Our transfer-friendly program lets you bring in up to 60 transfer credits from prior coursework or professional experience. This means you can graduate faster without sacrificing the quality of your education. Learn more about our transfer pathways.
Broadening Human Horizons
UW-Stout Polytechnic's NCFR-accredited Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Human Development & Family Studies (HDFS) is dedicated to the study of human development and family life in which the individual, family, and community are viewed as interrelated. It is an interdisciplinary field that draws from other social sciences but has established distinct assumptions, approaches to studying families, and worldviews. A multidisciplinary approach provides students with both a broad perspective and specialized knowledge.
Note: The B.S. Human Development & Family Studies program has suspended admission for on-campus instruction. Students interested in human development and family studies are encouraged to apply for the online modality.
100% of Graduates Are Employed or Continuing Education Within 6 Months
Career-Defining Human Development Curriculum
Our goal is to foster positive sensitivity to the needs of families and their members through the lenses of relationships, culture, gender, age, and life stage, among others. UW-Stout Polytechnic's Human Development and Family Studies program has a strong, established reputation of preparing our graduates to work in a variety of human service related areas.
Program Overview
Earn a Professional Certificate While Fulfilling Your Degree Requirements
Transfer-Friendly Program
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What Makes Human Development & Family Studies at UW-Stout Polytechnic
- An established and highly reputable program
- Award-winning instructors
- Applied learning opportunities
- Professional networking opportunities
- Excellent employment in the field
- Proven preparation for graduate school
NCFR Accreditation
UW-Stout Polytechnic's B.S. Human Development & Family Studies has been reviewed by the National Council on Family Relations and has been recognized as an NCFR CFLE-approved program offering coursework covering the content required for the Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE) designation. Graduates of NCFR CFLE-approved programs qualify to apply for the CFLE designation via an Abbreviated Application process.
Industry-Experienced Faculty Instruction
Forget TA-taught classes and 200-person lectures. Building close relationships with our industry-experienced and academically accomplished human development and family studies faculty will play a key role in your polytechnic education and your career. Learn more about your future instructors!
Professional Internship Placements in Human Development & Family Studies
Take your education into industry and earn while you learn through UW-Stout Polytechnic’s award-winning Cooperative Education & Internship Program (CEIP) and other placements. Unlike traditional internships, our professional paid and pro bono credit-earning experiences connect you with leaders in your field, including healthcare providers, impactful non-profits, and human social services agencies, to ensure you’re set up for success long before you graduate. More than a third of Stout students accept positions after graduation with their internship employer.
Recent Internship Employers
- Boys & Girls Club of the Greater Chippewa Valley
- Caravel Autism Health
- Fernbrook Family Center
- Literacy Chippewa Valley
- Luthern Social Services
- Marshfield Clinic
- Norwood Health Center
- Positive Alternatives
Select Internship Position Titles
- Behavior Technician
- Care Coordinator Intern
- Client Services Assistant
- Counseling & Case Management Intern
- Program Lead
- Social Work Intern
Upon completing the B.S. HDFS program, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate professional competence in educational, civic, and career settings.
- Integrate knowledge of family dynamics to enhance relational functioning.
- Demonstrate cultural competence, inclusive of multiple aspects and intersections of diversity within a historical and social context.
- Integrate understanding of the developmental processes in individuals across the lifespan, based on physical, social, emotional, cognitive, moral, and personality aspects within an ecological framework.
- Critique social scientific knowledge as applied to families and human development.
- Evaluate the impacts among and between societal institutions and families.
- Demonstrate personal and interpersonal growth.
- Demonstrate competent communication skills.
Our program is designed for students ranging from incoming freshmen who are beginning their professional journey to transfer students who are wishing to advance their professional opportunities. The excellent transferability of credits assists transfer students in completing their degree in a timely manner.
An academic study, service learning opportunities, and experiential learning with a senior internship prepare graduates for positions in a number of areas, such as:
- Human service agencies
- Residential treatment programs and group homes
- Afterschool/youth mentoring programs
- Probation and corrections facilities
- Rehabilitation centers
- Older adult activity and living centers
- Aging and disability services
- Human resources management
- Family resource centers
- Youth summer camps
- Child care facilities
- Public/family policy and advocacy
- Research
The program also serves as an excellent foundation for graduate school in disciplines including:
- Marriage and Family Therapy
- Social Work
- Alcohol and Drug Counseling
- Mental Health Counseling
- School Counseling
- Student Personnel
- Health and Wellness
- Family Science
Advisory Committee Members
| First Name | Last Name | Title | Organization |
|---|---|---|---|
| James | Arenz | First-Year Advisor, Advisement Center | UW-Stout |
| Amanda | Behm | Stout Online | UW-Stout |
| Laura | Clark | Program Coordinator | Positive Alternatives |
| Kevin | Doll | Professor; Program Director, B.S. Human Development & Family Studies | UW-Stout |
| Kevin | Drzakowski | Associate Dean | UW-Stout |
| Karen | Duncansion | Alumna | UW-Stout |
| Andrew | Felton | Associate Professor, Chair, Counseling, Rehabilitation and Human Servies | UW-Stout |
| Lorraine | Garland | Professional in the Field | Arbor Place |
| Jeremy | Hernandez | Assistant Executive Director, Intervention Services Program Coordinator | Positive Alternatives |
| Tina | Lee | Professor | UW-Stout |
| Jason | Lynn | Social Worker | Dunn County Human Services |
| Rylee | Madey | Student | UW-Stout |
| Candice | Maier | Associate Professor | UW-Stout |
| Brittany | Olson | Service Coordinator | Bridge to Hope |
| Jason | Schmitt | Dean, CAHS | UW-Stout |
| Bethanne | Shriner | Professor; Program Director, B.S. Human Development & Family Studies Online | UW-Stout |
| Abby | Tengwall | Career Services Specialist | UW-Stout |
