University of Illinois
About the Program
Dealing with complex human and social issues requires broad-based training in individual, family, and community studies. With families and communities in transition, it is increasingly important that this training come from researchers who use multiple perspectives and strategies for analyzing problems, developing solutions, and delivering information. The Department of Human and Community Development (HCD) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign focuses on the interactions among human activity systems that form the building blocks of rural and urban societies world-wide. Faculty members engage in teaching, research, and outreach to improve the lives of children, youth, and adults in the contexts of families, communities, and societies. The department creates an environment where these efforts are enriched by a multicultural perspective. HCD faculty recognize the diversity of cultures and classes in American society, and this perspective prepares students to address contemporary social issues.
Program Overview
| Area | Percentage | |
|---|---|---|
| Family Science | 35% | |
| Child/Human Development | 35% | |
| Community Development | 30% |
Address & Contact Information
Undergraduate Program
- Introduction to Family Studies
- Biological Bases of Human Behavior
- Early Childhood Curriculum Development
- Infancy & Early Childhood
- Children & Families with Special Needs
- Comparative Family Organization
- Introduction to Aging
- Close Relationships
- Middle Childhood
- Motor Development, Growth, & Form
- Undergraduate Research or Thesis
- Issues in Socialization & Development
- Gender, Relationships, & Society
- Hospitalized Children & Their Families
- Gerontology
- Family Diversity in the US
- Racial & Ethnic Families
- Critical Family Transitions
- Adolescent Development
- Child Development Class Supervision
- Music in Early Childhood
- Practicum in Human Development & Family Studies
- History of American Families
- Family Conflict Management
Students are prepared for careers in human services and early childhood education, or for graduate study in human development and family studies. Students can concentrate on interests, such as infancy, early childhood, adolescence, marital relationships, parent-child interaction or family studies. Courses are linked to practical experiences in educational and community settings. Such experiences help graduating students to find placement in a graduate educational program or employment in areas such as child care services, family life education, human services, child life, pediatric services, or business activities related to children or families. Issues related to cultural diversity and gender are emphasized.
Graduate Program
- Childrens Social/Emotional Development
- Advanced Adolescence
- Family Resiliency
- Family Ethnicity
- Gender & Sexuality
- Parenting
- Family Violence
- Family Interaction
- Research in Human Development
- Research in Family Studies
- Community Studies Theory
- Contemporary Topics in Community & Rural Development
- Communities in American Society
- Advanced Survey of Research Methods
- Qualitative Methods in Family & Community Studies
- Advanced Gender Roles in International Development Research Methods
- Quantitative Methods in Human Development & Family Studies
- Program Development
- Program Evaluation
Master's Level
Doctoral Level
The doctoral program in Human Development and Family Studies focuses on positive development and resilience of children, youth, and family in everyday life contexts. Regarding children and youth, our faculty emphasize social and emotional development, in family, community, and other settings. Regarding family, our faculty emphasize parent-child and other family relationships, gender/sexuality, race/ethnicity, and resilient family processes, in family and community contexts (e.g., neighborhoods, workplaces, the legal system, and social service settings). The HDFS applied concentration focuses on program intervention, prevention, and evaluation. Our faculty are methodologically diverse, including expertise in both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The Community Studies and Outreach option focuses on how community institutions structure differential opportunities that shape people's lives in rural and urban settings, and on how people and groups develop the capacities to influence these institutions. Specifically, we study communities as a context that affect people especially youth, community as a unit of analysis, and community and leaders relevant to educating and organizing for social change.
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HCD and the School of Social Work offer a dual Masters degree program in Marriage and Family Services. Students earn a M.S.W. from Social Work, accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, and an M.S. degree in HDFS. The program enables students to acquire theoretical knowledge related to development and family systems, research competence, knowledge of policies and programs that affect families, and practical skills in family-focused prevention and intervention. The program emphasizes working with families from a variety of socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.