The Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development & Family Studies offers an in-depth education about human development and well-being across the lifespan, with a focus on relational health, including infant mental health, parenting, couples, and other family and social relationships. Students take specialized courses in policymaking, research methods, prevention and intervention, and ethnic/cultural diversity in families.
In addition to high-impact learning experiences and coursework, all students engage in a professional semester-long internship in a community or research setting related to their major and career goals. These settings include mental health organizations, early childhood education centers, healthcare agencies, legislative offices, university advising units, research labs, human resources, criminal justice systems, child and family life education programs, and other community-based organizations.
Human Development & Family Studies offers excellent preparation for students interested in graduate/professional school in areas such as clinical healthcare and public health; counseling and mental health; early childhood, K-12 and higher education; family law; social work and case management; occupational and physical therapy; program evaluation and applied research; and the child life profession.
Human Development & Family Studies students may choose to pursue these additional credentials while completing their degree:
- Certified Family Life Educator credential, provided by the National Council on Family Relations, recognized in the U.S. and Canada for Family Life Education professions.
- Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Endorsement, provided by the Wisconsin Alliance for Infant Mental Health, which promotes the social-emotional development of children from newborn to 6 years within the family and community context.
For more information on these credentials, please contact the Advising & Career Center.
How to Get in
Current UW–Madison Students
Students within their first 60 GPA credits at UW-Madison
| Requirements | Details |
|---|---|
| How to get in | No application required. All students who meet the requirements listed below are able to declare. For information on how to declare, see: https://go.wisc.edu/sohe-declare. |
| Courses required to get in | None. |
| GPA requirements to get in |
|
| Credits required to get in | None. |
| Other | Must be in good academic standing with their current school or college. |
All other students (who do not meet the declaration criteria above)
| Requirements | Details |
|---|---|
| How to get in | Application required. Meeting the requirements listed below does not guarantee admission. (https://go.wisc.edu/sohe-apply) |
| Courses required to get in | None. |
| GPA requirements to get in | None. |
| Credits required to get in | None. |
| Other | Must be in good academic standing with their current school or college. |
| Semester | Deadline to apply | Decision notification timeline |
|---|---|---|
| To apply for a fall start | The fifth Friday of the term. | Students will be notified about decisions approximately one month after the application deadline. |
| To apply for a spring start | The fifth Friday of the term. | Students will be notified about decisions approximately one month after the application deadline. |
| To apply for a summer start | This program does not accept applications to start in the summer. |
Prospective UW-Madison Students
All prospective UW–Madison students must apply through the central Office of Admissions and Recruitment.
Students who indicate interest in Human Development and Family Studies on their UW–Madison application will be admitted to the major upon admittance to the University. In addition, students may indicate interest in Human Development and Family Studies when registering for Student Orientation, Advising, and Registration (SOAR).
University General Education Requirements
All undergraduate students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are required to fulfill a minimum set of common university general education requirements to ensure that every graduate acquires the essential core of an undergraduate education. This core establishes a foundation for living a productive life, being a citizen of the world, appreciating aesthetic values, and engaging in lifelong learning in a continually changing world. Various schools and colleges will have requirements in addition to the requirements listed below. Consult your advisor for assistance, as needed. For additional information, see the university Undergraduate General Education Requirements section of the Guide.
| General Education |
* The mortarboard symbol appears before the title of any course that fulfills one of the Communication Part A or Part B, Ethnic Studies, or Quantitative Reasoning Part A or Part B requirements. |
School of Human Ecology Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Arts and Humanities | ||
| Literature | 3 | |
| Humanities | 6 | |
| Social Science | ||
| PSYCH 202 | Introduction to Psychology | 3-4 |
| Select 6 credits designated Social Science breadth | 6 | |
| Physical, Biological and Natural Science | ||
| Select 9 credits from Physical, Biological and Natural Science | 9 | |
| Human Ecology Breadth | ||
| Select a Human Ecology course from CNSR SCI, CSCS, DS, or INTER-HE not otherwise included in the program requirements | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 30-31 | |
Human Development and Family Studies Requirements
A complete list of requirements is below. Students should follow the curriculum requirements in place at the time they entered the major. This requirement list should be used in combination with a DARS report.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation | ||
| Human Development in Context | ||
| HDFS 174 | Introduction into Cultural Diversity of Families | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Development of the Young Child | ||
| Human Development in Infancy and Childhood | ||
| Child Development | ||
| HDFS 263 | Development from Adolescence to Old Age | 3 |
| HDFS 516 | Stress and Resilience in Families Across the Lifespan | 3 |
| HDFS 345 | Ecology of Child Health and Well-Being | 3 |
| Research Foundations | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Research Methods in Human Development and Family Studies | ||
| Research Methods | ||
| Methods of Sociological Inquiry | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Statistics for Sociologists I | ||
| Data Science Modeling I | ||
| Introduction to Statistical Methods | ||
| Introduction to Statistics for Science and Engineering | ||
| Introductory Applied Statistics for the Life Sciences | ||
| Basic Statistics for Psychology | ||
| Career Foundations | ||
| HDFS 253 | Human Development & Family Studies Leadership Symposium | 1 |
| INTER-HE 202 | SoHE Career & Leadership Development | 1 |
| Depth | ||
| Select 3 of the following courses: | 9 | |
| Finances & Families | ||
| Clinical Communication Skills | ||
| Global Health and Communities: From Research to Praxis | ||
| Human Development in Adolescence | ||
| Adult Psychopathology | ||
| Human Sexuality | ||
| Adult Development and Aging | ||
| Positive Psychology and Well Being | ||
| Sociology of Health and Medicine | ||
| Human Sexuality | ||
| Sociological Perspectives on the Life Course and Aging | ||
| Application | ||
| Career/Research Practice | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Internship | ||
| Research Experience in Human Development and Family Studies | ||
| Capstone | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Developmental and Family Assessment | ||
| A Family Perspective in Policymaking | ||
| Parent Education and Support Programs | ||
| Electives | ||
| Select courses to bring degree credit total to 120 | ||
| Total Credits | 38-39 | |
Child Development: Named Option
Students may elect to pursue a named option instead of the completing the Human Development and Family Studies requirements listed above.
University Degree Requirements
| Total Degree | To receive a bachelor's degree from UW–Madison, students must earn a minimum of 120 degree credits. The requirements for some programs may exceed 120 degree credits. Students should consult with their college or department advisor for information on specific credit requirements. |
| Residency | Degree candidates are required to earn a minimum of 30 credits in residence at UW–Madison. "In residence" means on the UW–Madison campus with an undergraduate degree classification. “In residence” credit also includes UW–Madison courses offered in distance or online formats and credits earned in UW–Madison Study Abroad/Study Away programs. |
| Quality of Work | Undergraduate students must maintain the minimum grade point average specified by the school, college, or academic program to remain in good academic standing. Students whose academic performance drops below these minimum thresholds will be placed on academic probation. |
Learning Outcomes
- Apply a developmental lens to describe lifespan human development in context, with emphasis on individual, family and community diversity
- Apply a relational lens to understand interpersonal and internal family processes (e.g., relational health, parent-child relationships, couple relationships, family health and well-being)
- Use systems thinking to describe how individuals and families affect and are affected by their social and ecological contexts (e.g., communities, institutions, policies, cultures), with an emphasis on building a more just and equitable society
- Critically evaluate and ethically apply interdisciplinary social science research to promote health and wellbeing across the lifespan through assessment, prevention, intervention, research, and/or program evaluation
- Work effectively in a professional setting with individuals from diverse backgrounds, including the exploration of HDFS-relevant professional pathways and the development of broadly applicable professional skills essential to the discipline (e.g., cultural awareness, empathy, self-reflection)
Four-Year Plan
This is a sample four-year plan for Human Development and Family Studies. We encourage all students to consult with their academic advisor to develop an individualized plan that meets their specific needs.
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| HDFS 262, PSYCH 460, or ED PSYCH 320 | 3 | HDFS 174 (Satisfies Ethnic Studies) | 3 |
| Communications A | 3 | INTER-HE 201 (or other Human Ecology Breadth) | 3 |
| Quantitative Reasoning A | 3 | Communications B | 3-4 |
| Science | 3 | PSYCH 202 | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Science | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| HDFS 253 | 1 | INTER-HE 202 | 1 |
| HDFS 263 | 3 | HDFS 345 | 3 |
| Humanities | 3 | Literature | 3 |
| Science | 3 | Social Science | 3 |
| Social Science | 3 | Science | 3 |
| Elective | 2 | Elective | 2 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Junior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| HDFS 516 | 3 | STAT 301, 371, PSYCH 210, or SOC 360 (Statistics - Quantitative Reasoning B) | 3 |
| HDFS 425 | 3 | HDFS Depth #2 | 3 |
| HDFS Depth #1 | 3 | HDFS Depth #3 | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Senior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| HDFS Application #1 (Internship or Research) | 3 | HDFS Application #2 (Capstone) | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total Credits 120 | |||
Advising and Careers
Advising & Career Center
The Advising & Career Center (ACC) fosters undergraduate students' personal, academic, and professional development. Through advising, academic planning, and career education, we support students as they navigate the college experience—from exploring our majors as prospective students to becoming Human Ecology alumni.
Academic Advising
Each Human Ecology student is assigned to an academic advisor in the Advising & Career Center. Human Ecology academic advisors support academic and personal success by partnering with current and prospective Human Ecology students as they identify and clarify their educational goals, develop meaningful academic plans, and pursue their own Wisconsin Experience.
To explore academic advising resources or schedule an appointment with Human Ecology academic advisor, visit Academic Advising in Human Ecology.
Career Development
Each Human Ecology student is assigned to a career advisor in the Advising & Career Center. Active engagement in the career development process is a vital component of a student’s personal growth in college and future success as a lifelong learner, professional, and global citizen. Human Ecology career advisors help prepare students for life post-graduation through advising and integration of career readiness throughout our curriculum.
To explore career development resources or schedule an appointment with a Human Ecology career advisor, visit Career Development in Human Ecology.
Common job titles include, but are not limited to:
- Account Manager
- Behavioral Technician
- Clinical Research Coordinator
- Early Childhood/Preschool Teacher
- Patient Care Coordinator
- Research Assistant
- Special Education Teacher
- Talent Acquisition Manager
- Teaching Assistant
Wisconsin Experience
Internships
Internships are a vital part of student career development and a highly valued component of the undergraduate curriculum in the School of Human Ecology. High-quality internships foster student development by bringing theories and classroom-based learning to life in real-world settings. In addition, internships give students the opportunity to explore careers related to their major, gain relevant experience in their field(s) of interest, and develop a better understanding of what is expected in a workplace by performing the tasks of a professional in that field.
For Human Ecology majors, internships are a requirement of our undergraduate curriculum. Students must have at least a junior standing (54+ credits) in order to pursue a 3-credit internship and must complete a minimum of 150 hours at the internship site. To be eligible, an internship must be educational in nature, directly relate to a student’s major and career goals, and be approved by the Advising & Career Center.
For some Human Ecology majors, additional course prerequisites may be required. For more information, visit Human Ecology Internships.
Student Organizations
To see our active list of Human Ecology Student Orgs and for more information about joining, please visit Human Ecology Student Organizations.
Learn more about UW–Madison registered student organizations through the Wisconsin Involvement Network.
Resources and Scholarships
Scholarships
The School of Human Ecology (SoHE) awards many merit and need-based scholarships each year. Students can learn more about these opportunities on the Human Ecology scholarships webpage. To be eligible for these awards, scholarship recipients must be registered as full-time Human Ecology students. For further questions on the scholarship application, please contact the School of Human Ecology Scholarship Coordinator at scholarships@sohe.wisc.edu.
Support Resources
Human Ecology students experiencing personal, academic, or financial challenges should contact SoHE Academic Deans Services. Additional campus resources include the Financial Aid Basic Needs website, Office of Student Assistance and Support, and University Health Services.