Students pursuing the HDFS major must complete HDFS 129N plus two of the three 200-level developmental courses ( HDFS 229, HDFS 239, HDFS 249N ). This course may count toward the minor in HDFS.
Students will be asked to complete assignments, exams, and a final project. HDFS 210Z is a linked course, students may choose to link to either SOC 210Z or SOC 211Z Conceptions of lifespan personal and interpersonal skill enhancement.
HDFS 129 Introduction to Human Development and Family Studies (3) (GS) (BA) This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements. This course provides a basic introduction to the concepts, theories, and research on human development as it occurs over the life span and in context.
The course will consist of lectures and class exercises. Students who complete HDFS 314 will have a broad understanding of the methodological principles and the techniques used to measure human and family behavior.
While many students can fit internships into their lives, for some, doing so poses considerable challenges. If you have significant caregiving responsibilities, long work hours, or unpredictable work schedules, you may find it challenging to complete the internship requirements. You should carefully consider the internship requirements prior to enrolling in an HDFS degree program. As you think about your situation, here are some options to consider.
As a Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) student, you will be required to complete an internship during your final year of study. You will work closely with your adviser to plan the path most appropriate for you.
This option is designed to prepare students for a wide variety of service roles in mental health facilities, nursing homes and other institutions for the aged, area agencies on aging, public welfare and family service agencies, women's resource centers, human relations programs, employee assistance programs, and customer services and consumer relations programs in business and industry.
This option is designed to prepare students for service roles in preschools, day care centers, hospitals, institutional and community programs for emotionally disturbed, abused or neglected children and adolescents, as well as a variety of public welfare and family service agencies.
The multi-disciplinary minor in Addictions and Recovery supplements the educational needs of students who wish to gain advanced knowledge and skills to support people struggling with a substance use disorder in all stages of the recovery process.
HDFS 233: Emergent Language and Literacy: Development and Practice in Early Childhood Care and Educat
This course provides a basic introduction to concepts, theoretical perspectives, and key empirical studies on adolescent development. Students will become familiar with key developmental trends and challenges that must be addressed to achieve healthy growth and development from the beginning of adolescence (puberty) up to the transition to adulthood. The course addresses biological changes (hormones, brain development), cognitive changes (abstract thinking, information processing) and social changes (families, peers, school, work); and the implications of these changes for issues such as identity development, autonomy, intimacy, sexuality and achievement. For each topic, students will become familiar with major theoretical frameworks, approaches to empirical research, and findings from empirical studies. Key features of this course are its attention to: how biological, cognitive and social changes combine to influence adolescents' overall adaptation; the ways in which adolescent development occurs in the context of families, peer groups, neighborhoods and communities, and the larger cultural context; and how theories and empirical findings can be applied to promote healthy adolescent development. Students pursuing the HDFS major must complete HDFS 129N plus two of the three 200-level developmental courses ( HDFS 229, HDFS 239, HDFS 249N ). This course may count toward the minor in HDFS. Students who are not pursuing a major in Human Development and Family Studies can apply credits from this course towards the General Education Social and Behavioral Sciences (GS) knowledge domain.
This course provides a basic introduction to concepts, theoretical perspectives, and key empirical studies on adult development and aging. Students will become familiar with key developmental trends and challenges that must be addressed to achieve healthy growth and development throughout adulthood and late life. The course addresses changes in physical health, cognition, and psychosocial functioning (including mental health, social roles and relationships, and transitions in work and retirement); and the implications of these changes for issues such as risk of disability, dementia, caregiving, and end-of-life decisions. For each topic, students will become familiar with major theoretical frameworks, approaches to empirical research, and findings from empirical studies. Key features of this course are its attention to: how biological, cognitive and social changes combine to influence overall adaptation and throughout the aging process; the ways in which adult development and aging occurs in the context of families, social relationships, neighborhoods and communities, and the larger cultural context; and how theories and empirical findings can be applied to promote healthy adult development and aging. Students pursuing the HDFS major option must complete HDFS 129 plus two of the three 200-level developmental courses ( HDFS 229, HDFS 239, HDFS 249N ). This course may count toward the minor in HDFS. Students who are not pursuing a major in Human Development and Family Studies can apply credits from this course towards the General Education Integrative Studies requirement: as an Inter-domain Course, the course puts approximately equal emphasis on learning objectives for Social and Behavioral Sciences (GS) and for Health & Wellness (GHW) knowledge domains.
HD FS 401 Project Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation in the Human Services (3) HD FS 401 is part of a sequence of courses that develop skills and competencies of the human services student. The course emphasizes the further development of communication skills, diversity skills, team-building skills, critical thinking skills, and technology and leadership skills. Intended to be completed prior to the internship experience, the course will initially focus students' efforts on the identification of a field-based human services project or program, and a setting within which it could be carried out. Subsequently, students will design and plan the project or program, examine and propose effective implementation and management procedures, and incorporate state-of-the art evaluation procedures into the design.
It is required for the proposed Early Childhood Care and Education option to the associate degree in Human Development and Family Studies .The course addresses current practices in early childhood care and education programs for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.
Formal courses given infrequently to explore, in depth, a comparatively narrow subject which may be topical or of special interest.
In HDFS 490, you will select a site and develop an Internship Agreement which will outline your rights and responsibilities as an intern. Among other things, it will contain the details of your expected duties and hours to be worked at your site. It is an agreement between you, your internship site, and HDFS regarding the experience you will gain and the academic work you will complete during your internship. See the Internship page for more information.
There are three required courses for the internship program:
It is generally recommended that students schedule 495A and 495B as early as they can during the semester immediately prior to their internship. It is a policy of the College of Health and Human Development that all students must be fully registered (tuition paid) BEFORE they can start an internship. Students should make arrangements to have their tuition paid in full at least several weeks prior to the start of their internship. Students who have not paid tuition are required to delay their internship, which, in some cases, may delay graduation.
Take courses that will prepare you for working with the population you are interested in (e.g. child development, adult development and aging, family development).
Yes, although it is the responsibility of the student to secure a paid internship, and very few internships are paid.
Taking extra classes during your internship is strongly discouraged since the internship is very demanding and requires writing several papers during the semester in addition to the full time work position the intern must fulfill. If you decide to ga against this advice, you must provide the Internship Office with a copy of your schedule.
To peruse course offerings and schedule your classes for the next semester, please visit LionPATH.
Contact the campus registrar at 570-385-6125 for non-Penn State students, or visit the University Registrar website to download the Undergraduate Non-degree Enrollment Form and the Registration Drop/Add form.