Explore the breadth and depth of families and human development
Do you want to work with children, youth, or older adults? Be a marriage and family therapist, counselor, educator or social worker? The human development and family science (HDFS) major prepares you to serve and support individuals and families across their lifespan.
You’ll gain insight into the social, emotional, cognitive and physical development of people—from early childhood to older adulthood—and how their development is influenced by families, communities and culture. This major provides a strong foundation for graduate school and professional careers in human services, education and counseling.
What to Expect in the HDFS Program
Your degree in human development and family science will prepare you for careers in a variety of human services settings.
Have an impact on issues affecting individuals, families and communities through experiential learning courses.
Program overview
“A degree in Human Development & Family Science prepares you for high-demand careers centered around making a positive difference for people. Our students go into retirement centers and work as family outreach coordinators, working as directors or assistant directors of daycare centers. Others go into nonprofit work or own their own businesses, focusing on developing healthy families, such as parenting education.”
-Dr. Donna Hoskins, Assistant Professor
Courses in Human Development and Family Science
You’ll take courses in child and adolescent development, family dynamics, research methods, ethics, aging, and diversity. Electives and practica help you tailor your path based on career goals—whether in advocacy, teaching or counseling.
- Courses focused on human development ranging from child, adolescent and adult development.
- Family science courses like family resource management, family law & public policy and family life methodology.
- Courses that could prepare students for a career in marriage and family counseling like interpersonal & marital relationships and parent & child relations.
- A senior capstone course where students synthesize research in a particular area of family and consumer sciences to complete a research project.
Required Courses Meet the Faculty
Become a Certified Family Life Educator
The Department of Human Development & Family Science is proud to announce that our program has been approved to offer students the opportunity to become a Certified Family Life Educator (or CFLE). The CFLE credential, obtained through the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR), is a nationally recognized standard in Family Life Education and validates a professional’s experience and knowledge as a Family Life Educator.
Career Paths with a Degree in HDFS
With a degree in human development and family science, you’ll be prepared to support individuals and families in a variety of settings, including schools, nonprofits, government agencies and health care.
- Family life educator
- Youth program coordinator
- Case manager
- Early childhood educator
- School counselor (with additional credentials)
- Social worker (with MSW)
- Marriage and family therapist (with advanced degree)
- Gerontologist
- Community outreach coordinator
- Human services specialist
Chart your career path
Learn more about career paths, employment and advancement in the field from the professional organizations listed under Family and Consumer Sciences on the Career and Professional Resources page.
Human Development & Family Science Major
Prepares Graduates to Serve All Ages
“HDFS majors have taken off across college campuses to meet the rising demand of careers in human services,” says Dr. Donna Hoskins, Associate Professor of Health & Human Sciences. “The BC program is designed to prepare graduates to serve families and individuals across the lifespan. And our child development laboratory and a lab focused on serving elderly community members allow students majoring in HDFS to have applied learning experiences.”
Like many BC graduates, you might enter graduate schools such as:
- College of Charleston
- Chelsea College of Art & Design
- University of Delaware
- Delta State University
- University of Florida
- Georgia Southern University
- James Madison University
- Louisiana Tech University
- University of Kentucky
- University of Maryland‑Baltimore County
- University of Maryland‑Eastern Shore
- Mississippi State University
- North Carolina State University
- Northwestern State University
- Old Dominion University
- Shenandoah University
- University of Virginia
- Virginia Commonwealth University
- Virginia Tech
As a human development and family science student, you could intern at:
- Family Connections Program at Sentara RMH Medical Center
- Harrisonburg Rockingham Department of Social Services Foster Care
- Parent Education Program at the Office on Youth
- Pathway Program for Expelled and Suspended Youth at the Office on Youth
- People Places of Charlottesville (Therapeutic Foster Care)
- Sunnyside Retirement Community
Child development laboratory
BC also offers a child development laboratory, giving you unique opportunities for real-life application of course concepts with 3, 4 and 5 year-old children. The child development laboratory is the only one of its kind in Virginia.
Learn MoreIf you wish to be licensed to teach family and consumer sciences, you must also be admitted to the Secondary Teacher Education Program (grades 6-12) or the Elementary Teacher Education Program.
Questions? Contact Us!
- Dr. Donna H. Hoskins, Department Chair
- 540-828-5458
- dhoskins@bridgewater.edu
