Prospective Applicants and Current Students

Undergraduate Programs

Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) is an interdisciplinary major focusing on the development of families and individuals across the life span. Students learn to identify factors that influence cognitive, emotional, social, and physical development through infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and later adulthood in the contexts of culture and family.

There are 5 concentrations that students select from, which prepare them to work in a variety of settings. These include youth services organizations; early childhood, elementary and parent education programs; health care settings; juvenile and adult corrections; family and community services; long-term care facilities; and more. Graduates are also well prepared to pursue an advanced degree in the behavioral and social sciences, or other professional programs.

Students can also apply for the Early Childhood Education major which provides classes for a teaching licensure for pre-school through 3rd grade.

Please click on the link titled “B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies or B.S. in Early Childhood Education” to the right to learn more.

Graduate Programs: Doctoral and Master's

Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) is an interdisciplinary program focusing on the development of families and individuals across the life span. Faculty research interests and expertise encompass the entire lifespan and embrace a range of interests at the intersection of basic and applied research. Faculty research areas include:

• Risk, Resilience, and Developmental Psychopathology
• Treatment, Intervention, and Prevention Science
• Emotion, Regulation, and Relational Processes
• Adult Development and Aging
• Cultural Context and Diversity
• Focus on Methodological Rigor

HDFS has several opportunities for graduate study. The Ph.D. Program in Applied Developmental Science (ADS) offers graduate training in research and its application to issues that affect the quality of life of individuals, families, and communities.

At the Master's level, the Department offers a Master of Science degree in HDFS, with two different tracks: The Prevention Science program, which is pending final approval by CSU, and the Marriage and Family Therapy program.

Program Highlights:

• Students receive state-of-the art training in human development theory from a lifespan and ecological perspective, and develop the research skills to conduct both basic and applied research on human development.
• Students are given the opportunity to apply knowledge to real-world issues. Faculty and students are committed to translating research into evidence-based practice and finding solutions to current challenges facing individuals, families, and communities.
• Students benefit from the perspectives of multiple disciplines and an understanding of the social and cultural contexts in which people develop. Collaborative and cross-disciplinary research is strongly valued.
• Students learn to identify factors that influence cognitive, emotional, social, and physical development through infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and later adulthood in the contexts of culture and family.
• Graduate students work closely with faculty mentors to pursue programs of research that are tailored to their individual interests and aspirations. Students become productive scholars in their own right and they are supported by our faculty to accomplish this goal. Scholarship is nurtured through intensive mentoring, seminars and colloquia, active research labs, and participation in professional meetings.
• Prospective graduate students are encouraged to identify potential faculty mentors as part of the application process.

Prospective graduate students are also encouraged to contact Dr. Aimée Kleisner Walker, our Coordinator of Graduate Programs, at hdfsgradinfo@ColoState.edu with any questions about our cutting edge graduate training programs.