Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) is an interdisciplinary department focusing on the development of families and individuals across the life span. Students learn to identify factors that influence cognitive, emotional, social, and physical development through infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and later adulthood in the contexts of culture and family.

Graduates from the program work in a variety of human service settings. These include youth services organizations; early childhood, elementary and parent education programs; health care settings; juvenile and adult corrections; family and community services; and long-term care facilities. Graduates are also well prepared to pursue an advanced degree in the behavioral and social sciences, or other professional programs.

1. Get to know faculty! Build relationships with your professors and learn more about their research areas because they are a great resource to you on your path to graduation and career.
2. Do informational interviews with faculty and professionals in the community to gain career awareness and tips to achieve your career goals.
3. Research possible careers in HDFS via handouts in the HDFS undergraduate advising office and utilizing various CSU Career Center resources: www.career.colostate.edu.
4. Get involved!! There are so many student organizations, clubs, and extracurricular activities at CSU! Getting involved will help you network with people for job and internship opportunities and it will help you meet people with shared interests.
5. Be proactive in your education and your quest for a career. Seek out opportunities that will be beneficial to you.
6. Meet with an advisor at least once per year, and go to the Career Center. Your advisor and the career counselors are there to assist you as you are planning your future!
7. Read the HDFS Hot Tips! You may be missing out on important meetings and information if you don’t at least glance over each Hot Tips email.
8. Don’t procrastinate!
9. Go to class.
10. Have fun.

HDFS students are not assigned to a specific advisor. You can meet with any advisor who is available at the time of your requested appointment time.

To schedule an appointment with any of the advisors below, please call 491-4947.

• Anne Van Arsdall
  Undergraduate Coordinator and Key Advisor
  annevan@cahs.colostate.edu
  491-7423

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• Barbara McCornack
  Academic Advisor
  barbaram4@juno.com
  491-4947

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• Christine Helfrich
  Advisor (good resource for those interested graduate programs, especially Marriage and Family Therapy)
  Christine.helfrich@colostate.edu
  491-4947

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• Peer Advisors
  Good resource for advice on classes, instructors, and other student life questions. PA’s manage the change-of-major process
  491-4947

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• ECE Advisor- Early Childhood Education (ECE) Licensure Program Advisor ONLY.
  Day Halsey
  Day.halsey@colostate.edu
  491- 3534

To schedule an appointment with an advisor, please call (970) 491-4947, or drop by Gifford 100 and look for a peer advisor to assist you. Weekly walk-ins hours are posted outside 100 Gifford on the bulletin board. This semester’s walk-in hours are Mondays 10-12, Tuesdays 12:30-2:30, Wednesdays 1:30-3:30, Thursdays 11-1, and Fridays 9:30-11:30. While we try to keep these walk-ins hours as consistent as possible, occasionally walk-ins hours may need to be canceled due to staff illness or urgent meetings.

To change your major to HDFS, please schedule an appointment with a peer advisor by calling 491-4947. Please Note: If you are NOT a freshmen, you must have taken or be enrolled in PSY 100 and SOC 100 before you can change your major. We will not be able to finish the change-of-major process without these classes.

Common minors include:

• Business
• Foreign languages

Common interdisciplinary programs include:

• GISP (Gerontology Interdisciplinary Studies Program)
• Women Studies
• International Development
• Religious Studies

Here is a detailed list of all minors and ISP programs: Possiblities for Elective Credits

A list of career possibilities is available here: HDFS Career Options

For more detailed information about specific careers, see the career files available in 100 Gifford on:

• Child Life
• Social Services
• Student Affairs
• Research
• Program Coordinating, Fundraising, and Advertising
• Human Services
• Public Relations and Human Resources
• Health Professions

On your RamWeb account, you will be able to see when you can register. If you are not done with Registration Ready, you will have to click on all of the boxes that appear red and fill in the information needed. Once you have completed all of those steps, your RamWeb should look like this:

NOTE: If you currently have less than 60 credits, you will NOT be able to register without an advising code.

An advising code is required for all HDFS students in order to register. The advising code is a 6 digit number that grants a student access to the registration page in the RAMweb system. If you have less than 60 credits, you will have to attend one of the several group advising meetings held in the weeks prior to registration in order to obtain an advising code. You will receive the times for the group advising meetings through HDFS Hot Tips emails, and they will also be posted in the Gifford Building. These meetings will teach you about what classes you need to take, how to look up your academic progress online, and will provide other important advising information. If you have 60 credits or more, you will be able to register without an advising code on the date the RamWeb indicates.

You can see a complete list of all AUCC classes at www.catalog.colostate.edu/front/aucc.aspx

A list of all classes needed to graduate are listed here: Curriculum Checksheet

Every HDFS student needs 5 courses (14 credits) in the area of their interest. Below are the typical career interest areas of HDFS students. Seek out faculty, advisors, and career counselors’ assistance if still deciding on a career interest area. Once you’ve decided on your career interest use the following guides for selecting courses. Each guide also includes elective suggestions if you have extra credits to fulfill. If you are still exploring careers it is sometimes helpful to take some classes from various lists to test out different career areas. Also, it is OK to start off with one interest and transition to another. See an academic advisor for assistance in selecting courses that meet your unique career goals.

See specific handouts for:

• Early Childhood and Elementary Education/Children and families
• Adolescents and Families
• Adulthood and Aging
• Health Professions
• Child Life Specialist
• Research/Graduate School

HDFS students all need between 23-33 elective credits. Therefore, it is typically easy to add a minor or interdisciplinary study program to increase their repertoire of knowledge and experiences. It is also an option to study abroad, join the presidential leadership program, peer advise, be a teacher’s assistant, join the HDFS Academic Interest Group, or complete an independent study or research assistantship with faculty. Here is a detailed list of great options for use of elective credit: Possibilities for Elective Credits

A pre-requisite is a class that you must have in order to move on to the next level. Unless otherwise noted, all pre-requisites in the department are enforced. For a list of all currently required courses and their prerequisites print off our course check sheet or look in the General Catalog.

Undergraduate students who wish to register for more than 18 credits per term must have an overload approved by their advisor. Please schedule an appointment with the key advisor, Anne Van Arsdall, to get this overload approved. To schedule an appointment, call 491-4947

An override is when a departmental advisor or the Registrar’s Office takes off the blocker for students to register for a particular course. If you need an override because RamWeb is not acknowledging a prerequisite for an HDFS course or that you are an HDFS major, contact a HDFS advisor. For any other reasons, contact the professor of the HDFS class, and ask them if an override is a possibility. Here is the contact information for all the faculty in the HDFS department: Advising Resources

For any classes outside of the HDFS department, please contact the department offering the course for more information about whether or not an override is a possibility for the course in question.

Yes! To see the classes that are offered online at CSU, go to www.learn.colostate.edu Click on the Online/Distance tab.
For HDFS and All-University Core Curriculum (AUCC) classes, go to Undergraduate Credit Courses and simply choose from the list provided. Once you have clicked on the class, if the section is still open, you should be able to add it to your “cart” and then check-out at the end. Online courses are billed to students through the regular tuition process but please note there is a difference in cost of tuition.

For a list of classes that are offered during the summer, go to www.summer.colostate.edu

Yes! Many students choose to take courses at other institutions while they are away for the summer or in addition to their CSU courses during the academic year. Please be sure to check u.select tool for information about which courses will transfer to CSU from other institutions. From your Ram Web Tools, click on u.select. Then, click on “Guest Login” on the left-hand column. From there, you can choose “Equivalencies by School” Then click on Colorado State University, and then you can find the institution which you want to transfer classes from.

If you have any questions, please see your advisor BEFORE you take courses from another institution.

For any transfer courses taken at another institution, please remember that you must earn at least a C or better in order for the course to transfer and you must have an official copy of your transcript sent to the Transfer Evaluation office as soon as you have completed the course.

You can send your transcript to:
Transfer Evaluation Office
Colorado State University
100 Administration Annex
Fort Collins, CO 80523-1063

The practicum is the first class in the HDFS experiential learning sequence. The experiential learning sequence is designed to allow students to have hands-on experience working in the community with a population of interest to the student. Students complete on-site volunteerism 6 hours a week (12 hours/week during summer), and attend class to set goals for their practicum experience ,to learn about APA writing style, ethics, observational skills, and academic planning, to perform informational interviews, and to complete other assignment that provide insight on students’ career goals. Students select from six local practicum placements and begin the background check process during a mandatory placement meeting the semester prior to participating in the practicum - practicum placement details.

Students completing a practicum through Continuing Education will contact the instructor to arrange their own placement if they live and work beyond 30 miles from CSU. They will complete background check paperwork via correspondence and so do not need to attend the otherwise required placement meeting. Likewise, their summer hours may vary from the typical 12 hours that the on campus class requires. Total required field placement hours for both resident and online instruction is 90 hours.

An internship is a requirement and an opportunity for Human Development and Family Studies students to obtain structured field experience in an organization, school, or company in the community that will help students receive hands-on learning in an HDFS field that they are considering or pursuing for careers. Students are able to choose from between 5- 8 credits and may do the internship during the summer or school semesters.

• 5 credits= 200 contact hours (~14 hours/week, 17 hours/week during summer)
• 6 credits= 240 contact hours (~16 hours/week; 20 hours/week during summer)
• 7 credits= 280 contact hours (~19 hours/week; 24 hours/week during summer)
• 8 credits= 320 contact hours (~22 hours/per; 27 hours/week during summer)

Note: the above hours may vary for a summer internship taken through Continuing Education.

The internship program participates with a variety of companies and organizations in the community. For a complete list of the internships that you can choose from, see the Yellow Book in 100 Gifford. A mandatory meeting takes place each semester for students taking the internship in the following semester in order to begin the placement process and complete required background checks - internship placement details.

Students completing an internship through Continuing Education will contact the instructor to arrange their own placement if they live and work beyond 30 miles from CSU. They will complete background check paperwork via correspondence and so do not need to attend the otherwise required placement meeting.

There are binders in the Undergraduate Advising Office in 100 Gifford that provide information on the available practicum and internship sites. The purple binder is the practicum site binder and the yellow and white book is the internship binder. Sites are listed on the first page in categories based on your population interest. You must do your practicum and internship at one of the sites provided. If students are completing the practicum or internship via Continuing Education and live and work beyond 30 miles from CSU, they will need to contact their course instructors for guidance on securing the field placements.

Internship and practicum experiences must be taken while enrolled in HDFS 286 and HDFS 477 and 488 and the sites must be university pre-established practicum/internship sites. You can contact an academic advisor if you have further questions about this.

In accordance with University guidelines regarding the outcome assessment of all students, seniors complete a capstone seminar. This is designed to allow students the opportunity to demonstrate their skills in oral and written communication, principles of human development and family studies, research methodology, and the professional skills necessary in human services settings. Students work in groups to create and present a detailed program for a specific population, and learn how to write a grant to fund their programs.

A cognate is an integrated academic or research experience, planned with an academic advisor and approved by the Coordinator of Undergraduate Advising. It consists of a minimum of three upper division classes and requires a minimum of 9 credits. The cognate serves to build knowledge and competency in specified areas related to the student’s goals. Specific courses or blocks of courses assist in the exploration or preparation for clearly identified career goals or directions. Cognates are beneficial as students prepare for specific teacher education programs, work to meet the prerequisite requirements for physician's assistants' programs or law school, or prepare for other professional areas. Sometimes students have defined interests and will benefit from defined blocks of courses related to a minor, interdisciplinary program, or a self -built focus. A cognate is completed in lieu of Field Placement (HD488) and Professional Skills Development II (HD477).

Turn this completed form into Anne Van Arsdall’s inbox (100B Gifford) for review - Cognate application.

Download the ECE handout.

Call 491-4947 to schedule an appointment with Ms. Halsey (ECE program advisor).

• The Pre-ECE advisor is:
• Day Halsey
• 491-3534
• day.halsey@colostate.edu

The ECE program takes 2 years to complete, so most students apply their sophomore year. The applications are available in November and are due in February.

There are many options for elementary school education if ECE is not an option for you. Many programs around Colorado offer year-long post-bachelor teacher licensure programs for K-6 education with the option of completing a master’s degree.
UNC Program
CU-D Program

Child Life is a therapeutic approach to helping children and their families prior, during, and following the hospitalization experience. The hospitalization experience, whether for chronic or acute diagnoses, can prove to be very stressful for children. The Child Life Specialist (certification indicated by initials CCLS following the name) is primarily responsible for developmental assessments and planned interventions, using play (particularly medical play) as a learning medium and for affect expression, teaching coping strategies that are age and procedure appropriate, doing pre and post operative processing, and serving as an advocate for the child within the hospital environment. The CCLS also provides support for parents and siblings through programs and support groups. She/he plans and executes both bedside and playroom activities and is often present during painful procedures or postoperatively to provide support for the child. Child Life Specialists are part of the health care team that includes doctors, nurses, physical therapists, social workers, and other health care professionals. For more information, see: Child Life Advising Guide

• Contact Dr. David MacPhee
• 491-5503
• macphee@cahs.colostate.edu

View Child Life course requirements

The primary purpose of the Gerontology Interdisciplinary Studies Program (GISP) is to provide students with background knowledge and practicum/internship experiences necessary to work effectively with and for older adults in various settings. GISP is designed for persons desiring a career in gerontology, those pursuing a career change, and those already in the field who seek to enhance their promotional opportunities. This certificate program can give professionals in many disciplines an increased awareness of, and added expertise in, the field of aging. For more information, see - GISP handout.

To apply for the GISP program, stop by Gifford 100 to fill out an application. Apply early to be considered for scholarships and to receive the best advising for the program - GISP Application.

• Contact Dr. Christine Fruhauf
• 491-1118
• cfruhauf@cahs.colostate.edu

Students interested in pursuing post-bachelor programs in allied health/health professions should be seeking out advising from the pre-health professions advisors in the Center for Advising and Student Achievement, in addition to the advisors within the HDFS program. http://www.casa.colostate.edu/

• Contact the Center for Advising and Student Achievement
• 491-7095
• http://www.casa.colostate.edu/

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• Contact Dr. David MacPhee
• 491-5503
• macphee@cahs.colostate.edu