Human development and family science is an interdisciplinary field of study that applies knowledge and research about individuals and families in a changing world. This discipline concerns the study of an individual’s physical, emotional, social, cognitive, and spiritual development from birth through adulthood and how that individual development impacts the family unit.
Students gain the knowledge and service-learning experience required to plan, implement, and evaluate educational programs and services designed to optimize family functioning within the larger society. Courses expose students to both the research and theory supporting the ten content areas required to become a certified family life educator through the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR). The content areas include families and individuals in societal contexts, internal dynamics of families, human growth and development across the lifespan, human sexuality, interpersonal relationships, family resource management, parent education and guidance, family law and public policy, professional ethics and practice, and family life education methodology.
