Human Development and Family Science, PhD
The PhD in Human Development and Family Science utilizes interdisciplinary approaches to understand and enhance the well-being of children, youth, and families in diverse contexts.
Program overview
The mission of the Human Development and Family Science PhD, housed in the Department of Counseling, Human Development, and Family Science, is to be nationally and internationally recognized for advancing the understanding of the well-being of individuals across the lifespan and the family systems of which they are a part.
We are committed to teaching, research, and practices that are socially and scientifically significant. A cornerstone idea for our HDFS graduate programs is development in context, or the perspective that human development is best understood in terms of interconnections among families, neighborhoods, schools, communities, cultures, and international environments.
Doctoral students focus on:
- understanding how individuals develop, and families function in their community context
- research and scientific inquiry, preparing professionals to design and evaluate state-of-the-art scholarship, intervention, and prevention programs
- optimal development and holistic well-being across the lifespan AND
- engagement in productive research culminating in a doctoral dissertation
Why study Human Development and Family Studies?
Human Development and Family Science explores how people grow, learn, and change across the lifespan and how family systems, culture, and environment influence those experiences. It prepares you to support individuals and families through life’s most critical transitions and challenges.
Graduates are equipped to make meaningful differences in areas like early childhood education, family counseling, social services, policy, and community programming. The field develops strong skills in research, communication, advocacy, and human services that are applicable across countless settings and sectors.
What can you do with a PhD in Human Development and Family Studies after graduation?
Child & Family Policy Analyst
Evaluation Specialist
Nonprofit & Community Leadership
Research Scientist
Featured Courses
Theories in Human Development
Theoretical models of human development; analysis, synthesis, and discussion of historical and contemporary relevance of models; application of theory to research, prevention, intervention, and education; critical reading and evaluation of theory-based research regarding human development.
Theories in Family Science
Theoretical models of families: analysis, synthesis, and discussion of historical and contemporary relevance of models; application of theory to research, prevention, intervention, and education; critical reading and evaluation of theory-based research on family.
Diversity in Children and Families
Diversity in child and family contexts, focusing on variations that coincide with major axes of diversity in contemporary societies.
Research Methods in Human Development and Family Science
Empirical means of studying human behavior, evaluating, and conducting empirical research.
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