The PhD curriculum is designed to provide advanced training in HDFS. Whether our graduates end up in academic or applied settings, we prepare them for work that includes independent research, outreach, and teaching.

Students who are admitted to the PhD program are expected to have completed a research-based master’s thesis prior to admission or to complete the requirements for our MS degree as part of their PhD curriculum. Students who apply to our PhD program with a master’s degree that does not include an empirical thesis will need to complete a pre-doctoral research project prior to taking the doctoral preliminary exam.

PhD students must take a proseminar in HDFS and three courses in human development and family theory. Students choose additional HDFS graduate courses to fill out their major area of concentration.