrimination: http://guru.psu.edu/policies/AD85.html (UNDG16067) U.Ed. HHD 16-067