Human Development and Family Studies, M.S.

Requirements–33 units

Students who seek the Master of Science degree with a major in human development and family studies must meet the following requirements before they begin graduate-level study:

1. earn a bachelor’s degree from an accredited educational institution with course credit and/or work experience in human development, interpersonal relationships, families, or family economics;
2. maintain an overall undergraduate grade-point average of at least 3.0;
3. earn acceptable scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).

In the graduate program, students may specialize in an area of academic interest through the selection of electives and a thesis topic or professional paper. Twelve hours of credit in courses numbered 700 or above are required in addition to 6 credits in HDFS 797  or 3 credits in HDFS 796  . At least 24 of the total credits taken for the degree must be in human development and family studies, as listed below:

I. Foundation Courses–15 units

 *Students must include either HDFS 720  and HDFS 730  in their Foundation credits. Also, studnets must include one advanced development course and one advanced family course in their Foundation credits. HDFS 791  must also be included in the Foundation credits.

II. Research Courses (6 units)

• EDRS 700 - Introduction to Educational Research (3 units)
• EDRS 640 - Educational Measurements and Statistics (3 units)

III. Thesis or Professional Paper (6 or 3 units)

• HDFS 797 - Thesis (1 to 6 units) OR
• HDFS 796 - Professional Paper (1 to 3 units S/U Only)

IV. Area of Emphasis (6-9 units)

All students take a series of foundation courses in human development, family studies, research, and theory. Students take additional courses in an area of emphasis based on a topic of interest in conjunction with their faculty advisor. Examples include topics related to early childhood education, child and adolescent development, family studies, or addiction treatment services. The emphasis in Addiction Treatment Services has specific courses that students must take (see below) and requires an additional internship as well as a professional paper or thesis. All other areas of emphasis require at least 6-9 credits of elective coursework chosen by the student and his/her faculty advisor.

V. Area of Specialization in Addiction Treatment Services (15 units)

 A M.S. degree in Human Development and Family Studies with a Specialization from the Center for the Application of Substance Abuse Technologies (CASAT) - 36 credits. In addition to the Foundation Courses which includes an internship, there is an additional internship requirement of HDFS 792 - Internship in Addiction Services  . The research courses of EDRS 700  and EDRS 640  are also required

CAS 674  or its equivalent is a prerequisite for completing the “Required Courses”.