School of Human Ecology

Human Development and Family Studies

Child Development Option
Family Studies Option
Certificate Programs
Requirements for Child Development Option
Requirements for Family Studies Option
Courses

1430 Linden Drive Madison, WI 53706-1575; 608-263-2381; hdfs@mail.sohe.wisc.edu; sohe.wisc.edu/hdfs/

Effective September 1, 2009: 1305 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706

Professors Bogenschneider, Marks, Riley, Roberts, Small; Associate Professors Poehlmann, Uttal; Assistant Professors Dilworth-Bart, Lewis, Papp, Sparks

The goal is to have students understand individual development within a broad family, community, and societal context. One major, Human Development and Family Studies, is offered. Within this major there are two options: (1) Child Development and (2) Family Studies.

Admission of on-campus applicants occurs in the spring and fall semesters. A cumulative grade point average of 2.8 is recommended to be eligible to apply. Please note that a 2.8 cumulative grade point average does not guarantee admission, as the program is competitive. Application deadlines are September 15 and February 15, or the following Monday if the date falls on a weekend.

On-campus students interested in learning about program admissions are encouraged to contact the Student Academic Affairs Office ( acadaffairs@mail.sohe.wisc.edu; 608-262-2608) to register for a "Becoming a SoHE Student" session.

Application deadlines and procedures for SoHE programs are available at this link.

Application forms, curriculum check-sheets and program specific information are available at this link.

Child Development Option

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The child development option provides flexible course work and an internship that prepares students to enter into a growing range of careers involving work with young children and their families. Several major assumptions underlie the child development option:

• The development of young children can be understood only in a broad ecological context that begins with the child's family and extends to the community and culture in which the child lives.
• A child's developmental potential is not prescribed at birth; fostering potential requires interdisciplinary approaches derived from developmental psychology, sociology, social work, early childhood education, speech therapy, nursing, medicine and public health.
• Services for children, whether educational, therapeutic, or preventive, must be adapted to a child's and a family's particular circumstances.

Students entering this option will develop competencies in six core areas: (1) human development from infancy to old age in diverse family contexts; (2) diverse ecological contexts in which children and their families develop; (3) prevention, intervention and assessment for infants, children and their families; (4) social policy and advocacy for children and their families; (5) research and statistical methods for the study of young children and their families; (6) application of knowledge in child development and ethical issues in professional settings.

All courses in core area 1 are required, but the other five areas permit considerable flexibility. Students, in close collaboration with their advisors, are therefore able to design a program of course work and internship tailored to their specific interests and career goals.

A minimum of 120 credits is required for graduation.

Family Studies Option

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The family studies option of the human development and family studies major provides opportunities to study family systems and human development across the lifespan. The major assumptions underlying the family studies option are:

• Understanding human development is possible only within a social context, and families are an essential component of this context.
• Understanding family functioning and family structure is possible only if families are viewed in a larger societal context. This context includes historical change, social class, ethnicity, and public policy.

In line with these assumptions, students learn about human development from infancy to old age, study different family relationships and family structures, and discover how families meet everyday and more serious challenges.

Aside from a series of required core courses, students have considerable flexibility in pursuing programs of study and internships that are tailored to their career aspirations (e.g., gerontology, social work, family/parenting education, family policy, counseling, student services, education, law, human resources, and public health). Many of these career options require additional graduate education, but entry level positions in several of these fields are available. couraged to plan their course choices in collaboration with their advisor. The family studies option can be combined with a major in psychology, social work, or sociology.

A minimum of 120 credits is required for graduation.

Certificate Programs

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Certificate programs are optional and are not required for graduation. UW-Madison-sponsored programs that may be relevant for HDFS students include:

NCFR Family Life Educator Certificate: The core course work in the Family Studies option and one additional course (Inter-HE 427 or Inter-HE 428) qualify graduating students for the Family Life Educator Certificate awarded by the National Council on Family Relations. Additional information is available at the NCFR Web site.

Criminal Justice Certificate: The Criminal Justice Certificate Program is a special sequence of courses and field work for students wanting to learn about the dynamics of America's criminal and juvenile justice systems. For additional information see Criminal Justice Certificate Program.

Women's Studies Certificate: This certificate program is open to undergraduates, graduate students and special students and requires 15 credits in gender and women's studies. For additional information see Undergraduate Certificate in Women's Studies.

Requirements for Child Development Option

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SOHE GENERAL STUDIES REQUIREMENTS FOR HDFS MAJORS, 36 credits

Math and Communication

Math 101 (unless exempt), 0-3 cr
Speech Communication, 2-3 cr
(Com Arts 100, 105, 181, or L Sc Com 100)

Biological, Natural, and Physical Sciences, 9 credits

One course with P designation; One course with B designation; One course designated B, P, N, X, or Y in the Schedule of Classes (Timetable).

Arts and Humanities, 9 credits

Literature, 3 cr*
Humanities, 6 cr**

*Choose any course with L designation; Comp Lit 201, 202; English 167-177; any Lit Trans course.

**Choose from any humanities course coded H, L or Z in the Schedule of Classes (Timetable), or literature, foreign language, art, music, or art history.

Social Studies, 9 credits

Psych 202, 3 cr
Any 3 credits in Anthropology
Any 3 credits in Sociology

SoHE Breadth, 3 credits

Any non-HDFS class in SoHE that is not used to meet other requirements (Cnsr Sci, LS Com, Inter-HE, DS, Nurti Sci, Food Sci).

Courses recommended for students wishing to apply for the Certified Family Life Educator Certificate: Cnsr Sci 275 or Cnsr Sci 475

CORE AREA 1: Introduction to Human Development in Family Context, 9 credits

HDFS 362 Development of the Young Child or ED Psych 320 Human Dev in Infancy and Early Childhood or Pysch 560 Child Psychology
HDFS 363 Development from Adolescence to Old Age
HDFS 471 Parent-Child Relations

CORE AREA 2: Child Development in Ecological Contexts, 12 credits

Choice of 3 credits from the following:
HDFS 474 Racial Ethnic Families in the U.S. or
HDFS 478 Development of Black Children and Their Families or
HDFS 521 African American Families,

Select three additional courses from the list below. At least one must be an HDFS course not taken to meet another requirement. All courses are 3 credits unless otherwise noted.

Human Development and Family Studies (230)

HDFS 460 Intellectual Development in Early Childhood
HDFS 461 Social and Emotional Development of Young Child
HDFS 464 Children's Play—Development and Role
HDFS 467 Cultural Differences in the U.S.: Implications for Early Childhood Education
HDFS 468 Implications of Poverty for Early Childhood Education
HDFS 470 Infants and Toddlers: Development in Various Care Settings
HDFS 474 Racial Ethnic Families in the U.S.
HDFS 478 Development of Black Children and Their Families
HDFS 521 African American Families

Communicative Disorders (252)

Com Dis 210 Speech and Language Functions of the Brain
Com Dis 240 Language Development in Children and Adolescents

Educational Psychology (315)

Ed Pysch 301 Human Abilities and Learning (2-3 cr)

Library and Information Studies (544)

LIS 662 Children's Literature
LIS 624 Story Telling and Oral Literature
LIS 629 Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults

Psychology (820)

Psych 509 Abnormal Psychology

CORE AREA 3: Assessment, Prevention, Intervention, and Interpersonal Communication, 12 credits

Required

HDFS 663 Developmental and Family Assessment, 3 cr

Select at least 3 additional 3-credit courses from the list below. All courses are 3 credits unless otherwise noted.

Human Development and Family Studies

HDFS 479 Administration and Organization of Child Care and Early Childhood Education Programs
HDFS 516 Family Stress and Coping
HDFS 517 Couple Relationships
HDFS 647 Interdisciplinary Issues in Early Childhood Intervention
HDFS 650 Parenting Education and Support Programs
HDFS 662 Advanced Child Development

Communication Arts (250)

Com Arts 266 Theory and Practice of Group Discussion
Com Arts 272 Intro to Interpersonal Communication

Communicative Disorders (252)

Com Dis 210 Speech and Language Functions of the Brain
Com Dis 240 language Development in Children and Adolescents

Com Dis 440 Child Language Disorders, Assessment and Intervention
Com Dis 640 Language and Learning Disorders of Children
Com Dis 424 Manually Coded English (Sign Language) (2 cr)
Com Dis 434 Manually Coded English (Sign Language) (2 cr)

Counseling Psychology (270)

Coun Psy 105 Human Resources Development: Awareness Perspectives—Counseling and Guidance Perspective (1 cr)
Coun Psy 115 Human Resources Development: Educational Effectiveness (1 cr)
Coun Psy 650 Theory and Practice of Interviewing

Life Sciences Communication (120)

LS Com 617 Health Communication in the Information Age

Interdisciplinary Studies in Human Ecology (498)

Inter-HE 427 Methods of Teaching Family and Consumer Education
Inter-HE 428 Program Planning in Family and Consumer Education

Psychology (820)

Psych 509 Abnormal Psychology

Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education (194)

RP&SE 300 Individuals with Disabilities
RP&SE 330 Behavior Analysis: Application to Persons with Disabilities
RP&SE 450 Collaborating with Families of Individuals with Disabilities
RP&SE 470 Individuals with Learning and Behavioral Disabilities
RP&SE 506 Strategies for Inclusive Schooling

Social Work (896)

Soc Work 205 Introduction to the Field of Social Work

CORE AREA 4: Social Policy and Advocacy for Children and Families, 6 credits

Select 6 credits from the list below. At least 3 credits must be from HDFS.

Human Development and Family Studies (230)

HDFS 469 Family and Comm Influence on the Young Child

HDFS 535 Family Perspective on Policy-Making

Consumer Science (271)

Cnsr Sci 575 Family Economics and Public Policy

Education Policy Studies (310)

Ed Pol 460 Cultural Pluralism and Educational Policy

Political Science (778)

Pol Sci 104 Introduction to American Politics and Government

Pol Sci 219 Introduction to Public Policy
Pol Sci 230 Politics in Multicultural Societies
Pol Sci 440 Health Policy and Health Politics

Soc Work 206 Introduction to Social Policy
Soc Work 275 Contemporary Issues in Social Welfare

CORE AREA 5: Statistics and Research Methods, 6-8 credits

Statistics

Select one course (3 credits) from the list below.

Psychology (820)

Psych 210 Psychometric Methods

Sociology (900)

Soc 360 Statistics for Sociologists
Soc 359 Statistical Analysis of Research (concurrent enrollment in Soc 358)

Statistics (932)

Stat 301 Introduction to Statistical Methods

Research Methods

Select one course from the list below.

HDFS 425 Research Methods in HDFS (3 cr)

Psychology (820)

Psych 225 Experimental Psychology (5 cr)

Sociology (900)

Soc 357 Methods of Sociological Inquiry (3 cr)
Soc 358 Design and Analysis of Social Research (3 cr) (concurrent enrollment in Soc 359)

CORE AREA 6: Professional and Ethical Issues, 8-10 credits

Internships, 3 credits

HDFS 601 Internship: one semester, 3 cr

Professional Skills, 3-4 credits

Professional Skills credits may be earned by taking (3-4 credits):
HDFS 699 (An approved independent study or internship emphasizing research or field experience)
Span 203, 204, 226, 311, 319, 320, 323, 325, 329 or 359 (up to 4 credits of Spanish language classes can be used here)
Another professional skills course (another course listed for Core Area 3 approved by the advisor)