Human Development and Family Science (BA)

While career guidance tends to be organized around what people do in their jobs (e.g. teach, manage), many students pursue an HDFS major because they want to work with families during particular stages of family life, such as working with young children, at-risk adolescents, new parents, or families with aging members. The following is a sample of career opportunities in HDFS:

• Business, Consumer & Family Resource Services (e.g., Corporate Childcare, Family Resource Management, Consumer Protection)
• Community-Based Social Services (e.g., Youth Development Program, Teen Pregnancy Prevention & Assistance, After-school Program, Adult Day Care)
• Education (e.g., Public Schools, Family Life Education, Parent Education, Marriage & Family Enrichment & Education)
• Family Intervention (e.g., Case Management, Crisis & Hotline Services, Court-Mandated Parent Education, Divorce Mediation, Abuse Protection Services)
• Faith-Based Organizations (e.g., Family Mentor, Youth Program, Budgeting and Money Management)
• Early Childhood Education (e.g., Childcare Centers, Head Start Programs, Early Childhood Family Education)
• Government & Public Policy (e.g., Family Policy Analyst, Military Family Support Services, Child & Family Services, Juvenile Justice, Family Court)
• Healthcare & Family Wellness (e.g., Public Health Program & Services, Child Life Specialist, Wellness and Sexual Education)
• International Education & Development (e.g., Peace Corps and NGO Leadership, Global Family Planning Program, International Human Rights Advocacy, Immigration & Migrant Families Services)
• Graduate Program (e.g., Counseling, Education, Psychology, Sociology, Social Work)