The Bachelor of Arts degree in Family Science and Human Development prepares students for careers working with individuals, children, youth, and families as practitioners and educators in a multitude of community, school, and workplace settings. Our unique, interdisciplinary approach provides students with both theoretical foundations and their applications for working with people. Students examine the various cultural, community, and socioeconomic contexts in which families function and study interventions used to support individuals and families across the life span, from infancy to old age. They learn approaches grounded in social justice, diversity, and
equity, and have opportunities to practice new skills with community engagement experiences.
The Children and Lifespan Development concentration prepares students to pursue certification for teaching at the early childhood (P-3) or elementary (K-6) level. Admission to the Teacher Education program is a separate process that students complete sophomore to junior year. Please visit the Teacher Education Program website for the required professional sequence of courses and other important program requirements, guidelines, and procedures. Students also are strongly advised to review the Teacher Education Program Handbook.
Admission to the Teacher Education Program version of this major requires admission to the Teacher Education Program. Students typically apply for admission in sophomore or junior year after completing the prerequisite courses. There are GPA, testing, and course completion requirements.
Degree Requirements Overview
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| New Student Seminar | 1 | |
| SEEDS General Education | 15-18 | |
| Major Requirements | 33 | |
| Co-Major in Elementary Education | 54-58 | |
| Free Electives | 17-10 | |
| Total Credits | 120 | |
Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Major Core | ||
| FSHD 101 | Introduction to the Content Areas in Family Science and Human Development | 3 |
| FSHD 114 | Introduction to Human Development | 3 |
| FSHD 141 | Interpersonal Relations | 3 |
| FSHD 248 | Family Life | 3 |
| FSHD 304 | Research Methods for Studying Families and Human Development | 3 |
| FSHD 315 | Community Engagement | 3 |
| FSHD 418 | Working with Diverse Families and Children | 3 |
| FSHD 445 | Poverty and Families | 3 |
| Concentration Requirements | ||
| FSHD 202 | Adult Development and Aging | 3 |
| FSHD 214 | Child Development I | 3 |
| FSHD 314 | Child Development II: Adolescence | 3 |
| Total Credits | 33 | |
Co-Major in Elementary Education
New Student Seminar
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Students in the Adult Learner program must take GNED 100. | ||
| Complete one course from the following. Some courses may be restricted by major. Consult with an academic advisor. | 1 | |
| Pathways to Success | ||
| Freshman Seminar in Chemistry | ||
| First Year Seminar | ||
| Adult Academic Success Seminar | ||
| New Student Seminar | ||
| Freshman Seminar in Health and Physical Education | ||
| Pathways to Adult Learning | ||
| New Student Seminar | ||
| New Student Experience for Mathematical Sciences | ||
| Freshman Seminar for Music Majors | ||
| Introduction to Nursing | ||
| Freshman Seminar in Political Science and Law | ||
SEEDS General Education Requirements
Click here for a list of courses that fulfill the SEEDS requirements.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Foundations | ||
| Effective Writing I | ||
| Complete one Effective Writing I course. | 3 | |
| Effective Writing II | ||
| Complete one Effective Writing II course. | 3 | |
| Interactive Communication | ||
| Fulfilled by FSHD 141 in the major. | ||
| Quantitative Reasoning | ||
| Fulfilled by MTHM 201 in the co-major. | ||
| Political and Civic Life | ||
| Fulfilled by ECEL 200 in the co-major. | ||
| World Language | ||
| Complete two sequential classes in one World Language when starting at the Beginner I or Beginner II level. Complete one class when starting at the Intermediate/Advanced Level. | 3-6 | |
| Exploration | ||
| Complete one course from four different Exploration categories: | 6 | |
| Analyzing Cultures and Societies | ||
| Fulfilled by FSHD 101 in the major. | ||
| Creative Expression | ||
| Ethical Inquiry | ||
| Historical Thinking | ||
| Literary and Artistic Analysis | ||
| Fulfilled by READ 209 in the co-major. | ||
| Scientific Reasoning | ||
| Total Credits | 15-18 | |
Recommended Roadmap to Degree Completion
This recommended degree plan is provided as an outline for students to follow in order to complete their degree requirements within four years and 120 credits. This plan is a recommendation and MUST be used in consultation with their academic advisor. Important note: Students should be aware this plan assumes no pre-requisite coursework is required. If pre-requisite coursework is needed, students may have additional requirements to fulfill which do not appear on the plan.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| FSHD 101 (Fulfills SEEDS: Exploration 1 – Analyzing Cultures and Societies) | 3 | FSHD 214 | 3 |
| FSHD 114 | 3 | FSHD 248 | 3 |
| FSHD 141 (Fulfills SEEDS: Interactive Communication) | 3 | SEEDS: Effective Writing II | 3 |
| New Student Seminar | 1 | SEEDS: Exploration 3 | |
| SEEDS: Exploration 2 | 3 | Free Elective | 3 |
| SEEDS: Effective Writing I | 3 | Free Elective | 3 |
| 16 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| ECEL 200 (Fulfills SEEDS: Political and Civic Life) | 3 | MTHM 201 (Fulfills SEEDS: Quantitative Reasoning) | 3 |
| FSHD 314 | 3 | READ 209 (Fulfills SEEDS: Exploration 4 - Literary and Artistic Analysis) | 3 |
| FSHD 304 | 3 | FSHD 202 | 3 |
| SEEDS: World Language 1 | 3 | FSHD 315 | 3 |
| Free Elective | 3 | SEEDS: World Language 2 or Free Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| MTHM 302 | 3 | ECSE 339 | 3 |
| READ 399 | 3 | ECEL 408 | 3 |
| ECEL 279 | 3 | READ 408 | 3 |
| FSHD 418 | 3 | FSHD 445 | 3 |
| Free Elective | 3 | Free Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| ECEL 410 | 3 | ECEL 414 | 9 |
| ECEL 412 | 3 | ECEL 421 | 3 |
| ECEL 427 | 3 | ||
| Free Elective | 4 | ||
| Free Elective | 4 | ||
| 17 | 12 | ||
| Total Credits 120 | |||