The Department of Human Development and Family Studies offers courses that focus on the interactions among individuals, families, their resources, and their environments throughout the life span. The department offers work for the Bachelor of Science degree in five curricula: Early Childhood Education, Family and Consumer Sciences Education and Studies, Financial Counseling and Planning, Human Development and Family Studies, and an affiliated program: Early Childcare Education and Programming (a distance education program offered in collaboration with six other universities).
Students graduating in Human Development and Family Studies will
1. Communicate with clear purpose, workable organization and effective style in written, oral, visual and electronic (WOVE) formats to foster collaboration, provide information and advance knowledge related to child, adult, family, and community services.
2. Consistently and realistically analyze and evaluate one’s own knowledge, abilities and actions in comparison to professional standards and create action plans to enhance personal and professional efficacy related to working with children, adults, families and communities.
3. Understand content related to working with children, adults, families, and communities within a chosen program. Use critical thinking skills to evaluate and utilize evidence-based practices. Use logical and ethical reasoning to make decisions and solve problems.
4. Understand the diverse needs of children, adults, and families. Ensure equitable access of children, adults, and families to appropriate environments that support healthy living. Engage children, adults, and families with socially responsible and respectful behavior.
Communication Proficiency requirement: A student must achieve a grade of C or higher in ENGL 1500, Critical Thinking and Communication, and ENGL 2500, Written, Oral, Visual, and Electronic Composition. A student achieving a grade of C– or lower in 150 0 and/or 2500 must either repeat the course(s), earning a minimum grade of C, or, in consultation with the advisor and the coordinator of freshman English, complete another appropriate English writing course with a minimum grade of C.
The Human Development and Family Studies curriculum leads to work in helping professions with employment opportunities in public and private agencies. Graduates of the program are prepared for employment in agencies and organizations serving children, youth, families, and adults in the areas of education/prevention, treatment, and administration. This flexible program provides a broad emphasis in theory, research, and application in child, adult and family services including attention to community issues and public policy.
Students in Human Development and Family Studies may choose coursework that leads to becoming a Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE), a program that has been approved by the National Council on Family Relations. These courses provide the basic education for students interested in working with families, including adolescents, parents, or adults working to strengthen relationships. The student takes courses that support the development of knowledge and skills in family life content areas selected by the National Council on Family Relations. The certification is a voluntary credential that requires the individual to complete a degree in an approved program and to have at least two years of work experience in family life education settings. Iowa State University does not grant the Certified Family Life Educator credential. The certification is granted only by the National Council on Family Relations. See https://hdfs.hs.iastate.edu/future-students/find-your-major/certified-family-life-educator/ and/or http://www.ncfr.org/cfle-certification.
The curriculum in Early Childhood Education – Unified prepares graduates to teach young children and work with their families. This curriculum has been approved by the Iowa Department of Education and meets requirements for candidates to seek teacher licensure in early childhood education – unified, which permits individuals to teach general and special education for children from birth through third grade. Graduates may be employed by either public or private agencies or schools to teach in early childhood classrooms (preschool through third grade) or in home-based programs. The program is an interdepartmental major administered by the Department of Human Development and Family Studies and the School of Education. For more information about the program, see https://hdfs.hs.iastate.edu/find-your-major/early-childhood-education/.
Students who enroll in the early childhood education – unified program must apply to and be accepted into the teacher education program prior to enrolling in advanced courses.
Family and Consumer Sciences Education and Studies offers a curriculum for the Bachelor of Science degree. (http://catalog.iastate.edu/collegeofhumansciences/familyandconsumerscienceseducationandstudies)
The curriculum in Family and Consumer Sciences Education and Studies (FCEDS) prepares graduates with a broad understanding of individual and family well-being. Graduates apply knowledge and research in family and consumer sciences content in global professional settings. They work in an integrative fashion to improve well-being by addressing and acting on complex problems confronting individuals, families, and communities. The study of Family and Consumer Sciences Education incorporates the following 16 content areas: Career, Community and Family Connections; Consumer and Family Resources; Consumer Services; Education and Early Childhood; Facilities Management and Maintenance; Family; Family and Community Services; Food Production and Services; Food Science, Dietetics, and Nutrition; Hospitality, Tourism and Recreation; Housing and Interior Design; Human Development; Interpersonal Relationship; Nutrition and Wellness; Parenting; and Textiles, Fashion and Apparel.
Students in the program choose one of three options, Teacher Licensure, Communications, or Professional Studies.
Students in Family and Consumer Sciences Education and Studies may choose coursework that leads to becoming a Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE), a program that has been approved by the National Council on Family Relations. These courses provide the basic education for students interested in working with families, including adolescents, parents, or adults working to strengthen relationships. The student takes courses that support the development of knowledge and skills in family life content areas selected by the National Council on Family Relations. The certification is a voluntary credential that requires the individual to complete a degree in an approved program and to have at least two years of work experience in family life education settings. Iowa State University does not grant the Certified Family Life Educator credential. The certification is granted only by the National Council on Family Relations. See https://hdfs.hs.iastate.edu/future-students/find-your-major/certified-family-life-educator/ and/or http://www.ncfr.org/cfle-certification.
Graduates may also choose from one of several nationally recognized professional certifications available from the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) Council for Certification. This program measures competencies of FCS professionals using high-quality, rigorous assessments. Certifications that are currently available are (http://www.aafcs.org/home): CFCS: Certified in Family and Consumer Sciences; CFCS-HDFS: Certified in Human Development and Family Studies; CFCS-HNFS: Certified in Hospitality, Nutrition, and Food Science; and CPFFE: Certified Personal and Family Finance Educator.
There is also an opportunity to take courses that will allow you to be recommended for a family and consumer sciences endorsement or teacher licensure as a post baccalaureate student.
The Financial Counseling and Planning (FCP) curriculum prepares students for careers in family financial services. Financial Counseling and Planning is a growing career field and appeals to students who want to work with individuals and families to help them meet their financial goals and improve their financial capability to better meet financial challenges. Coursework provides students with the family resource management and interpersonal skills needed to help families remain financially secure. Based on career goals, students select a path that leads to fulfilling the education requirements for the leading designations and certifications in financial counseling and planning. Graduates of the program are prepared for employment in personal banking, financial services, insurance, financial counseling and planning, and human service organizations. Laboratory and practicum opportunities exist in the Iowa State University Financial Counseling Clinic and with program partners in the financial services industry. A field work experience helps students apply their studies and experience the profession in real-world settings.
Financial Counseling and Planning majors are also prepared to enter graduate programs in family financial planning, financial education, economics, finance, and law.
Juniors and seniors in Financial Counseling and Planning who are interested in graduate study may apply for concurrent enrollment in the Graduate College to simultaneously pursue both a B.S. in Financial Counseling and Planning and a M.S. in Human Development and Family Studies or a B.S. in Financial Counseling and Planning and a Graduate Certificate in Family Financial Planning. Under concurrent enrollment, students simultaneously take undergraduate and graduate courses and may be eligible for assistantships. See Graduate Study for more information (https://hdfs.hs.iastate.edu/graduate-students/graduate-programs/).
The Financial Counseling and Planning major is registered with Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. as a CFP Board-registered Program. ISU courses satisfy CFP Board's education requirement, allowing an individual to sit for the CFP® Certification Examination.
Iowa State University does not certify individuals to use the CFP® CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ title. CFP certification is granted only by Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. to those persons who, in addition to completing an educational requirement such as this CFP Board-Registered Program, have met its ethics, experience and examination requirements (CFP Board of Standards website https://www.cfp.net/).
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and the federally registered CFP (with flame logo), which it awards to individuals who successfully complete initial and ongoing certification requirements.
FCP majors also satisfy the education requirements for the Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC®) designation offered through the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education (AFCPE).
Affiliated Programs
The Early Childcare Education and Programming (ECP) curriculum, offered by the Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance (GPIDEA), is designed to prepare graduates to work in a variety of early care and education programs in local communities and on military installations. Some of these programs are childcare centers and homes, infant/toddler and preschool programs, Head Start programs, and before and after-school programs for children ages birth to eight. This is an online program offered through a collaboration of seven universities as part of GPIDEA where the program is referred to as Early Care and Education for a Mobile Society. For more information see https://www.gpidea.org/program/early-care-and-education-in-a-mobile-society.
The ECP curriculum is designed to provide content for the final two years of a student’s program; the content is focused specifically on topics directly relevant to the major. Students will complete a total of 120 credits for the major, 51 of which are specific to the ECP curriculum. These 51 credit hours are comprised of 12 core courses and 3 practica; the final practicum will be a 6-credit capstone experience. Students must complete 30 credits of college work, a lifespan development course, and have a 2.5 GPA to be admitted to ECP. If students prefer to be admitted to ISU before being admitted to the ECP major, they can enroll as Pre ECP (PECP) students until they are eligible for the ECP major. For more information about the program at Iowa State, see https://online.hs.iastate.edu/early-childcare-programming.
Minors
The department offers minors in Human Development and Family Studies and Financial Counseling and Planning. Minors consist of at least 15 credits including 6 credits taken at Iowa State University in courses numbered 3000 or above. The minor must include at least 9 credits that are not used to meet any other department, college, or university requirement.
The Human Development and Family Studies minor may be earned by completing 15 credits.
| HDFS 1020 | Human Development | 3 |
| One of the following: | 3 | |
| Child Development and Health | ||
| Development and Guidance in Middle Childhood | ||
| Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood | ||
| Adult Development | ||
| Parenting and Family Diversity Issues | ||
| Family Communications and Relationships | ||
| Aging and the Family | ||
| Three of the following: | 9 | |
| Human Sexuality | ||
| Housing and Services for Families and Children | ||
| Abuse and Illness in Families | ||
| Death as a Part of Living | ||
| Applying Evidence-Based Practices in Human Services | ||
| Children, Families, and Public Policy | ||
| Program Evaluation and Proposal Writing | ||
| Family Dynamics Through a Social and Cultural Lens | ||
| Total Credits | 15 | |
The Education Services in Family and Consumer Sciences minor may be earned by completing 15 credits.
| HDFS 1020 | Human Development | 3 |
| FCEDS 2060 | Professional Roles in Family and Consumer Sciences | 2 |
| FCEDS 3060 | Educational Principles for Family and Consumer Sciences | 4 |
| FCEDS 4130 | Planning and Assessment for Family and Consumer Sciences | 3 |
| One of the following: | 3 | |
| Foundations of Career and Technical Education in Family and Consumer Sciences | ||
| Income Tax Planning for Families | ||
| Housing and Services for Families and Children | ||
| Abuse and Illness in Families | ||
| Death as a Part of Living | ||
| Children, Families, and Public Policy | ||
The Financial Counseling and Planning minor may be earned by completing 15 credits.
| HDFS 2830 | Personal and Family Finance | 3 |
| Twelve credits from the following: | 12 | |
| Consumer Issues | ||
| Income Tax Planning for Families | ||
| Retirement Planning and Employee Benefits | ||
| Fundamentals of Financial Planning | ||
| Family Insurance Planning | ||
| Family Savings and Investments | ||
| Estate Planning for Families | ||
| Capstone: Family Financial Planning | ||
| Financial Counseling | ||
| Financial Counseling Laboratory | ||
| Total Credits | 15 | |
Graduate Study
The department offers work for the Master of Science (thesis or non-thesis options) and Doctor of Philosophy degrees with the major in Human Development and Family Studies. Minors are also available for students taking major work in other departments. Graduates of M.S. and Ph.D. programs in the department will understand and apply relevant theories to educational, research, and/or intervention or prevention programs. It is intended that they will produce and disseminate research results and provide leadership in human development and family studies professions.
Graduate study in Human Development and Family Studies at Iowa State University is multidisciplinary and focuses on research and practice in several content areas such as adolescent/youth development, adult development and aging, family studies and policy, family economic well-being and financial planning, infant and child development, health and well-being; and lifespan development.
Prerequisite to work in the major is the completion of a related undergraduate program with basic courses and/or experiences in areas such as child/human development, community and regional planning, economics, education, family studies, psychology, or sociology. Additional coursework or prerequisites (e.g., basic statistics) may be required depending on the undergraduate program and program of study. Students may be admitted to our doctoral program with either a bachelor's (M.S./Ph.D. Track, 5 years) or a master's degree (Ph.D. Track only, 3 years). Students admitted to the Ph.D. Track without a prior master's degree complete requirements for a thesis-based master's degree as part of their doctoral program of study.
All students take a core set of courses; the program of study is then completed with a selection of courses that meet the individual needs of the student. The variety of and flexibility in the coursework allows a student to tailor a program to specific academic interests. The graduate programs are based on a theory, research, and application interactive paradigm with all three areas integrated into content and method courses.
The department offers a graduate minor in Human Development and Family Studies. For more detailed information about the minor, see the Graduate Minors tab.
The department also offers four Graduate Certificates available to HDFS majors as well as students in other departments and professionals in the field.
The department also participates in several Master of Family and Consumer Sciences (MFCS) degree programs (http://catalog.iastate.edu/collegeofhumansciences/familyandconsumersciences/). Admission to the youth (YTH), family financial planning (FFP) and gerontology (GERON) specialization programs require submission of the Graduate College application form, transcripts, 2 letters of recommendation, resume and a goal statement. Students in a MFCS program select one of the options listed below.
- Master of Family and Consumer Sciences - Human Development and Family Studies (MFCS-HDFS). The Master of Family and Consumer Sciences degree specialization track in Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) provides students with the opportunity to enhance their background knowledge and skills for working with children and families (37 credits).
- Master of Family and Consumer Sciences - Youth Development (MFCS-YD). This is an entirely online degree focusing on the skills to serve today's young people. The degree uses a strengths-based curriculum that supports you to grow socially, emotionally, and cognitively. There are also two youth development related certificates available for students (see Graduate Certificates tab for details) (36 credits).
- Master of Family and Consumer Sciences - Family Financial Planning Program (MFCS-FFP). This is a master's degree program offered entirely online, designed to prepare individuals to work in the financial planning field (36 credits). Completion of course works in the master's degree, or a graduate certificate meets the educational requirements to sit for the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) Board of Standards Certification Examination.
The department offers a Financial Counseling and Planning (FCP) concurrent degree program that allows students to obtain a B.S. in FCP and an M.S. in HDFS or a B.S. in FCP and a Graduate Certificate in Family Financial Planning in 5 years. Application for admission to the Graduate College should be made near the end of the junior year. Under concurrent enrollment, students simultaneously take undergraduate and graduate courses and may be eligible for assistantships. Students interested in these programs should contact the department for details.
Finally, the department collaborates with the interdepartmental Gerontology program; students may declare a minor in Gerontology. The Master of Family and Consumer Sciences - Gerontology program (MFCS-GERON) and the Graduate Gerontology Certificate program are designed to prepare professionals who work directly with older people or are involved in education and research related to older adults. Professionals offering direct services often are involved in health promotion programs, directing inter-generational activities, managing senior centers or retirement communities, counseling older people and their families, and helping people plan for retirement. Professionals involved in education and research may evaluate community-based services, teach others about the aging process, develop policies and programs to serve the needs of older adults, and work with business and industry on issues related to an aging work force.
Graduate Minors
The department offers a graduate minor in Human Development and Family Studies. To earn this minor, students in a master’s program must take 9 credits in HDFS graduate courses (5000, 6000 level) with a limit of 3 credits in seminar or workshop credit (credits in 5910 or 6910 not allowed). To earn a minor in HDFS students in a Doctoral program must take 12 credits in HDFS graduate courses (5000, 6000 level) with a limit of 3 credits in seminar or workshop credit (credits in 5910 or 6910 not allowed). A graduate faculty member from the minor program must serve on the student’s POS Committee.
HDFS Certificates
The department offers four Graduate Certificates available to HDFS majors as well as students in other departments and professionals in the field. The certificates emphasize application and relevance to growing diversity and demands on the work force. The four certificate areas are:
- Developmental and Family Sciences Advanced Research Design and Methods (15 credits)
- Family Well-Being in Diverse Society (12 credits)
- Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (12 credits, online)
- Life-Span Development (12 credits, online)
For more information about courses for the certificates, go to https://hdfs.hs.iastate.edu/graduate-students/graduate-programs/graduate-certificates/.
Youth Development Certificates
The department also collaborates to offer two certificates related to youth development through the MFCS program. Both certificates are designed to prepare individuals who work directly with youth or are involved in education and research related to youth. For more information, go to http://www.online.hs.iastate.edu/graduate-programs/masters/mfcs-youth-development/.
- Youth Development Specialist Certificate (13 credits)
- Youth Program Management and Evaluation Certificate (13 credits)
Family Financial Planning Certificates
The MFCS – Family Financial Planning (FFP) program also offers two certificates listed below. More information can be found at http://www.online.hs.iastate.edu/graduate-programs/masters/mfcs-ffp/.
- FFP certificate. Master of Family and Consumer Sciences with Family Financial Planning (FFP) specialization graduate certificate program (18 credits)
- FHC certificate. Master of Family and Consumer Sciences Financial and Housing Counseling (FHC) specialization graduate certificate program (18 credits)