Graduate Programs
HCD Handbook for Graduate Students & Advisors
The HCD Graduate Handbook details our departmental policies regarding student admissions, advising, degree requirements, employment, and evaluation of progress. We encourage students and advisers to consult this handbook for answers to common questions, when preparing to take qualifying and preliminary exams, and when preparing to submit theses or dissertations.
In addition to the below HCD Handbook, students and advisers are encouraged to consult the Graduate College Handbook, which describes University policy and procedures that apply to all graduate students, including those that govern assistantships.
OVERVIEW
ADMISSIONS
EVALUATION OF GRADUATE STUDENT PROGRESS
Annual Review of Graduate Students Overview
Click here for Annual Review Form to be filled out by adviser
MS/MSW WITH A CONCENTRATION IN MARRIAGE AND FAMILY SERVICES
Dual Degree (MS/MSW) Program Overview
Click here for degree checklist
Click here if you have a statistics deficiency
PHD IN HCD
How to Remedy a Statistics Deficiency
The Qualifying Exam (aka "critical analysis paper") new policy effective 4/8/08
"Applied Option" for HCD Doctoral Students
Supplemental MS Degree in Applied Statistics
Recommended Timeline for HCD Doctoral Students
HCD Core
All HCD doctoral students are required to take the following:
One advanced quantitative methods course
One advanced qualitative methods course
Two advanced statistics courses. Click here for list of choices.
Please note the the specific courses taken to meet these core requirements may vary by concentration.
In addition to the core, all HCD doctoral students must complete the course requirements of a CSO or HDFS concentration.
CSO Concentration
CSO Concentration
In addition to their HCD core, CSO students must take Community Theories in their first semester in the program. Further, they must take at least three of the following substantive courses:
Community in American Society
Neighborhood Effects on Human Development
Community Development
Community Mobilization
Education and Human Capital
Experiential Learning
Click here for the CSO degree checklist.The checklist details how to proceed depending upon whether or not one has entered with a Master's degree.
HDFS Concentration
In addition to their HCD core, HDFS students must take both Human Development Theories and Family Theories in their first year. Further, they must take 2 Human Development substantive courses and 2 Family Studies substantive courses.
Human Development courses include:
Social and Emotional Development of Children
Advanced Adolescence
Family Studies courses include:
Ethnic Families
Family Interactions
Family Resliency
Intimate Partner Violence
Gender and Sexuality
Gender in International Development
Parenting
Please note that some of the above courses are 2-hour and some are 4-hour. When meeting HDFS concentration requirements, what matters is the number of courses rather than the number of hours. See the below checklist for further information.
Click here for the HDFS degree checklist. The checklist details how to proceed depending upon whether or not one has entered with a Master's degree.
If you have any additional questions, please contact the Graduate Secretary or the Director of Graduate Programs.
Elective Courses for HCD Graduate Students
Here is a list of elective courses that can supplement your coursework in HCD. These are drawn from across UIUUC and organized by research topics. List of Elective courses.