Welcome from Dr. Anisa Zvonkovic, Chairperson
Thank you for your interest in the graduate program in Human Development and Family Studies. I'm new here at Texas Tech and I came here because I am convinced that this is a great place to be! Virtually all of our graduate students are awarded with assistantships that pay a stipend and their student fees. I want to acquaint you with some specific attributes of our programs.
We have one of the most comprehensive programs in the country in Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS). The scholarship and expertise of our 21 tenure-line faculty cover the entire range of the life span from infancy to gerontology and intimate relationships. If you are interested in studying infants, young children, adolescents, adults, or the elderly, particularly aspects of their development or relationships, faculty here at Tech can assist you in your scholarly pursuits. I invite you to visit the faculty webpages for information about the research programs in the department and to view the leadership activities of the faculty.
We have a strong reputation for excellence in research. Our faculty members bring in millions of dollars of external funding to support their research. A significant portion of the external funding faculty members generate goes directly to graduate students in the form of research and teaching assistantships. The atmosphere here is exciting, filled with the energy of new projects and the passion that accompanies the discovery of knowledge. We develop teams of faculty members and graduate students who focus on specific areas of study and who work with common data sets, allowing your experience here to be both supportive and stimulating.
Graduate students are very active in presenting research to professional audiences across the country, and to writing up research for publication in professional journals. Graduate students commonly receive financial support from Texas Tech to present at conferences. Many of our alumni go on to become scholars in their own right at universities and other settings. Graduate alumni directly benefit from the research training they receive here, gaining and refining their skills in gathering, analyzing, and interpreting data, activities that are part of almost every professional occupation.
The HDFS graduate program provides graduate students with many opportunities to teach. Students at every level of their graduate program can gain and refine skills associated with teaching to a variety of audiences. Historically, virtually every doctoral student who wants to teach as sole instructor of a university course has been able to do so. Alumni of our graduate program tell us that teaching was one of the most important educational experiences they had. Graduate students in our program are well prepared to embark on teaching undergraduate courses, through a systematic practicum and mentoring program, focused on teaching in HDFS and tailored to them through supervision with faculty members in their content area. Our graduate student instructors consistently receive very high teaching evaluations, enhancing the quality of our undergraduate program. The opportunities to teach here are diverse and numerous, so that your teaching experience need not be limited to one class or one semester.
We also do an excellent job of applying research knowledge to real people in the community. Our faculty are engaged in community initiatives that assist young parents and their infants, children in school, individuals and families struggling with addictions, adolescents who are engaged in risk taking behaviors, young adults who are establishing their own identities, families who are facing illness and aging, culturally diverse populations, and many others. You students will find many opportunities to participate in programs that address the most pressing issues facing families and society. With your education and applied experience, you can leave our department with the expertise you need to have a successful career and contribute to the improvement of your community.
As you can see, Texas Tech is a place where you can flourish as a professional. We have a diverse faculty and student body, a strong reputation for excellence, a welcoming community, and a sunny climate. In fall of 2005, Lubbock ranked as the most affordable college town in the USA (http://money.cnn.com/2005/11/02/real_estate/college_towns/index.htm). Please do not hesitate to contact our faculty, including me, should you want additional information.
Sincerely,Anisa Zvonkovic, Ph.D.
Professor & Chairperson
806-742-3000, ext 279 | Room 507-G
anisa.zvonkovic@ttu.edu