University General Course Catalog 2016-2017

Dec 21, 2024

University General Course Catalog 2016-2017 ARCHIVED CATALOG: LINKS AND CONTENT ARE OUT OF DATE. CHECK WITH YOUR ADVISOR.

Human Development and Family Studies, M.S.

I. Contact Information

William Evans, Ph.D., Graduate Program Director
College of Education
wevans@unr.edu
(775)784-7013

II. Brief Introduction

The mission of the M.S. graduate program in Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) is to produce knowledgeable, well-qualified graduates who are prepared to enter the professional workforce as informed, well-rounded specialists in at least one area of the lifespan and in the study of the families, and who are prepared to undertake further graduate level education if desired.

III. Program Objectives/Student Learning Outcomes

The M.S. graduate program in HDFS aims to generate graduates who are well versed in content, theories, research methods, and the application of knowledge to practice. Graduate students specialize in early childhood education, child and adolescent development, family studies, or addiction treatment services. Graduate students conduct an original piece of research under faculty supervision in the form of a thesis or complete a professional paper, which includes earning the qualification of a Certified Family Life Educator.

IV. Admission Requirements

Priority consideration will be given to M.S. graduate program applicants who meet the requirements for graduate degree admission status listed below:

Meet the Graduate School admission requirements;
Complete the Graduate School application;
Complete the Application for Admission to the Master of Science Program in Human Development & Family Studies

Applications are due to the HDFS program by March 1 for fall admissions and by October 1 for spring admissions. In special circumstances, late applications may be considered. Consideration should be requested of the Director of Graduate Studies, Dr. Bridget Walsh.

V. Program Requirements

In the M.S. HDFS 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 21 of the total credits taken for the degree must be in human development and family studies, as listed below:

a. Foundation Courses (15 units)

Students must include HDFS 720 and HDFS 730 as well as HDFS 791 in their Foundation credits*.

i. Human Development (6 units)

Choose six units from the following, one of which must be HDFS 720 :

HDFS 631A - Advanced Human Development: Infancy (3 units)
HDFS 631B - Advanced Human Development: Childhood (3 units)
HDFS 631C - Advanced Human Development: Adolescence (3 units)
HDFS 720 - Theories of Human Development (3 units) *
CAS 637 - Aging and Addiction (3 units)
CAS 660 - Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders I (3 units)

ii. Family Studies ( 6 units)

Choose six units from the following, one of which must be HDFS 730 :

HDFS 634 - Family Life Education (3 units)
HDFS 636 - Family Interaction (3 units)
HDFS 638 - Children and Families in a Multiethnic Society (3 units)
HDFS 658 - Families and Public Policy (3 units)
HDFS 730 - Family Theories (3 units) *
CAS 761 - Couple and Family Treatment of Addictions (3 units)

iii. Internship (3 units)

HDFS 791 - Internship (3 units)

b. Research Courses (6 units)

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

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

HDFS 797 - Thesis (6 units) Students interested in pursuing further graduate study (i.e., a doctoral program) are strongly encouraged to complete the Thesis option. A thesis provides excellent preparation for completion of a dissertation, and in some doctoral programs, may be used to meet pre-dissertation research requirements. OR
HDFS 796 - Professional Paper (3 units) There are two options for the Professional Paper. Option A is an applied professional paper, Option B is a professional paper that includes the Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE) exam.

d. 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 (EX. CAS, ECE, EDU, EDUC, CEP, EL, PSY, SOC, SW, WMST). 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.

i. Addiction Treatment Services (12 units)

A. Required Courses (9 units)

Assessment (3 units)

CAS 759 - Assessment, Treatment and Case Management (3 units) OR
CEP 642B - Assessment and Diagnosis I (3 units)

Treatment (3 units)

CAS 760 - Addiction Counseling in Community Settings (3 units) OR
CAS 761 - Couple and Family Treatment of Addictions (3 units)
CAS 761 may be taken to fulfill the requirement of one advanced family course in the Foundations Courses.

Internship (3 units)

HDFS 792 - Internship in Addiction Services (3 to 6 units)
Supervised internship services. Written application required.

B. Electives (3 units)

Choose one course from the following:

CAS 637 - Aging and Addiction (3 units)
CAS 639 - Exploring Gambling Behaviors (3 units)
CAS 659 - Special Topics in Addiction (3 units)
Varied topics available: i.e., Women’s Issues, Violence, Behavioral Addictions, Clinical Supervision, Co-occurring Disorders.
CAS 660 - Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders I (3 units)
CAS 712 - Neuroscience of Addiction (3 units)

VI. Total Units (33 units) (36-39 units if completing the Addiction Treatment Services)

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 .

VIII. Undergraduate Prerequisites

Before beginning the M.S. graduate program in HDFS, students are expected to have completed an introductory level course on lifespan development (e.g., HDFS 201 Lifespan Human Development or similar), an introductory course on families (e.g., HDFS 202 Introduction to Families or similar), and an undergraduate course in research methods or statistics (e.g., HDFS 391 Introduction to Research or similar). Students who are accepted into the program without these prerequisites will be required to complete coursework in the deficit area(s). A plan for making up the deficit areas will be developed with the Director of Graduate Studies and the student’s initial advisor upon student admission to the program.