Overview

The Human Development and Family Studies major at Pennsylvania State University enables students to prepare for professional, managerial, or scientific roles in health and human services professions, in public and nonprofit agencies, and in business and industry, as well as for advanced professional or graduate study.
Students obtain a broad background in individual and family development across the life span.

Courses emphasize biological, psychological, social/cultural, and economic aspects of development.
Through coursework and undergraduate internships or research projects, students develop skills relevant to career objectives, such as counseling, human assessment, program planning and evaluation, and research.

Careers

Many HDFS graduates go directly to the workplace based on their understanding of people, their knowledge of group dynamics, and their skills in training and in program development and evaluation.
Many positions are in human services and health care settings while others are in business and industry: assisted living, adult day services and nursing homes, day-care centers and preschools, drug and alcohol treatment centers and hospitals, child and domestic abuse centers and runaway shelters, human resources or marketing departments of large companies, development/fundraising for educational or nonprofit organizations.

Programme Structure

Courses include:

Values and Ethics in Health and Human Development Professions
Human Development and Family Studies Interventions
Empirical Inquiry in Human Development
Family Development
Family Relationships
Elementary Statistics
Analysis and Interpretation of Statistical Data in Education
Infant and Child Development
Adolescent Development
Adult Development and Aging

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 48 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2026-08-24 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-06-15 00:00:00 , International
Starting 2027-01-11 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-10-01 00:00:00 , International
- Apply before 2026-12-01 00:00:00 , National

Language

English

Duolingo English Test

120

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IELTS

6.5

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Credits

120 SCH

Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

University Park, United States

Disciplines

Family & Consumer Science View 299 other Bachelors in Family & Consumer Science in United States

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Academic requirements

We are not aware of any specific GRE, GMAT or GPA grading score requirements for this programme.

English requirements

Duolingo English Test

120

Take A Free Practice Test!

TOEFL^® IBT

Schedule TOEFL®

IELTS

6.5

Prepare for Your English Test

Cathoven AI IELTS Preparation

Learn your IELTS Score

AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.

Trusted by 300k learners
98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Other requirements

General requirements

Application
Official secondary school records
Official test scores: SAT or ACT
English language proficiency, if your native language is not English

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are shown in and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.

International Applies to you

Applies to you

Non-residents

43290 USD / year

≈ 43290 USD / year
Out-of-State

41790 USD / year

≈ 41790 USD / year
Domestic

Applies to you

In-State

20644 USD / year

≈ 20644 USD / year

Living costs

University Park

United States

1000 - 1500 USD / month

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

About

Overview

Careers

Programme Structure

Key information

Duration

Start dates & application deadlines

Language

Prepare for Your English Test

Credits

Delivered

Campus Location

Disciplines

What students do after studying

Academic requirements

English requirements

Prepare for Your English Test

Other requirements

General requirements

Tuition Fees

International Applies to you

Domestic

Living costs

University Park

Funding

Need help with your student visa?

Scholarships Information

Available Scholarships

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