Greetings from the Department Head
Welcome to the Department of Human Development and Family Studies! HDFS takes an interdisciplinary approach to generating, disseminating, and applying knowledge about human development across the lifespan, in the context of family, culture, and society. Our mission is to use this knowledge to help resolve societal and developmental challenges faced by children, families, and our aging population, and to promote optimal development and opportunities for all.
As an academic unit in a research-oriented land grant university, we value the intersections between discovery and outreach, knowledge generation and dissemination. Toward this end, our faculty is engaged in research examining the development of basic human processes, like cognitive, social, and emotional skills, in the contexts of families, schools, culture, diversity, and other contexts, across the life span. A driving force behind this work is our commitment to the application of research findings to programs and policies that enhance the lives of individuals and families. A strength of our faculty lies in expertise related to program development and evaluation.
We strongly value outreach, and ground all our outreach activities within our teaching and research missions. Thus, we take great pride in delivering evidence-based services to the community. We invite you to find out more about our Centers – the Early Childhood Center and the Center for Family and Couple Therapy – as well as the CSU Center on Aging in the College of Applied Human Sciences. We have a strong partnership with CSU Extension, and participate in many Extension programs and activities.
We are very proud of our undergraduate program. We offer an undergraduate degree in HDFS that emphasizes the importance of experiential learning as well as a thorough grounding in theories and research in HDFS. Students have the opportunity to work toward certification or licensure in three programs: The Early Childhood Education Licensure Program, Child Life, and the Gerontology Interdisciplinary Studies Program. We are pleased to offer an on-line HDFS baccalaureate degree completion program that meets the needs of working individuals and distance learners.
It is also an exciting time for graduate education in HDFS. We currently offer a master’s degree in HDFS, with specialization in either Marriage and Family Therapy or Family and Developmental Studies. We participate in an interdisciplinary PhD with the School of Education. Pending final approval, we anticipate offering a PhD in Applied Developmental Science beginning in the 2009/2010 academic year.
This is an exciting time to be part of HDFS! Our faculty is growing. Our research and educational programs are expanding. We invite you to explore our website and learn about what we do.