Human Development and Family Studies Graduate Major (MS, PhD)
This program is available at the following location:
- Corvallis
The School of Human Development and Family Sciences offers course work and programs of study in the area of human development and family studies. The Gerontology Program is also administered by the College of Health through the school. Areas of study and degrees granted are described below.
Human Development and Family Studies offers graduate work leading to master of science and doctor of philosophy degrees. Graduate programs take a multidisciplinary approach, preparing students for college and university teaching and research, as well as development, administration, and evaluation of programs serving individuals and families across the lifespan.
Our research is interdisciplinary with signature themes in:
- transitions across the life course,
- risk and resilience across the life span, and
- developmental and family research methods.
Our faculty recognizes the critical importance of culture and gender, diversity, and contemporary global perspectives in the discovery of knowledge. We have research emphases in child development, adolescence, adult development and aging, families, rural communities, and cross-national comparison.
Research is an important focus of the Graduate Program in Human Development and Family Studies. The HDFS faculty includes nationally recognized scholars who are widely published in areas such as families and aging; family communication and conflict; child, adolescent, and adult development; intergenerational family relationships; family structure; and gender. We emphasize both quantitative and qualitative methodology.
Major Code: 4470
Upon successful completion of the program, students will meet the following learning outcomes:
MS
- Conduct research or produce some other form of creative work.
- Demonstrate mastery of subject material.
- Conduct scholarly or professional activities in an ethical manner.
- Synthesize the central issues and current research trends in the field including the acknowledgement of systemic inequalities.
- Understand and apply research methods appropriately to explore the current issues in the field.
- Synthesize the major theories and beliefs that guide current thinking in the field through oral and written communication.
- Design, carry out, and present an original work of research that contributes to their discipline with an appreciation of the values of equity, inclusion, diversity, and justice.
PhD
- Produce and defend an original significant contribution to knowledge.
- Demonstrate mastery of subject material.
- Conduct scholarly activities in an ethical manner.
- Synthesize the central issues and current research trends in the field including the acknowledgement of systemic inequalities.
- Understand and apply research methods appropriately to explore the current issues in the field.
- Synthesize the major theories and beliefs that guide current thinking in the field through oral and written communication.
- Design, carry out, and present an original work of research that contributes to their discipline with an appreciation of the values of equity, inclusion, diversity, and justice.