Family Studies Major, B.A.; B.A.A.; B.S.
B.A. degree; B.S. degree; B.A.A. degree
This major is designed for students who either plan to enter the human services field upon graduating from CMU, or attend graduate school for advanced education. The program prepares students for careers working in human service settings to help individuals and families build life skills using prevention and intervention-based educational programs (e.g. child and family services, crises intervention, adoption, and foster care). With appropriate graduate education, potential career options include: marriage and family therapy, counseling, social work, family research and/or college instruction. The Family Studies program is approved by the National Council on Family Relations and graduates are eligible to become Certified Family Life Educators (CFLE). Child Development Majors desiring the CFLE certification should consult with their advisor.
Students who take the Family Studies major cannot minor in Family Studies or double major in Child Development. Students may only double count 9 credits when combining the Family Studies Major with the Child Development Minor.
Admission Requirements, Retention & Termination Standards
- Student must have completed or be currently enrolled in HDF 100 (or equivalent) and have a minimum GPA of 2.0 to declare a major.
- Student must have a minimum program GPA of 2.5 in order to graduate with this major.
- Student must receive a grade of C+ or better in HDF 419 in order to graduate with this major.
Program Requirements
Core Courses (9 hours)
Core HDFS
| HDF 100 | Lifespan Development | 3(3-0) |
| HDF 211 | Marriage and Close Relationships | 3(3-0) |
| HDF 307 | Parent-Child Relations | 3(3-0) |
Required Courses I (9 hours)
Family Studies Content
| HDF 213/WGS 213 | Introduction to Human Sexuality | 3(3-0) |
| HDF 411 | Families in Social, Legal, and Political Contexts | 3(3-0) |
| HDF 418 | Family Development in Late Life | 3(3-0) |
Required Courses II (3 hours)
Family Studies Content
Select one of the following:
Required Courses III (12 hours)
Professional Skills and Methods
| HDF 207 | Introduction to Research Methods in HDFS | 3(3-0) |
| HDF 219 | Field Work | 3(1-6) |
| HDF 319 | Family Studies Skills and Methods | 3(3-0) |
| HDF 419 | HDFS Internship | 1-12(Spec) |
Electives (6 hours)
Select additional hours from the following list:
| COM 562 | Family Communication | 3(3-0) |
| HDF 110 | Oppression: Roots and Impact on Human Development in the United States | 3(3-0) |
| HDF 212 | Families in Cultural Perspective | 3(3-0) |
| HDF 247 | Introduction to Gerontology | 3(3-0) |
| HDF 302 | Infant and Toddler Development | 3(3-0) |
| HDF 306 | Adolescent Development | 3(3-0) |
| HDF 320 | HDFS International Service Learning | 3-6(Spec) |
| HDF 413 | Facilitating Discussion in Human Sexuality Groups | 3(3-0) |
| HDF 414 | Human Development and Family Studies Applied Quantitative Research | 3(3-0) |
| HDF 511 | Seminar in Human Sexuality | 3(3-0) |
| HDF 513 | Readings in the Family | 3(3-0) |
| HDF 517 | Readings in Marital Counseling and Divorce | 3(3-0) |
| HSC 519 | Death Education and Suicide Prevention | 3(3-0) |
| HSC 523 | AIDS Education | 1(1-0) |
| HSC 524 | Workshop on Health Fitness | 2(Spec) |
| HSC 525 | Sexually Transmitted Disease Workshop | 1(Spec) |
| HSC 526 | Behavioral Health | 3(3-0) |
| HSC 527 | Sex Education Workshop | 1(Spec) |
| HSC 528 | Smoking and Health Education Workshop | 1(Spec) |
| HSC 529 | Alcohol Education Workshop | 1(1-0) |
| HSC 530 | Drug Abuse Workshop | 1(Spec) |
| REL 334 | Death and Dying | 3(3-0) |
| SWK 100 | Introduction to Social Work | 3(3-0) |
Total: 39 Semester hours