About Human Development & Family Studies
Individuals and families across the lifespan, and the programs that support them. Courses carry the HDFS subject code and are offered through the College of Education, Health & Human Sciences. Numbers below 300 are introductory, 300–499 advanced undergraduate, and 500 and above graduate. Prerequisites are enforced at registration.
How the sequence works
Of the 9 HDFS courses listed, 3 are introductory (numbers under 300), 2 are advanced undergraduate (300–499). 1 course has no prerequisite and is a reasonable first step. Later courses assume the earlier ones, so read prerequisites before you plan a term — they are enforced at registration and an override from the Human Development & Family Studies department is the only way around them.
HDFS 1500 — Introduction to Human Development and Family Studies 3 cr
Theories of development and family functioning and the helping professions built on them.
Prerequisite: none.
HDFS 2100 — Child Development 3 cr
Physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development from prenatal life through middle childhood.
Prerequisite: HDFS 1500.
HDFS 2200 — Adolescent and Adult Development 3 cr
Identity, relationships, work, aging, and transitions from adolescence through later life.
Prerequisite: HDFS 2100.
HDFS 2400 — Family Relationships 3 cr
Partner selection, communication, conflict, parenting, divorce, and remarriage.
Prerequisite: HDFS 1500.
HDFS 3100 — Family Resource Management 3 cr
Decision-making, time and money management, and helping families set and meet goals.
Prerequisite: HDFS 1500.
HDFS 3300 — Guidance of Young Children 3 cr
Positive guidance strategies, environments, and supporting social-emotional development.
Prerequisite: HDFS 2100.
HDFS 3500 — Programs and Policy for Families 3 cr
Family-support programs, family life education, and the policies that shape family well-being.
Prerequisite: HDFS 2200.
HDFS 3700 — Family Life Education Methods 3 cr
Designing, delivering, and evaluating educational programs for families and community groups.
Prerequisite: HDFS 3500.
HDFS 4900 — HDFS Internship 4 cr
A supervised placement in a family-serving agency with a reflective seminar.
Prerequisite: senior standing.
Planning and advising
Your degree audit shows exactly how HDFS courses apply to your requirements; this list only shows what is offered. If you are choosing between two courses, deciding when to take a heavy one, or wondering whether a course will run next term, your academic adviser can tell you. Course availability by term is set close to registration and is not guaranteed by anything on this page.
Fictional information
UW–Porter Falls is a work of parody. Every course, prerequisite, credit value, and department on this page is invented; nothing here describes a real curriculum or a course you can enroll in.