BS in Human Development and Family Science with Emphasis in Early Childhood Education in a Mobile Society
Degree Program Description
This online bachelor's of science degree prepares students to work in the field of early childhood education. This program emphasizes the following areas: Child development, growth, and learning; Early education curricula and frameworks; Learning activities, technology use, and other experiences for young children; Family and community influences on children; Challenges facing families in today’s world; Assessment of children and environments; Professional and ethical standards; Hands-on experiences and clinical practice. Upon completion of the program, students are qualified to work in various early education and care settings serving children from birth through eight years in a wide variety of community and military settings, including early education centers and preschools, family and home care settings, Head Start and Early Head Start programs, and before/after school programs.
Major Program Requirements
The program is offered by Human Development and Family Science faculty in conjunction with other university partners as part of the IDEA Online Higher Education Alliance. Interested applicants will apply for admission to this program through the undergraduate admissions office at the University of Missouri and to the Department of Human Development and Family Science. Courses will be taught by University of Missouri faculty and by scholars from other IDEA institutions, including Iowa State University, Oklahoma State University, and University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Your degree will be awarded by the University of Missouri.
Students must complete all university requirements, including general education, in addition to the degree requirements below.1 All students must earn a grade of C- or higher, and a minimum 2.0 GPA overall in all HDFS courses taken to meet the HDFS degree requirements.2 A minimum of 120 credit hours is required to earn the degree.
| Required Courses | ||
| H_D_FS 1600 | Foundations of Family Science 3 | 3 |
| H_D_FS 2200 | Research Methods in Human Development and Family Science | 3 |
| H_D_FS 2300 | Multicultural Study of Children and Families | 3 |
| H_D_FS 2400W | Principles of Human Development - Writing Intensive | 3-4 |
| or H_D_FS 2400 | Principles of Human Development | |
| H_D_FS 3050 | Child Development: Infancy and Toddlerhood | 3 |
| H_D_FS 3150 | Child Development: Preschool to Pre-Adolescence | 3 |
| H_D_FS 3250 | Introduction to Early Childhood Education in a Mobile Society | 3 |
| H_D_FS 3350 | Child Guidance and Classroom Environments | 3 |
| H_D_FS 3450 | Health, Safety and Nutrition | 3 |
| H_D_FS 3550 | Technology and Young Children | 3 |
| H_D_FS 3650 | Diversity in the Lives of Young Children and Families | 3 |
| H_D_FS 3750 | Working with Families | 3 |
| H_D_FS 4150 | Development of Curriculum for Children Ages Birth to 3 | 3 |
| H_D_FS 4250 | Development of Curriculum for Children 4-8 | 3 |
| H_D_FS 4350 | Assessing Young Children and their Environments | 3 |
| H_D_FS 4450 | Understanding and Adapting for Developmental Differences | 3 |
| H_D_FS 4550 | Practicum II: Curriculum Development and Implementation | 3 |
| H_D_FS 4650 | Administration/Supervision in Early Childhood Settings | 3 |
| H_D_FS 4750 | Practicum III: Capstone Experience | 6 |
| Electives | 36 | |
Students must choose a minimum of 39 elective course credits. 4 | ||
| Other Degree Requirements | ||
Lower-Level (1000-2000) Writing Intensive Course - See HDFS advisor for list of approved courses | ||
Upper- Level (3000+) Writing Intensive Course - See HDFS advisor for list of approved courses | ||
- 1
This program includes experiences and/or courses in which live observation, guidance, and instruction of young children in early childhood environments is required.
- 2
Some courses may require a higher grade than C- to advance in the program.
- 3
H_D_FS 1600 should be taken before H_D_FS 2300 and any 3000/4000-level H_D_FS course.
- 4
Consult with an HDFS academic advisor to select appropriate elective courses.
Semester Plan
Below is a sample plan of study, semester by semester. A student's actual plan may vary based on course choices where options are available.
| First Year | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| ENGLSH 1000 | 3 | H_D_FS 2300 | 3 | Gen Ed SOC/BEH Science | 3 |
| H_D_FS 1600 | 3 | Gen ED Science | 3 | ||
| H_D_FS 2400 | 3 | Humanities | 3 | ||
| American History or Government | 3 | General Elective | 3 | ||
| Gen Ed Math | 3 | General Elective | 3 | ||
| 15 | 15 | 3 | |||
| Second Year | |||||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| H_D_FS 2200 | 3 | H_D_FS 3150 | 3 | H_D_FS 3450 | 3 |
| H_D_FS 3050 | 3 | H_D_FS 3650 | 3 | H_D_FS 3750 | 3 |
| H_D_FS 3250 | 3 | Humanities | 3 | ||
| H_D_FS 3550 | 3 | Humanities | 3 | ||
| Lower Level Writing Intensive | 3 | Gen Ed PHYS or MATH Science | 3 | ||
| 15 | 15 | 6 | |||
| Third Year | |||||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits | ||
| H_D_FS 4150 | 3 | H_D_FS 3350 | 3 | ||
| H_D_FS 4350 | 3 | H_D_FS 4250 | 3 | ||
| H_D_FS 4450 | 3 | 3000+ level Writing Intensive | 3 | ||
| Gen Ed BIO or PHYS Science w/ lab | 3 | General Elective | 3 | ||
| 12 | 12 | ||||
| Fourth Year | |||||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits | ||
| H_D_FS 4550 | 3 | H_D_FS 4650 | 3 | ||
| General Elective | 3 | H_D_FS 4750 | 6 | ||
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 | ||
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 | ||
| 12 | 15 | ||||
| Total Credits: 120 | |||||
Degree Audit
The degree audit is an automated report reflecting a student’s academic progress toward the completion of a degree.
MU students can request a degree audit by logging in to myDegreePlanner. Students may also access myDegreePlanner via myZou, in the Student Center, click on the Academic Progress Tile, then select Request Degree Audit. The audit automatically pulls in the student’s MU course work, transfer courses and courses in progress. This is available to current students, admitted students, and those who last attended less than three terms ago.
Past MU students can request a degree audit by contacting the Academic Advising Unit of the division in which they were last enrolled at MU. For contact information, go to https://advising.missouri.edu/contact/.
Prospective students, can access a preliminary MU degree audit via https://www.transferology.com. Information on the college credits already earned will have to be manually entered before it can be evaluated against current degree requirements.
For additional details on degree audits, go to https://registrar.missouri.edu/degrees-audits/degree-audits/.
Major and Career Exploration
The University of Missouri has many resources to assist you in exploring majors and career possibilities. For guidance, visit the Majors and Careers website or view specific resources below.
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If you are considering a change of major or are exploring multiple majors, schedule an appointment with an advisor in the Discovery Center by calling (573)884-9700 or through MU Connect Discovery Center service in you success network.
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If you have decided on a major, visit an academic advisor in the School or College that you are interested in to discuss the process of declaring the major.
- If you would like to learn more about your career interests, abilities, values and talents, visit the MU Career Center. No Appointment is necessary to explore career options with one of our staff members.
- If you would like information about MU majors and degree programs, visit:
- the Degrees, Majors (Degree Programs), Emphasis Areas, Minors and Certificates page in the catalog,
- the MU Majors website.
For additional major and career exploration resources, visit Major & Career Exploration in the catalog.