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Department of Human Development
and Family Studies

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CONTACT INFORMATION: 507 Human Sciences Building
Box 41230, Lubbock, TX 79409-1230
T 806.742.3000, F 806.742.0285, www.depts.ttu.edu/hdfs

About the Program

This department supervises the following degree programs and certificates:

  • Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies
  • Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood
  • Master of Science in Human Development and Family Studies
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Human Development and Family Studies
  • Graduate Certificate in Gerontology
  • Graduate Certificate in Youth Development Specialist
  • Graduate Certificate in Youth Program Management and Evaluation

Mission. The Department of Human Development and Family Studies is a multidisciplinary department that applies contextual and systemic frameworks to the study of individual development and relationship processes across the life span through research, teaching and service.


Undergraduate Program

The Department of Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) offers a wide range of courses in the areas of early childhood, human development, interpersonal relations, and family studies. Graduates of the department may enter a variety of human services vocations and/or pursue graduate studies. Students interested only in selected aspects may elect to minor in the department curriculum or they may choose electives while pursuing another major course of study.

 

Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies

From a foundation of research and theory, this degree focuses on development across the life span (prenatal to late adulthood) in the context of couple, marriage, family, and peer relationships. This program focuses on intrapersonal (e.g., personality, cognition), interpersonal (e.g., relationship conflict, self-disclosure), and societal (e.g., race-ethnicity, class) forces as they affect personal and family well-being.

Many courses offer perspectives on interpersonal and family behavior through development of the infant, child, adolescent, young adult (courtship, early marriage), middle-aged adult (divorce-remarriage, parenthood), and older adult (widowhood, grandparenthood). Some courses also focus on important social issues that affect individual and family functioning (e.g., violence). Courses at the upper-division level provide professional training for students seeking employment in such diverse occupations as family life educator, extension service specialist, probation officer, child development specialist, or child care administrator.

With respect to certifications, students may choose courses in HDFS for career certifications such as Child Care Director, Child Life Specialist, Certified Family Life Educator, EC and FCSE Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Certification, etc. See an advisor for specific courses.

Service-research skills are also enhanced by opportunities to observe and interact with infants, toddlers, and young children in the Child Development Research Center and TTU Early Head Start. The centers are accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Students will be required to pass a background check. Supervised experiences with community groups provide opportunities for interaction with older children, adolescents, couples, families, and elderly adults. These experiences assist students in understanding developmental stages of human behavior and interpersonal relations as they occur in family or group care settings.

Undergraduate students may want to focus in one or more of the following areas in which courses are offered in the department:

  • Childhood: HDFS 2305, 2311, 3306, 3310, 3312, 4306
  • Adolescence-adulthood: HDFS 3316, 3317, 3318, 3319, 3332
  • Family relationships: HDFS 2322, 3321, 3322, 3326, 3331
  • Application research: HDFS 2320, 3360, 3411, 3413, 4000, 4310, 4314, 4320, 4343, 4390.

Enrollment in the department is limited and based on a 2.5 GPA. To continue enrolling in human development and family studies courses, students must maintain a GPA that meets or exceeds this standard. In addition, transfer students must have a 2.5 GPA. Students with a lower GPA may be provisionally admitted or continue to enroll in courses if a petition is submitted to the department and approved by the chairperson’s office.

Minor in Human Development and Family Studies. A student may minor in Human Development and Family Studies by completing 18 hours of HDFS coursework, 9 hours of which must be upper-level. Courses for this minor should be finalized and approved in conjunction with the student’s major and minor advisors.

Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood

The Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood prepares professionals to work with children from infancy through sixth grade. A strong emphasis in child development provides the foundation for understanding the child as an individual within the context of the family, the peer group, and school settings.

The program meets current Texas requirements for teacher certification and is accredited by the State Board for Educator Certification and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. State teacher certification is granted from early childhood through the sixth elementary grade. See an academic advisor for updated certification requirements that may occur from recent legislative mandates. Admission to teacher certification is competitive and is based on not less than a 2.7 overall GPA. Students seeking teacher certification must meet all requirements outlined in the College of Education section of this catalog. To be recommended for certification, graduates must achieve satisfactory performance on the TExES, an examination prescribed by the State Board of Education.

The university is implementing a new teacher education program that includes a full year of student teaching (two semesters of the senior year) for students beginning their teacher education program in spring 2013 or later. Students wishing to obtain teacher certification should consult with the department’s undergraduate advisor and see a College of Education advisor to complete a certification plan.

 

Curriculum Tables

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Graduate Program

The department offers master’s and doctoral degrees in human development and family studies (HDFS). These research-oriented programs require a thesis and dissertation, respectively, and prepare students for careers as university faculty, full-time researchers, medical school faculty, and human service providers. Applicants should contact the department concerning admissions requirements, programs of study, and financial assistance. Admission to a graduate degree program requires the recommendation of the department and the Graduate School. The department also offers a master’s degree and a graduate certificate in gerontology through its membership in the Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance, a multiple-university association with online graduate programs.

Faculty research interests in the HDFS department are broad and multidisciplinary, creating many areas of specialization. Individual development research includes participants across the lifespan as well as within multiple domains of development (e.g., social, emotional, and cognitive). Special emphasis is placed on exploring development in context (e.g., cultural, ecological) and understanding developmental problems and solutions. Relationship process research includes inter-generational family relationships (ranging from infant-parent dyads to adult children and their elderly parents), close relationships (e.g., intimate and marital relationships), social interactions, and family issues (e.g., impact of work and stress on families). The department also specializes in research on theory, statistical methods and analyses, Hispanic and other ethnic studies, and issues specific to rural populations.

Master’s Program

Master of Science in HDFS. Students in the HDFS master’s program take two theories courses (Theories of Human Development and Family Theories), research methods, introduction to statistics, and a colloquium in HDFS. All students are required to complete a research-based thesis and at least 6 hours of thesis research. Beyond these requirements, about half of the hours in the program (17 of 36) are electives, so students may tailor the program to their own needs and interests.

Great Plains IDEA Master of Science in HDFS with a Specialization in Gerontology. The department is a member of the Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance (Great Plains IDEA), a multiple-university association with online graduate programs. Through this organization, the department offers a master’s degree in HDFS with a specialization in gerontology. The master’s concentration requires a total of 36 hours comprised of eight core courses and four elective courses. The universities that are part of the gerontology program include Iowa State University, Kansas State University, North Dakota State University, Oklahoma State University, University of Missouri–Columbia, and Texas Tech University. This program is designed to prepare professionals who are either working directly with older people or involved in education and research related to aging adults.

Great Plains IDEA Master of Science in HDFS with a Specialization in Youth Development. Through the Great Plains IDEA, the department offers an online master’s degree in HDFS with a specialization in youth development. The 36-hour master’s degree includes 28 credit hours of coursework and 8 hours of either a practicum, project or thesis. All courses are taught by distance and in collaboration with the following participating Great Plains IDEA institutions: Kansas State University, Michigan State University, University of Nebraska­­–Lincoln, and Texas Tech University. Once admitted to a home institution, students can take courses from any of the institutions with credit applied toward the appropriate degree The Great Plains IDEA youth development program is designed to prepare professionals who are working directly with adolescents and young adults or are involved in education and research related to youth.

Doctoral Program

Students in the Doctor of Philosophy in Human Development and Family Studies program also complete the master’s program requirements. In recognition of the methodological and statistical sophistication of the field, they take three additional quantitative statistics courses and a qualitative methods course. In recognition of a likely future career as college faculty, they spend two semesters in a college teaching practicum. Students are also required to (1) take the lead on a research project (the 7000 project) prior to becoming a doctoral candidate and (2) complete a dissertation with at least 12 hours of dissertation research. Nearly half of the hours in the doctoral program (39 of 84 hours) are electives. This allows students to define their own area of specialization. At least nine courses must be related to their specialization, and up to five courses may be taken outside of the HDFS department. Up to 30 transfer hours may be applied toward doctoral program requirements upon approval of the student’s committee and the Graduate School.

Noteworthy features of many graduate students’ degree programs include the following:

  • Practicum: All doctoral students register for teaching practicum (HDFS 5101), the successful completion of which is required before doctoral students can teach for HDFS. Teaching practicum provides strong mentorship to emerging instructors.
  • CFLE: The graduate program provides most of the core competencies required for Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE), and several graduate students have pursued this certification.
  • Risk-Taking: This is a minor offered through the department.
  • Women’s Studies: Many graduate students pursue a certificate or minor in Women’s Studies.

Minor in Risk-Taking Behavior

The graduate minor in risk-taking behavior is offered as an interdisciplinary minor at the master’s or doctoral level. The 15-hour minor consists of an introductory course, Seminar in Risk Taking, examining the concept of risk taking from a developmental perspective. Students then choose an additional 12 hours from approved program courses covering substance misuse and vulnerability to chemical dependency, family problems associated with risk taking, deviance, and criminology. At least two of these courses must be outside of the student’s home department.

The minor is administered by the Committee on Adolescent and Young Adult Risk-Taking Behavior. The Committee is composed of faculty in the Departments of Human Development and Family Studies, Community, Family, and Addiction Services, Psychology, and Sociology. The purpose of the committee is to foster collaborative research on risk taking and to serve as a resource for Texas Tech University and the community.

This minor should be useful for students interested in research on risk-taking behavior or for those planning to work in applied settings with adolescents and young adults or with families. Consult the program coordinator or individual departments for information on course scheduling. In addition to the courses listed below, special topics courses related to risk taking may be included with the approval of the coordinator.

Program Courses

  • ADRS 6315 Systematic Treatments and Addictions (3)
  • HDFS 5341 Socialization Processes and Addiction (3)
  • HDFS 6320 Seminar in Risk Taking (3)
  • HDFS 6330 Family Problems (3)
  • HDFS 6371 Practicum in HDFS (3)
  • PSY 5382 Psychopharmacology of Psychoactive Drugs (3)
  • SOC 5311 Seminar in Criminology (3)
  • SOC 5325 Seminar in Deviant Behavior (3)

Program Coordinator: Dr. Nancy J. Bell, Professor of Human Development and Family Studies, 806.742.3000, Ext. 269, (www.depts.ttu.edu/hdfs/risk_behavior.php)

Graduate Certificates 

Gerontology. The Graduate Certificate in Gerontology is a 21-hour inter-institutional program offered through the Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance, a consortium of six universities. The program is designed to prepare professionals who are either working directly with older people or are involved in education or research related to aging adults. The web-based courses are comprised of five core courses and two electives offered by universities participating in Great Plains IDEA.

Youth Development Specialist. The Graduate Certificate in Youth Development Specialist is designed to assist youth professionals to train individuals in the second decade of life with the skills necessary for a successful transition into adulthood. The target audience is professionals who are either working directly with adolescents and young adults or are involved in education and research related to youth. Great Plains IDEA is the only alliance of public universities to offer a youth specialist certificate completely online. The program addresses the need for advanced education in youth issues and does so through a strengths-based curriculum.

Youth Program Management and Evaluation. The Graduate Certificate in Youth Program Management and Evaluation is designed to prepare professionals who are either working directly with adolescents and young adults or are involved in education and research related to youth. Few graduate programs exist that focus solely on the second decade of life, and Great Plains IDEA is the only alliance of public universities to offer this type of certificate completely online. The certificate is designed to assist youth professionals to develop and apply resources for successful implementation and management of youth-serving organizations. The program addresses the need for advanced education based on research and policy for optimal youth outcomes through a strengths-based curriculum.

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Course Descriptions

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Faculty

Click here to view alphabetical listing of all TTU faculty and their academic credentials.

Jean Pearson Scott, Ph.D., Chairperson

Professors: Bell, Caldera, Feng, Fischer, Haley, Hart, O’Boyle, Reifman, Scott, Wherry,
Associate Professors: Colwell, Fitzpatrick, McCarty, Mulsow, Sharp, Trejos
Assistant Professors: Cong, Niehuis
Instructors: Johnson, Shine, ZiegnerBack to Top

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