BS in Human Development and Family Science
Degree Program Description
The Human Development and Family Science program is developed from a foundation of human development and family science courses. It is essential for the student working with children, adolescents or adults to understand and to be able to maximize the resources offered by the family. It is equally important for the student concerned with the quality of family life to recognize the intricate spiral of changing needs in the growing individual.
Major Program Requirements
A students must choose an emphasis area and complete a minimum of 120 credit hours to receive the degree.
Majors in all of the emphasis areas in HDFS must complete the core courses and additional course requirements (including General Education courses and Requirements in Related Areas) specific to each emphasis area. Requirements for each emphasis area are listed on their respective catalog pages: Child Development and Education, Child Life Specialist, Early Childhood Education in a Mobile Society, and Family and Lifespan Development.
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.
Background Checks, Health Screenings and Other Required Elements:
It is essential that HDFS majors develop professional relationships with vulnerable populations, thus during the course of the degree program, and prior to beginning any practical or clinical education experience, students may be required to:
- pass multiple criminal background checks
- pass mandatory drug screens
- pass other qualification checks required by the practical or clinical education sites
- provide proof of health insurance coverage
- provide proof of required immunizations
- provide proof of student professional liability insurance coverage
The student is responsible for all costs incurred with these requirements. Failure to provide appropriate documentation, or pass required checks prior to the beginning of practical or clinical experiences may result in dismissal from the degree program in HDFS.
Accelerated BS in Human Development and Family Science to MA in Human Development and Family Science
Total credits required for graduation must be at least 138 total credit hours:
- Total undergraduate credit hours: 102
- Total dual enrollment credit hours*: 14
- Total graduate credit hours: 22
16 credit hours required at 8000-level. All students must be on-campus and physically present in courses. There is no requirement to become a Missouri resident.
*Dual enrollment credit hours are graduate credits that will be litsed on both your Bachelor's and Master's plans of study. You need 36 hours of graduate credit to earn the Master's degree.
| Required Core Courses | ||
| H_D_FS 8200 | Research Methods in Human Development and Family Science | 3 |
| H_D_FS 8210 | Theories of Human Development | 3 |
| H_D_FS 8220 | Family Theories | 3 |
| H_D_FS 8087 | Seminar in Human Development and Family Science | 1 |
| H_D_FS 7001 | Topics in Human Development and Family Science | 1-3 |
| ESC_PS 7170 | Introduction to Applied Statistics | 3 |
| H_D_FS 8090 | Research in Human Development and Family Science | 3 |
| Diversity Course Requirement (choose one course) | 3 | |
| H_D_FS 8770 | Poverty | 3 |
| H_D_FS 8300 | Advanced Seminar on Multicultural Families | 3 |
| H_D_FS 7300 | Black Families | 3 |
| Developmental Course Requirement (choose one course) | 3 | |
| H_D_FS 8450 | Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood | 3 |
| H_D_FS 8410 | Infancy and Childhood | 3 |
Additional graduate level electives may be needed to reach 36 graduate credit hours. Students must have a minimum of 36 graduate credit hours to complete the degree.
Each student must enroll in and complete a 3-credit-hour capstone project that demonstrates their ability to understand and apply HDFS content, theory, and research. All projects require a written paper and an oral defense, but the project itself may be varied depending on student interest and career choice.
To learn more about admission to the accelerated program, contact your advisor or Ashlie Lester, Director of Graduate Studies.
Semester Plan
The BS in Human Development and Family Science has emphasis areas in Child Development and Education, Child Life Specialist, Early Childhood Education in a Mobile Society, and Family and Lifespan Development. Please see the individual emphasis area pages for semester plans specific to the emphasis area.
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.