Human Development and Family Sciences

Accelerated Bachelor's to Master's Human Development and Family Sciences Degree Option

The Accelerated Bachelor's to Master's Degree Program in HDFS gives qualified undergraduate students the opportunity to complete a bachelor's and master's degree in five years.

These students will be able to complete the graduate application process in their junior year when 90 hours have been successfully completed with a 3.0 GPA or higher. If accepted, students begin graduate work during their senior year to finish both a bachelor's and master's degree in a total of five years.

Students will complete 9 hours of graduate coursework in Human Development and Family Sciences that will count toward both the undergraduate and master's degree requirements.

Both a thesis and non-thesis option are available.

Top 10 Frequently Asked Questions:

1. Who is the ideal candidate for a program like this?

As the title indicates, this is an accelerated and rigorous program. Students who are interested in a graduate program and ready to complete challenging coursework at a rapid pace would be a great fit for this program. Applicants must have earned at least a 3.0 GPA (4 point scale) in 90 credits of coursework to be eligible to apply.

2. What does the timeline look like?

Students should be able to finish the Accelerated Bachelor's to Master's (ABM) program in HDFS in 5 years with both the Thesis and Non-thesis options (see degree plan and course sheet). This will, of course, vary based on student performance.

3. Who will advise me during this degree program?

Students will continue to be advised by our COHS Advising and Retention Office during their application and undergraduate course work portion. When students begin graduate classes during the fourth year, they will also be advised by a graduate program faculty member in HDFS.

4. Is it too late for me to start if I am currently an undergraduate student? When can I start the application process?

Students who have already completed HDFS 3322 and their elective credits would be too far into their program to make the new bachelor's to master's program a good fit. We highly encourage students who this specific program will not work well for to consider applying to the regular Master's program or other graduate programs in HDFS. Additional information can be requested by visiting http://www.depts.ttu.edu/hs/hdfs/request_information_graduate.php.

Ideally, students should begin considering this option their freshman and sophomore year, but current juniors may be eligible on a case by case basis. A student can apply when he or she has successfully earned 90 credit hours with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

5. What is the application and what are the requirements?

The priority application deadline for the ABM program is December 1st, 2021 and the HDFS Department will continue accepting and reviewing applications after the priority deadline on a rolling basis through the start of the semester. The GRE is not required for admission to this program. Students will apply for this program through the standard TTU graduate school admissions process and more information may be found at: http://www.depts.ttu.edu/gradschool/admissions/howtoapply.php.

6. What if my courses don't line up with the timeline?

COHS Advising and Retention will be able to provide guidance on the timeline and flexibility of undergraduate class sequence. The graduate sequence will be less flexible due to students beginning as a cohort in the fall semester.

7. Will I participate in undergraduate commencement?

Students will have the appropriate number of hours to earn their bachelor's degree at the end of the fourth year and can participate in an undergraduate commencement ceremony. In the fifth year, they will continue on as a graduate student in HDFS.

8. What financial aid and/or scholarships are available?

Applicants can request an application fee voucher from the HDFS department to pay for the application fees; please contact the Graduate Program Coordinator Jeremiah Ramirez at Jeremiah.Ramirez@ttu.edu to request a voucher.

Financial aid offerings will be the same as those available for other undergraduate and graduate student programs. Students will be full time during all semesters of the degree plan, and there will be HDFS scholarship opportunities available for a limited number of students.

9. Will standard TTU undergraduate and graduate tuition and fees apply?

HDFS undergraduate and graduate student tuition and fee rates will apply to this program and students may learn more about those by visiting the TTU Student Business Services website at: https://www.depts.ttu.edu/gradschool/financial/tuition.php and http://www.depts.ttu.edu/studentbusinessservices/feeInfo/tuition-estimator.php.

10. What does a Master's degree in HDFS uniquely qualify me for? What career paths or further study will I be able to pursue?

Students with a master's in HDFS would be a great fit for continuing on in any Ph.D. program or ready for the job market in a variety of areas in leadership roles including but not limited to working with children, youth and families, social services, community development, extension services, health and wellness programs, patient experiences or advocacy, higher education or professional health careers.