Human Development & Family Science, B.S.

You’ll gain comprehensive preparation for a dynamic career helping people by learning human growth and development theories and research methods; knowledge of the diversity of lifespan development and family processes; solving real-world problems affecting children, youth, adults, and families; and developing ethical professional skills.

Educational Objectives

Our focus on applied and translational learning will prepare you to create tools and resources for children, youth, and families, such as family education programs, multilingual intervention workshops on preventing teen drug use, or improving communication for couples instructional videos.

Our incorporation of diversity and inclusion throughout the curriculum will add a contemporary element reflecting the diversity of California and across the U.S. preparing you to provide effective service and intervention that reflect the diversity of families and family types we see today.

Our emphasis on human growth and development across the entire lifespan, in applied contexts, and within the science of families will distinguish your learning with depth and breadth of knowledge that will set you apart in your future academic and career pursuits.

Our program’s engaging Capstone Project will position you to create an intervention, develop the curriculum, deliver it to a real audience, and evaluate the results, providing you with the real-world skills and perspective employers and graduate schools are looking for.

Complete one of the following courses:

• HDFS 200 - Introduction to Child Development Units: 3
• HDFS 350 - Lifespan Development: Transition and Change Units: 3
• HDFS 360 - Child Development Units: 3

Or equivalent 

Complete all of the following core courses:

• HDFS 301 - Advanced Reading and Writing in HDFS Units: 3
• HDFS 302 - Research Methods in HDFS Units: 3
• HDFS 303 - Professional Development in HDFS Units: 3
• HDFS 380S - Service Learning Human Dev Units: 2
• HDFS 382 - Program Development and Evaluation in HDFS Units: 3   OR
• PANM 422 - Program Planning and Evaluation Units: 3
• HDFS 400A - Pre-Capstone Units: 1
• HDFS 400B - Capstone Seminar Units: 3

Complete nine (9) units total from the Phase-specific coursework in List A and List B:

List A

• HDFS 356 - Infancy and Early Childhood Units: 3
• HDFS 358 - Middle Childhood Units: 3

List B

• HDFS 365 - Adolescence Units: 3
• HDFS 371 - Adulthood & Aging Units: 3

Complete a minimum of six (6) units from the following Development in Context coursework:

• HDFS 341 - Family Violence: Identification, Prevention, and Intervention Units: 3
• HDFS 342 - Human Development, Technology and the Media Units: 3
• HDFS 344 - Death and Dying Units: 3
• HDFS 353 - Cross-Cultural Human Development Units: 3
• HDFS 355 - Behavioral and Emotional Disorders of Childhood and Adolescence Units: 3
• HDFS 377 - Geriatrics & Gerontology Units: 3

Complete a minimum of six (6) units from the following Family Science coursework:

• HDFS 310 - Parenting Across the Lifespan Units: 3
• HDFS 315 - Risk and Resiliency in Families Units: 3
• HDFS 321 - Diverse Families Units: 3
• HDFS 322 - Immigrant Families Across the Lifespan Units: 3
• HDFS 340 - Close Relationships and Family Development Units: 3

Complete one of the following Interdisciplinary Health Science courses:

• KIN 360 - Nutritional Science Units: 3
• KIN 363 - Human Sexuality Units: 3

As a student in the program you’ll gain distinctive insights into the types of individuals, families, and communities specific to our region and California as a whole. Your coursework and hands-on training will deliver science-based knowledge of diverse families, immigrant families, and the strength of families reflecting the coastal community in which they live.

Through service learning, classroom projects, and throughout the program, you’ll find opportunities to work with children and teens in real-world settings such as classrooms, preschool classrooms, social service agencies, teen shelters, and in elementary, middle, and high school settings, positively affecting individuals and families. You can also tailor your service activities to provide also be able to provide support for children with developmental challenges, intellectual disabilities, or serious health problems, youth who are migrants, foster youth, adults who are unhoused, and families from under-resourced populations.