About Us
A Contemporary Mission
Dramatic changes in the United States and around the world are altering individual life courses, family structure and functioning, and the communities in which people live. These fundamental social and economic shifts have created new challenges for human resource professionals. Dealing with complex human and social issues requires broad-based training in individual, family, and community studies. With families and communities in transition, it is increasingly important that this training come from researchers who use multiple perspectives and strategies for analyzing problems, developing solutions, and delivering information.
The Department of Human and Community Development (HCD) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign focuses on the interactions among human activity systems that form the building blocks of rural and urban societies world-wide. Faculty members engage in teaching, research, and outreach to improve the lives of children, youth, and adults in the contexts of families, communities, and societies. The department creates an environment where these efforts are enriched by a multicultural perspective. HCD faculty recognize the diversity of cultures and classes in American society, and this perspective prepares students to address contemporary social issues.
Participation in a Community of Scholars
Graduate programs within HCD are designed to provide students with the range of expertise required to meet today's social challenges. A favorable student-faculty ratio, interdisciplinary course work and research, and flexibility in tailoring courses of study characterize the Department's graduate programs. HCD course work can be combined with study in other nationally ranked University of Illinois units, including the Departments of Psychology, Anthropology, and Sociology; the School of Social Work; and the College of Education. Students have the opportunity to be involved in shaping personal programs while drawing from the resources of a major research university.
HCD is particularly well known for its dedication to research in natural settings which provides students with research experience that is relevant to real life issues and problems. HCD is home to a number of programs which provide special opportunities for student training and research. These include the Illinois Laboratory for Community Economic Development, which provides information and educational programs and conducts research on economic and social issues that are relevant to communities and community leaders; the Child Development Laboratory, a teaching and research program serving 192 infants, toddlers, and preschoolers and their families; and the Child Care Resource Service, which provides child care referral services for a six-county area. Other research facilities include early-development and family observation laboratories equipped with audio and video monitoring systems. In addition, student researchers have ready access to culturally diverse populations that are urban, suburban, and rural in character.
Several HCD faculty have appointments with University of Illinois Extension, which provides outreach and education to the state. The Department also has a strong association with the International Program for Agricultural Knowledge Systems, which conducts training, technical assistance, and research activities to strengthen agricultural institutions in developing countries, and with the program in Gender Roles and International Development.
Robert Hughes, Jr., Ph.D.
Professor and Head