Overview

Although everyone wants to make a living doing a job they enjoy, some people want more than just a job. They want to make a difference in the world. If you are looking for a degree where you can utilize your passion for helping diverse families and individuals in community, school, and social service settings and your skills as a critical thinker, an online Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Relations (HDFR) may be the perfect match. Through this fully online program, you will be trained to serve culturally and linguistically diverse families and individuals from a strengths-based perspective in a variety of contexts. 

Whether you are starting college for the first time, transferring from another institution or returning to the university setting after years away, you will find a community in the HDFR program. Our program is designed like a small liberal arts experience that encourages diverse thought, but is reasonably priced. Our faculty mentor you, support you, and help you think about the world in new ways. The schooling experience is grounded in respecting diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice. 

A major focus of our program is making sure that our students gain valuable experience in the community and around the globe. Our students build their credentials by completing local and international service-learning and internships in nonprofit organizations, school and family liaison programs, after school programs, environmental and conservation outreach organizations, and human service agencies as part of their degree program. We offer study-abroad opportunities in Spain with program faculty and fellow HDFR students. These experiences help our students develop a global perspective that will serve them well in any career. We are one of the few Certified Family Life Educator approved program in the United States, according to the National Council on Family
Relations (NCFR), that offers bilingual classes.

This program is also the first bilingual (Spanish) Human Development and Family Relations program in the country. While you can take your courses entirely in English, we also offer you the opportunity to take some of your online courses in Spanish/English bilingual format. The bilingual courses are uniquely constructed so that you do not need to speak Spanish in order to participate. This exposure to another language can provide you with both the competencies you need to truly be an advocate for Spanish language speakers in your community, as well as a competitive edge over graduates of other programs as it relates to gainful employment and graduate school applications.

Career Outlook

Graduates of the Human Development and Family Relations program are uniquely qualified for a variety of career opportunities. In an increasingly global society, our program prepares individuals to work with diverse people in fields such as healthcare, education, and helping professions, which are areas of employment where you work directly with individuals, families, schools, and communities, potentially in diverse or underserved contexts. Many of our graduates pursue further education by enrolling in law school or master’s programs in areas such as counseling, social work, school counseling, family therapy, school psychology, and student affairs in higher education and other fields. 

Because you can apply this degree to so many different careers, the career outlook is very much dependent on your personal goals, interests and passions. The demand for bilingual workers has more than doubled in the past several years, which makes our Spanish concentration an asset to you as a job candidate when your graduate.