Academics
Human Development & Family Studies
Contact: Dr. Joi Bulls - Undergraduate Coordinator
Address:
The Department of Human Development & Family StudiesPO Box 26170
Greensboro, NC 27402-6170
Phone: 336.334.4381
Website: http://www.uncg.edu/hdf/
Catalog: Catalog Information
Programs:
- Birth through Kindergarten (BS) (Lic) U526
- Birth through Kindergarten 2Plus (BS) (Lic) U746
- Child & Adolescent Development in Family (BS) U508
- Early Care and Education (BS) U531
- Early Care and Education 2Plus (BS) U532
- Family Studies (BS) U530
A little bit about the Human Development and Family Studies department
The HDFS undergraduate program includes the study of the development of individuals and families throughout the life span, to improve their wellbeing through the creation, use, and dissemination of knowledge from the social and behavioral sciences and the field of education. The goal of the HDFS Department is to provide the best opportunity in North Carolina for undergraduates to prepare for careers in child, adolescent, adult, and family care services; in business and community consumer services for families; teaching at the preschool level; and in cooperative extension and state agencies. The faculty is also committed to helping our majors increase their knowledge and understanding of families around the globe; to that end in 2005 we revised the major requirements to incorporate a focus on "families in a global perspective."
A Brief Message from the Department Head
"Faculty in Human Development and Family Studies are dedicated to our students. Surveys of graduating seniors reveal that they have been very pleased with the undergraduate experience and professional preparation in the department. Students report they particularly enjoy the small classes, often taught by award-winning teachers, and the hands-on experiences in supervised internships and student teaching." Dr. David H. Demo, Department Chair
Opportunities for HDFS Undergraduates
- The HDFS department awards two dozen scholarships per year.
- The HDFS department administers Child Care Education Programs at three sites with an enrollment of 80 children in all-day care, which serve as laboratories for the study of children and their families.
- Fifty preschool education majors are placed in child-care settings each year.
- Seventy-five HDFS students are placed in supervised internships in community agencies serving families.
- The Family Research Center conducts research and policy studies that are aimed at improving life for children and families, and students have an opportunity to participate in faculty research projects.
- Student organizations provide students with opportunities for professional experiences in the career field of their choice.
- Cultural experiences in Costa Rica during the summer and study abroad opportunities in a variety of countries each semester are available and encouraged.
Classes Are Up-To-Date Through Faculty Research
- Minority families and cross-cultural studies of children and families
- Inter-generational and multi-generational family systems
- Marital dynamics in divorce and remarriage
- Work and family linkages and family stress
- Parenting practices and children's social, cognitive, and emotional development
- Mid-life parenting and friendship relationships
- Youth and adolescent development
- Peer and sibling relationships
- Connection among ethnicity, culture, and health among elderly
- Connection between home, preschool, and school for young children
- Child-care quality and teacher-child interactions