skip to content

Areas of Study

The graduate program includes examination of theory, research, and intervention/practice, and their interplay across the full lifespan of individual development and within the context of family and social systems. It includes an exploration of diversity in the ways persons develop within their social and familial contexts. There is a core curriculum designed to provide all students with this foundation.

Graduate study also includes an area of specialization. For most students, this will be one of four well-developed program areas within the Department. Two of these are primarily human development and two primarily family studies, but all include a focus on how human development and family studies are inextricably linked. These areas are:

Most individual students are likely to elect to have one of these areas of specialization. However, some students may prefer to use a broader definition of their program, probably based in a thematic approach to their studies that spans several of these areas. In fact, the Department's current faculty background and interests support several thematic programs, including:

  • public policy
  • family violence
  • culture and development
  • gender and development.

Other configurations may be developed and pursued, as long as the student ascertains that there are sufficient faculty and resources available to work with the student in her or his area of special interest. For further information, see the HDFS Graduate Handbook