The Human Development and Family Science major focuses on the development of the individual in the context of family and society with particular attention to interpersonal interaction. Key content areas include human development (child development through aging), sexuality, interpersonal relationships, courtship and marriage, parenting, internal dynamics of families, ethics, family diversity, family resource management, family services, and family life education. In addition, courses in methods of social research, statistics, community services, and family intervention provide the knowledge and skills necessary to either seek employment immediately following graduation or to continue study in graduate school.
Human development and family science majors focus on the study of relationships, particularly those within families. HDFS students adopt a family systems understanding (one affects the whole), a family strengths philosophy (as opposed to pathology, deviance, and anomaly), and lifespan and ecosystems perspectives (individual and family life cycle). HDFS is an application-based discipline which emphasizes practical skill development via internships, service-learning, and other forms of experiential education. Human development and family science students learn a variety of professional skills including, but not limited to, child observation, listening, interviewing, genogram construction, agency analysis, family life education assessment and program development, as well as conducting and writing literature reviews and research reports. While HDFS prepares students for intervention jobs which help individuals and families deal with crises and hardships after things happen, a major thrust of HDFS is prevention. Thus, throughout the curriculum, students learn how to provide information and skills to individuals and families during critical transitions across the life cycle so that they can avoid crises and the need for intervention.
Human development and family science majors may choose from a wide range of minors within the department such as children and youth services, disability and family wellness, gerontology, multicultural families, and pre-counseling and therapy, or minors outside the department such as Bible, business, communication, early childhood education, music, criminal justice, foods and nutrition, and Christian ministries. Students are encouraged to participate in off-campus practica or internships and will find opportunities for professionally supervised participation in family agencies, community mental health centers, adoption and foster care agencies, retirement facilities, hospitals, prisons, crisis pregnancy centers, schools, drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities, and other service agencies in the area.
Career Opportunities
Students graduating with a major in human development and family science who do not go on to graduate school typically seek employment as youth services workers, program directors, family life educators, child life specialists, foster care or adoption case managers, activities therapists, residential counselors, family services coordinators, family preservation workers, crisis intervention specialists, parent mentors, therapeutic support specialists, preschool teachers, and counselors in public and private agencies dealing with family issues. For more career information, visit http://www.messiah.edu/info/20406/our_alumni.
With careful planning, graduates of the Human Development and Family Science Major, can meet all the standards and criteria needed for the Provisional Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE) designation from the National Council on Family Relations, the premier professional organization for family scientists and practitioners. Professionals certified as Family Life Educators are nationally recognized as having knowledge and skills in each of the ten family life substance areas (e.g., ethics, internal dynamics of families, family life education methodology). See www.ncfr.org/cfle-certification.
Graduates from Messiah’s Human Development and Family Science program can:
Conduct, analyze and apply empirically based research.
Demonstrate awareness and knowledge related to multicultural and diverse individual, couple and family experiences (e.g., socioeconomic, rural-urban, various family structures).
HDFS 101 / 3 Credits
Healthy families are critical to personal and social vitality. This course provides foundational knowledge about family dynamics, guided by Christian, multicultural, historical, contemporary, and strength-based perspectives. The course provides an overview of the family science discipline including topics such as: family theories, marriage and parenting, individual and family development, gender and sexuality, family communication and stress, and family traditions and folklore. The course equips those beginning the Human Development and Family Science major as well as those wanting to gain a more robust understanding of families, including one's own.
HDFS 142 / 3 Credits
All aspects of life are touched by relationships in one way or another. This course looks at intrapersonal and interpersonal needs, goals, and behaviors in an effort to enhance interpersonal competence, with an emphasis on skill development necessary to function more effectively in various types of interpersonal roles and contexts. Whether private or professional, recreational or romantic, students will gain a deeper understanding of relational dynamics they may experience on a daily basis while looking at the topic through Christian, secular, and multicultural lenses.
HDFS 210 / 3 Credits
This class examines the individual from conception through late childhood. Attention is given to the physical, social-emotional, linguistic and cognitive development of the child as well as theoretical and methodological issues related to child development. Students should gain observation and application skills.
HDFS 244 / 3 Credits
This course examines sexual development, human reproduction, sexual function and dysfunction, gender, ethics, attitudes and sexual expression within relationships. It investigates psycho-social issues as well as their impact on family relationships and their intersection with Christian faith.
HDFS 253 / 3 Credits
The course introduces students to different types of community-based services in low income communities. Special attention will be given to the study of poverty, community development and the analysis of government policies on families.
HDFS 272 / 3 Credits
This course introduces students to quantitative and qualitative research methods used in the field of Human Development and Family Science. Through the development of research projects students will gain skills in the area of research design, survey construction, data analysis and development of a poster presentation. Special attention will be given to the use of SPSS in analyzing quantitative data and thematic coding in analyzing qualitative data.
HDFS 311 / 3 Credits
This class offers a development-focused approach to understanding adolescents. Attention is given to the physical, emotional, social, and cognitive development of adolescents as well as theoretical and methodological issues as related to the study of adolescents. Applications are made to family, peers, schools, church, and culture.
HDFS 312 / 3 Credits
This course provides a development-focused approach to the understanding of early and middle adult years, in particular, the interaction of physiological, cognitive, psychological, and sociological aspects in the study of adult development. Students will utilize qualitative research methods conducting structured interviews and collecting, analyzing and presenting narrative data.
HDFS 339 / 3 Credits
This course provides students with the theoretical lenses needed by professionals within the field of family science to analyze interpersonal processes and interaction patterns in families and other intimate groups. Students will also utilize a tool for family assessment by constructing family genograms.
HDFS 345 / 3 Credits
This class examines parenting processes, styles, techniques and theories throughout the family life cycle. Attention is given to parenting within diverse cultural and family structural contexts. Students will explore existing parent education programs and experience creating their own parenting lessons.
HDFS 355 / 3 Credits
Healthy couple relationships provide a solid foundation for individual and family development, and healthy marriages reflect Christ’s relationship with the Church. In addition to examining historical trends, this course will take a topical approach to understanding developmental processes and dynamics of marriage and couple relationships at various points across the life cycle. Topics addressed include couple formation and maintenance; cohabitation; attachment-based love; rituals and traditions; theology of marriage; gender roles; communication and conflict; intimate partner violence; separation and divorce; marital strengths; and relationship stability and longevity. Students will gain deeper understanding of marital and couple relationships; interact with couples at various stages of marriage; critically examine their own views; and learn ways to approach relationship education.
HDFS 442 / 3 Credits
The purpose of this capstone course for the HDFS major is to investigate models and methods for strengthening interpersonal and family relationships utilizing primary prevention strategies such as family life education and family enrichment. Students will conduct a needs assessment utilizing current research and develop a family life education curriculum.
HDFS 494 / 3 Credits
In this capstone course students will examine their readiness for professional pursuits in light of their preparation in Human Development and Family Sciences or Family and Consumer Sciences, as well as their personal Christian faith journey. Students will have the opportunity to assess their own personal growth, knowledge, and preparedness for careers serving others in various capacities.
HDFS / 3 Credits
STAT 269 / 3 Credits
An introductory course in statistics for students in the social and natural sciences. Students will build numeric and graphical summaries of data, apply sampling and basic probability terminology, identify features of the binomial distribution, use the normal distribution and the Central Limit Theorem to find probabilities, construct hypotheses for one-sample and two-sample settings and test them, discuss conditions and potential errors, and build confidence intervals. An introduction to computing software (Minitab) as a tool is included. A scientific calculator with STAT mode for data entry is required.
HDFS 422: Fulfills writing in the major requirement.
HDFS 378 / 3 Credits
This course examines the cultural values and specific patterns of family interaction found in the most predominate Latino groups in the United States. Special attention will be given to the study of immigration, and acculturation, in particular, how historical, political and economic factors have influenced the adjustment of these families into mainstream American culture. Students will study current practices in the delivery of social services to these families and consider effective ways to serve existing needs in this community.
HDFS 383 / 3 Credits
Selected topics in multicultural families. Possible topics may include but are not limited to the study of African-American families, Asian-American families, and Latino families. May be repeated for additional credit as the topic/study changes.
HDFS 386 / 3 Credits
This course introduces students to the main cultural values, life cycle transitions and patterns of family interaction found among the most predominate American ethnic/racial minority groups in the United States. Special attention will be given to the understanding of racism, acculturation, social privilege and ethnic identity development, as well as the role that cultural sensitivity and competency plays in the assessment and delivery of human services.
GERO 231 / 3 Credits
Study focuses on the psychological stability and change experienced by older persons. Topics include sensation and perception, intellectual functioning and learning, psychomotor skills, personality, and psychopathology as related to older persons. Students develop a relationship with an Elder Mentor for the duration of the class.
GERO 232 / 3 Credits
This course provides a introduction to the field of social gerontology. Special emphasis is given to the aged in context: how older adults both affect and are affected by society. Topics include demography, cultural values, diversity of aging experiences, friendship and family relationships, work and retirement, living arrangements, political activity and social programs. Students engage in the Elder Service Partner Program for the duration of the semester.
GERO 251 / 3 Credits
This course is devoted to the biological, nutritional and health aspects of the aging process. Emphasis is given to maximizing healthy aging.
Recommended for first-year students: HDFS 099 Opportunities in Human Development and Family Sciences (1)
| Experiential Learning requirement | 0 |
| QuEST requirements | Credits |
| First Year Seminar | 3 |
| Oral Communication | 3 |
| Created and Called for Community (W) | 3 |
| Mathematical Sciences (STAT 269) | met/major |
| Laboratory Science (NUTR 110 or BIOL 158 recommended) | 3 or 4 |
| Science, Technology & the World | 3 |
| Social Science (HDFS 101) | met/major |
| European History or United States History | 3 |
| Literature | 3 |
| Philosophy and Religion | 3 |
| Arts | 3 |
| First Semester of Language | 3 |
| Second Semester of Language | 3 |
| Third Semester of Language or Cross Cultural | 3 |
| Non-Western Studies | 2 or 3 |
| Bible | 3 |
| Christian Beliefs | 3 |
| Wellness course | 1 |
| Ethics (PHIL 382 or PHIL 325, or HDFS 340 recommended)*, Worldviews or Pluralism (HDFS 378, 383, 386) | met/major |
| Major requirements | 51 |
| QuEST requirements | 45-47 |
| Free electives | 27-25 |
| Total credits | 123 |