The School of Social and Behavioral Health Sciences offers course work and programs of study in the area of human development and family studies. The Gerontology Program is also administered by the College of Public Health and Human Sciences through the school.

Human Development and Family Studies offers graduate work leading to master of science and doctor of philosophy degrees. Graduate programs take a multidisciplinary approach, preparing students for college and university teaching and research, as well as development, administration, and evaluation of programs serving individuals and families across the lifespan. Our research is interdisciplinary with signature themes in transitions across the life course, risk and resilience across the life span, and developmental and family research methods.

Our faculty recognizes the critical importance of culture and gender, diversity, and contemporary global perspectives in the discovery of knowledge. We have research emphases in child development, adolescence, adult development and aging, families, rural communities, and cross-national comparison.

Research is an important focus of the Graduate Program in Human Development and Family Studies. The HDFS faculty includes nationally recognized scholars who are widely published in areas such as families and aging; family communication and conflict; child, adolescent, and adult development; intergenerational family relationships; family structure; and gender. We emphasize both quantitative and qualitative methodology.