The mission of the Department of Human Development and Family Science is to understand and improve the lives of people of all ages in relationships, families, organizations, and communities.

The Family Science and Human Development Department provides students with a greater understanding of multiple ways of knowing families and children in various contexts. It enables students to critically analyze the literature and to keep abreast of trends in research. The faculty creates a learning environment that supports and encourages the development of forward thinking practitioners and educators who work with families and children in a variety of settings. The department of Family and Child Studies examines multiple ways of knowing families and individuals over the life course in various socio-cultural contexts. Power, diversity, and social justice are analyzed through an interdisciplinary and critical approach.

Family studies is one of the fastest growing programs at OC. Our academic programs equip students to serve in careers that support and nurture families. Whether in family counseling, child care, or social services, a graduate of the Family Science program is prepared to make a difference.

Oklahoma Christian offers two major programs in family studies. The B.S. Degree in Family Science is a pre-professional degree that emphasizes the preparing of students for graduate school. Those students who wish to pursue advanced degrees, at either the master's or doctoral level, are encouraged to pursue this degree. With the growth of marriage and family graduate school programs and the increasing influence of systems theory in psychology, the need to prepare students for study as marriage and family counselors is increasing.

The B.S. degree in Family Science/Child Development provides students with a broad, general approach to the study of the family. This degree is primarily intended for those students who do not wish to pursue graduate school. It examines family issues across the lifespan but adds emphasis in early childhood education.

The mission of the Department of Behavior Science at Utah Valley University is to prepare students for careers in the fields of anthropology, family studies, psychology, social work, sociology, substance abuse, and other related professions. Finding solutions to human problems involves the ability to apply academic theories to the real world. Behavioral Science students learn academic rigor in writing, critical thinking and analysis and integration of current scientific research. A multicultural perspective and respect for the range of individual differences are central to the department's mission. Insight, skill acquisition, and personal application are also important collateral aspects of a student's exposure to the behavioral sciences. Classes are frequently taught using experiential methods and collaborative assignments. Our department feels strongly about our interdiciplinary approach to our degrees. Our degrees are are structured around the Behavioral Sciences with students learning a little bit about each area while still choosing a specific emphasis in either Anthropology, Family Studies, Psychology, or Sociology. Our Bachelor's degree prepares students to work in the fields of human services, criminal justice, community/public relations, education, health, business, research, and prepares them to onto graduate school within their chosen field.

The mission of the Department of Human Development and Family Science is (a) to provide students with a comprehensive, integrated knowledge of families and individuals across the life span as appropriate preparation for careers in human services and/or graduate study, and (b) to conduct research on the variety of factors and contexts relevant to human and family development. The goal of the Department is to enhance the quality of life for individuals of all ages through teaching, research, and service in a manner consistent with the University's land grant mission. The Department recognizes the importance of an ecological approach to the study of human development and families, and utilizes a systemic approach in teaching, research, and service. Interactions of individuals and families with the economic, political, judicial, religious, and educational systems are emphasized. The Department also serves as a resource base for citizens of North Dakota in the area of individual and family life.

The Department of Behavioral Sciences offers students a broad-based liberal education, enabling them to function effectively in a world of rapid change, in careers in such fields as government, business, mental health, child care, and social services. The Department provides students with skills and strategies to understand individual and group behavior, to learn how to relate well to others, and to understand the relationships between social problems and the social environment. As one of the most diverse academic units on campus, the department offers courses in a variety of disciplines concerned with human behavior: anthropology; child care; human development and family studies; marriage and family therapy; psychology; sociology; and criminal justice. The Department has numerous resources including the Institute for Social and Policy Research, Couple and Family Therapy Center, and Riley Child Center. 

The School of Family Life has over 1,000 undergraduate majors, either pursing a degree in Family Life or Family and Consumer Science Education.  Degrees in Family Life are offered with an emphasis in either Human Development or Family Studies.  The School has COAMFTE-accredited masters and doctoral programs in MFT. Masters and doctoral degree graduate programs are also available in Marriage, Family, and Human Development. In addition, the School administers the university-wide Gerontology Program. Besides offering high quality learning experiences for students, faculty are actively engaged in research on family and human development-related research.

The mission of the Department of Family Consumer Science is to promote the well-being of people and the enrichment of quality environments, and to prepare men and women to assume essential professional roles in a rapidly changing, culturally diverse, global society. 

Developing an expansive understanding of human development, relationship dynamics and the science and practice of family life education is the cornerstone of Spring Arbor University's program. Through this unique curriculum, students can refine their skills as they learn the ins and outs of assessment and analysis of human dynamics as well as skills in communication, interviewing and problem solving.

The human development and family studies program at Warner Pacific College prepares students for careers in family life education. Other affiliated majors, under the Department of Social Science, equip students for work in counseling, psychology, social work, developmental psychology, urban studies and secondary social science teaching. Graduate school preparation is a significant aspect of the Warner experience in Social Science, as is educating students in a holistic manner with a liberal arts perspective. Most of our programs include internship experiences that give students hands-on learning to support theoretical frameworks. Our overall approach is one of strengths-based, systems-oriented approaches to human beings and their relationship networks.

Our mission is to foster an interdisciplinary scholarly environment that enables early childhood professionals, family service providers, and researchers in the field of family and child study to: cultivate and disseminate systematic information and grounded knowledge about the diverse nature of families in contemporary societies; and understand and critically respond to the dynamic complexities of human development across the lifespan foster leadership in addressing the multiple facets of early childhood development.

Family Life Education is an interdisciplinary field of study that draws from various disciplines such as psychology, education, sociology, communications, law and public policy, economics, theology, and home management. It provides an understanding of human development, family systems, and interpersonal relationships. Graduates will be equipped to provide instruction and guidance to others in the subjects of marriage, parenting, family dynamics, and human relations. This program will also equip graduates to build healthy marriages and families in their own personal lives.

The Family Studies and Social Work Department (FSW) is committed to the advancement of scientific knowledge pertaining to communities, families, children, adolescents, and the elderly. FSW seeks to apply that knowledge for the fulfillment of human potential through the prevention, treatment, and amelioration of social problems, and a focus on family strengths. Recognizing the complexities of contemporary, globalized society, the department dedicates itself to undergraduate and graduate education, research, and public service. In this endeavor, the department is committed to the promotion of values, ethics, and competency by advocating for a society that respects the dignity and achievement of all communities, families, and individuals.

The Department of Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) prepares students for careers that focus on improving the quality of life of individuals and families. FCS offers baccalaureate degrees in Child Development and Family Studies, Fashion Merchandising and Design, Food and Nutritional Sciences, and Consumer Sciences. FCS offers the Masters of Arts in Teaching in:  Child Development Early Education and Family Studies (BK Licensure) and Family and Consumer Sciences Education.  FCS also offers a Masters in Science in Food and Nutritional Sciences.NCA&TSU students earning the Bachelor of Science degree in Child Development and Family Studies (CDFS) are eligible to use the Abbreviated Application for Certification in Family Life Education. During their studies, CDFS students are given a broad understanding of human development across the lifespan, family systems, parent-child relations, family financial planning, human resources management, and appropriate living environments. Academic training includes multiple field experiences and internships at our 5-Star Child Development Laboratory, and other institutions comprising childcare and early childhood settings, youth-programs, family serving agencies, military installations, and faith-based organizations. Leadership skills are developed through student involvement in department-based student organizations and participation in professional conferences. Graduates of the CDFS program are employed in settings including education, family service, Cooperative Extension, religion, healthcare, special-needs, military, and other industries involved in child development and family life education.

The Department offers comprehensive programs that cover all aspects of families throughout the life cycle: infancy, childhood, adolescence, emerging adulthood, midlife, and aging. The goal of the department is to provide an educational experience that promotes the integration of knowledge and professional practice from the fields of human development and family science. Primary objectives are to prepare researchers and scholars to generate knowledge about individual and family development and behavior over the life span, as well as educate professionals who will provide educational, counseling, and advocacy services needed for children and families to function more effectively. The department includes a marriage and family therapy clinic, a child development lab, and an extensive outreach program along with a considerable portfolio of funded research. This scientist-practitioner model reflects the goals of The University of Georgia, a flagship, Research I, land-grant institution integrating research and its application to enhance the quality of life for all citizens.

The mission of the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences is to enhance the development of resilient families, businesses, and communities. By improving people's human, social, and economic capital, significant improvements can be made in the promotion of resilient human development over the life course and the quality of life in diverse families throughout Hawai'i and the Pacific Basin communities.

Family Resources (FamR) is a Bachelor's of Science degree program that provides students with an ecological systems approach that focuses upon the development of resiliency and nurturing of strengths in human and family development, and family resource management for Asian and Pacific Islander and multicultural families in diverse communities. The FamR curriculum provides students with a multitude of experiences through their coursework, community projects and internships that provide a foundation for working with diverse families and communities. The Family Resource curriculum provides students with the knowledge and professional skills needed for graduate studies, careers in educational and community settings, or family and human service agencies.
 

HDFS is committed to the well-being and healthy development of individuals and families. Faculty are social and behavioral scientists and practitioners with training across several disciplines, engaging in classroom and community teaching, multidisciplinary research, and outreach collaborations. Faculty address critical issues facing children and families in society. Individual faculty members have expertise in diverse and specific areas of study, such as the study of grief, family economics, early education, intergenerational interactions, and development during infancy, early childhood, adolescence, and older adulthood. The program's work aligns with federal and state foci on our nation's most vulnerable members infants and young children, at-risk youth, families in poverty, individuals with disabilities, immigrant families, the frail elderly, cultural minorities, and the disenfranchised. Through innovative outreach, the program seeks to improve professional and public efforts to understand risk and protective factors in the lives of children, youth, families, and communities that impact healthy functioning.

This program examines the ways people grow and develop, form relationships and families, and learn to cope with the common and uncommon events of life. The program integrates developmental and ecological systems perspectives. Students learn basic and applied concepts of human development and acquire skills in working with individuals and families of different ages and backgrounds in a variety of settings. Field experience is required of all students.

Human Development and Family Studies is also available as a major concentration for students in the Early Childhood Education, Early Childhood Special Education, and Physical Education licensure programs, and as a minor available to students across the university.

The department's mission is to provide integrative educational programs and conduct research focused on reciprocal relationships among individuals, families, and their near environment toward the goal of improving the quality of life within a dynamic world community.

The mission of the Marriage and Family Therapy (MAMFT) Degree Program is to train persons with theological/spiritual commitments to become marriage and family therapists competent to practice in a diverse, multicultural and interfaith world. Marriage and Family Therapy is framed as a professional expression of the church's ministry of pastoral care and counseling. Individuals trained in the MAMFT program gain theoretical and practical tools to work as comprehensive mental health providers in a broad range of treatment contexts with careful attention to human, family and cultural diversity.  To this end, the MAMFT program is built on a foundation of the following five Professional Marriage and Family Therapy Principles:  the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) Educational Guidelines, the AAMFT Core Competencies, the AAMFT Code of Ethics, the Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Board's (AMFTRB) Examination Domains, Task Statements and Knowledge Statements, and the Commonwealth of Kentucky Statutes. 

The Master of Marriage and Family Therapy (MMFT) program at the University of Winnipeg is The MMFT program is one of the few programs in Canada that offers a master's degree to prepare students for careers as marriage and family therapists. The program is known for its academic and clinical rigor, training students to work within a systemic/relational framework.

The Master of Marriage and Family Therapy is a clinical degree. It is a non-thesis program with courses that provides students with a theoretical framework for their clinical work. The MMFT Program of study consists of 63 credit hours (59 required and four elective credits). Supervised Marriage and Family Therapy courses (i.e., practicum) make up 24 of the 63 credit hours in the Program. Students are required to provide 500 hours of therapy under supervision in order to graduate with a Master's degree. The usual ratio is around 2 hours of supervision for every 5 hours of therapy. Most of these hours are completed at Aurora Family Therapy Centre, located on the University of Winnipeg campus. During the last year of practicum, students are required to take Graduate Seminar. This course combines their learning across the degree and provides a capstone experience in the final paper. Students research and articulate their own integrated theory of therapy with examples from their client work.

The Department of Professional Psychology and Family Therapy in the College of Education and Human Services at Seton Hall University contains two Marriage and Family Therapy programs (M.S.and Ed.S.). The Master's of Science (M.S.) and Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) programs in Marriage and Family Therapy are both part and full-time study opportunities for persons interested in pursuing a career in marriage and family therapy. The M.S. is a 60 credit hour specialization designed to prepare beginning level professionals by providing a firm theoretical foundation and intensive clinical training with a diversity of individuals, couples, and families. The M.S. also meets the educational requirements for licensure as a clinical alcohol and drug counselor in New Jersey. The Ed.S. program is a 39 credit hour specialization designed for professionals who possess a master's degree in a related field and who would like to specialize in MFT. Both programs are nationally accredited by AAMFTs Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE).  The M.S.and Ed.S., are designed to meet the academic requirements for New Jersey Licensure in Marriage and Family Therapy. The faculty consists of AAMFT Approved Supervisors and licensed MFTs who are highly knowledgeable and passionate about their work with couples and families. 

The Department of Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS), in the School of Health and Human Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, is committed to excellence in teaching, research, and service regarding human development and close relationships across the lifespan. Our objectives are to educate the next generation of HDFS professionals and scholars, to generate new knowledge, and to foster the well-being of individuals and families in their everyday lives.

As a premier HDFS department, we focus on the following areas: early care and education; child, youth, and family development; aging. Undergraduates can prepare for birth through kindergarten teacher licensure (as can our MEd graduate students) or focus on children's and adolescents' development in their diverse cultural, school, and family contexts. M.S. and doctoral students examine the biological, relational, early educational, social, and cultural foundations of development and their implications for families. The emphasis on "culture" includes not only different societies, but also within-society cultural groups, such as racial/ethnic and social class groups. We are committed to interdisciplinary study, diversity, and internationalization. Department Mission: The Department of Human Development and Family Studies seeks to enhance the quality of life for individuals across the lifespan within their diverse and changing relationships, families, social networks, and communities in varying contexts through (1) exceptional research and scholarship, (2) outstanding teaching and mentoring to prepare the next generation of professionals, and (3) active community engagement and intervention.

The Department of Behavioral Sciences and Family Studies seeks to assist students in understanding human behavior and criminal behavior, child development, family relations and societal and cultural changes. In addition, the Department seeks to prepare students with intellectual and vocational skills to function in a variety of professional service occupations.