Human Development and Family Studies is the interdisciplinary study of individuals and relationships across the lifespan in diverse contexts of families, communities, and cultures. Ph.D. candidates are prepared to transform the human experience through applied research rooted in social justice.
Doctoral students collaborate with faculty mentors in experiences related to applied research, developing a focal area of scholarship. Each student completes rigorous course work, including research methodology, comprehensive exams, and the dissertation. Student achievements are documented in a professional portfolio throughout the doctoral program.
The Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Human Development and Family Studies offers three concentrations from which students may choose. Learn more about each concentration below.
The Learning Goals of the HDFS Ph.D. provide a focus for each student’s training. Each student crafts their own focus and has choices in the course work, research, and other learning experiences, as they work to meet the common learning goals.
Use foundational and contemporary theoretical frameworks, relevant to the study of individuals and families in context, to explain developmental and/or change processes.
Construct (organize, make sense of) and critically evaluate the body of empirical knowledge for a field/topic of study to identify gaps and justify new directions.
Critically analyze and make sound methodological decisions, implement a research study, and defend choices.
Demonstrate effective written and oral communication to disseminate information to a scholarly audience, integrating theory, empirical knowledge, and research methods as appropriate.
Demonstrate effective teaching, including instructional design and implementation.
Use HDFS theory and research to address real-world problems in practice, programming, or policy.
Demonstrate ethical behavior in all aspects of scholarship and articulate understanding of ethical issues in research, teaching, and practice.
Admission to the doctoral program in human development and family studies is based on evidence of academic ability, research potential, leadership qualities, and fit of research interests with potential faculty mentors. Admission to the program assumes a background in the behavioral sciences; collateral course work that does not count toward the doctoral degree may be required where background is inadequate. Students who apply for the Human Development and Family Studies Ph.D. program must participate in an interview with a selected faculty committee. Students are admitted to the degree program in fall semester only.
Visit the Human Development and Family Studies website for more information.
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