Undergraduate Programs
Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS)
For the Degree of Bachelor of Science in Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, Major in Human Development and Family StudiesThe Human Development and Family Studies Program prepares students for a variety of careers in human services, early childhood education, and public service, or for advanced study in individual and family development. Students can concentrate on their special interests in human development, such as infancy, early childhood, or adolescence, or on their special interests in family studies, such as the marital relationship, parent-child interaction, family change, or conflict and conflict management in the family. Basic courses in these areas are linked to practical experiences in educational and community settings. Such experiences help graduating students to find placement in a graduate educational program or employment in areas of greatest interest to them, such as child care services, family life education, human services, marriage and family counseling, pediatric services in hospitals, cooperative extension work, or business activities related to children or families. Students select one of two options in this major: child and adolescent development or family studies. Issues related to cultural diversity and gender are emphasized in most courses.
Course requirements
Following are current course requirements as listed in the UIUC Programs of Study Catalog. These requirements apply to students entering the HDFS program in or after Fall 2008.
To see a different organization of requirements, click to the appropriate curriculum checksheet or 4-year plan. Curriculum checksheets and 4-year plans list courses by number only.
Curriculum checksheets:
Child & Adolescent Development
Family Studies
Four-Year plans:
Child & Adolescent Development
Family Studies
Disclaimer:
The following course requirements are kept as up to date as possible. However, you should consult the department for the most recent version of the requirements in HDFS curricula. The requirements offered here do not constitute a legal definition of the curriculum in HDFS.
Required courses including General Education:
Composition I and Speech
RHET 105 - Principles of Composition, or equivalent
CMN 101 - Public Speaking
Advanced Composition
HDFS 401 - Socialization and Development or
HDFS 425 - Critical Family Transitions
Quantitative Reasoning
Mathematics (select one)
MATH 124 - Finite Mathematics or
MATH 220 - Calculus I or
MATH 234 - Calculus for Business I
Statistics (select one)
ACE 261 - Applied Statistical Methods, or
CPSC 141 - Intro to Applied Statistics, or
CPSC 440 - Applied Statistical Methods I, or
ECON 202 - Economic Statistics I, or
EPSY 480 - Educational Statistics, or
PSYC 235 - Intro to Statistics, or
SOC 280 - Intro to Social Statistics, or
STAT 100 - Statistics
Natural Sciences
ANTH 143 - Biology of Human Behavior
Select one additional course from Campus approved list
Humanities
Select two courses from Campus approved list
Social Sciences
PSYC 100 - Intro Psych
SOC 100 - Introduction to Sociology
Economics (select one)
ACE 100 - Agr Cons and Resource Econ, or
ECON 102 - Microeconomic Principles, or
ECON 103 - Macroeconomic Principles
Cultural Studies
Select from Campus approved list: one course from Western culture and one course from non-Western/U.S. minority culture
Foreign Language
Completion of a third-semester college language course, or completion of three years of the same foreign language in high school.
ACES Required
ACES 101 - Contemporary Issues in ACES (not required for intercollege transfer students)
ACE 161 - Microcomputer Applications
Two non-HDFS ACES courses (6 hours) selected from ABE, ACE, AGCM, AGED, ANSC, CPSC, FSHN, HORT, NRES, TSM
HDFS Required
HDFS Core (select all)
HDFS 105 - Intro to Human Development
HDFS 120 - Intro to Family Studies
HDFS 220 - Comparative Family Org
HDFS 290 - Intro to Research Methods
Health aspects (select one)
FSHN 120 - Contemporary Nutrition, or
CHLH 100 - Contemporary Health
Concentration required courses - see specific requirements for each concentration listed below.
Child and Adolescent Development
126 total hours
Child and Adolescent Development Concentration
The child and adolescent development concentration combines course work with practical experience to provide students with a broad base of knowledge regarding the physical, cognitive, and social development of children and adolescents. The diverse types of positions take by graduates of this concentration include early childhood educator, parent educator, child life specialist, adoption caseworker, and director of a day care center.
Concentration required courses:
Child and Adolescent Development Core (select all)
HDFS 301 - Infancy and Early Childhood
HDFS 305 - Middle Childhood
HDFS 401 - Socialization and Development
HDFS 405 - Adolescent Development
Diversity in HDFS (select one)
HDFS 208 - Child Fam with Special Needs, or
HDFS 321 - Asian Families in America, or
HDFS 340 - Gender, Relationships Society, or
HDFS 341 - Asian American Youth, or
HDFS 422 - US Latina and Latino Families
Applied Human Development (select one)
HDFS 206 - Early Childhood Curriculum Development, or
HDFS 294 - Research Internship, or
HDFS 406 - Child Dev Class Supervision, or
HDFS 450 - Practicum in HDFS
Family Studies Elective (select one)
HDFS 420 - Family Diversity in the US, or
HDFS 421 - History of American Families, or
HDFS 425 - Critical Family Transitions, or
HDFS 426 - Family Conflict Management
| BACK TO CONCENTRATIONS LIST |
Family Studies Concentration
Students in the family studies concentration focus on how families operate, develop, and change in response to the challenges of modern life. Course work covers the latest research and theories about dating, marriage, parenthood, divorce, life in single-parent and step-families, gender differences, and how families can learn to manage conflicts. Positions take by graduates of this concentration include family counselor, human resource specialist, caseworker, and family services coordinator.
Concentration required courses:
Family Studies Core
HDFS 425 - Critical Family Transitions
Two courses from:
HDFS 225 - Close Relationships, or
HDFS 420 - Family Diversity in the US, or
HDFS 421 - History of American Families, or
HDFS 426 - Family Conflict Management
Diversity in HDFS (select one)
HDFS 208 - Child Fam with Special Needs, or
HDFS 321 - Asian Families in America, or
HDFS 340 - Gender, Relationships Society, or
HDFS 341 - Asian American Youth, or
HDFS 422 - US Latina and Latino Families
Applied Family Studies (select one)
HDFS 206 - Early Childhood Curriculum Development, or
HDFS 294 - Research Internship, or
HDFS 450 - Practicum in HDFS
Human Development Elective (select one)
HDFS 301 - Infancy and Early Childhood, or
HDFS 305 - Middle Childhood, or
HDFS 401 - Socialization and Development, or
HDFS 405 - Adolescent Development