Human Development

The graduate program in Human Development is designed to provide advanced training, with special emphasis on child development and family relations. This program is designed for those interested in working in the human development field in such leadership positions as center director, director of services, program coordinator, case manager or project manager.

The curriculum is designed to:

train students in the fundamentals of professional practice in agencies serving children, adolescents, adults and families
provide students with advanced content in one or more research areas (e.g., early childhood, human sexuality, family relationships)
provide students with internship opportunities in human service programs or in applied research mentored by a faculty member

Degree Requirements

The Master of Science degree in Human Development requires a minimum of 30 credit hours.

Core Courses

All candidates for the M.S. degree in Human Development must complete the following 18 core graduate courses:

HUD 551 - Fundamentals of Human Development Credits: 3
HUD 552 - Professional Practices in Human Development Credits: 3
HUD 553 - Program Planning and Evaluation in Human Development Credits: 3
HUD 554 - Legislation and Policy in Human Development Credits: 3
HUD 555 - Grant Development in Human Development Credits: 3
HUD 556 - Introduction to Research Methods in Child Development and Family Relations Credits: 3

Seminars

In addition to the coursework outlined above, students must complete six credit hours from the following graduate courses.

HUD 511 - Seminar in Family Relationships Credits: 3
HUD 535 - Recent Research in Human Development Credits: 3
HUD 540 - Theories and Concepts of Family Development Credits: 3
HUD 560 - Seminar in Human Development Credits: 3
HUD 609 - Family Counseling Credits: 3
HUD 618 - Sexuality and Human Interaction Credits: 3
HUD 649 - Investigation of Special Topics Credits: 1-6

Internship

Students must also complete 6 credits of:

HUD 601 - Supervised Fieldwork in Child Development and Family Relations Credits: 1-6
Or
HUD 699 - Graduate Thesis/Research Credits: Ar

Internship Options

The internship experience entails high-quality, professional placement with an agency or work on a research project with a faculty member in human development.

Option A: Leadership in an Agency. This option is appropriate for students with an interest in a career in a variety of settings, including federal, state or local governments, and public or private agencies that directly service the needs of children, adolescents, adults or families. In addition to the formal course requirements, students complete a 300-hour internship in a public or private agency in their last semester. If currently employed in a human development field, the employer would need to add new leadership responsibilities to the position.

Option B: Applied Research. This option is appropriate for students with an interest in pursuing graduate education in a doctoral program (typically in human development and family studies) or those otherwise interested in a career in research. In addition to the formal course requirements, students complete a research project based on original research supervised by a member of the faculty. Students complete a research article suitable for submission to an academic journal. Students in this option are encouraged to take one class in statistics or qualitative research design.

All students must complete a professional portfolio that demonstrates their competencies and achievements in the program. Elements of the portfolio are completed in each of the core courses. At the end of the program, students are required to participate in a symposium and portfolio presentation. The symposium occurs the Thursday of final’s week. Each graduating student completes an oral presentation on an interest area developed throughout the program. The presentation of the topic includes integration of several of the portfolio projects developed during the program (integrating theory, research and practice). The professional portfolio will be on display throughout the day. The symposium is open to family, friends, internship supervisors and other interested members of the campus community.

A limited number of graduate assistantships are available on a competitive basis each year. Students interested in an assistantship should send a letter to the Associate Dean, College of Education and Human Development, requesting to be considered.

Graduate Faculty

Sandra L. Caron, Ph.D. (Syracuse, 1986), Professor, Family Relations. Social-sexual development of young people, with an emphasis on sexual decision-making, sexuality education, and cross-cultural perspectives.

Julie N. DellaMattera, (University of Maine, 2006), Assistant Professor, Early Child Education. Leadership in early education and policies affecting early education teachers.

Mary Ellin Logue, Ph.D.(University of Massachusetts – Amherst, 1984), Assistant Professor, Early Child Education. Parent involvement in children’s learning and schooling, and prevention of learning and social difficulties, teacher education, and application of child development research to practice.

Robert M. Milardo, Ph.D. (Pennsylvania State, 1982), Professor, Human Development. aunts and uncles and their relationships with nieces and nephews, feminist perspectives on friendship and kin relations, and domestic violence.

Gary Schilmoeller, Ph.D. (University of Kansas, 1977), Associate Professor, Human Development. Converging factors that influence development in young children and in support for families with disabilities.