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2024-2025 University Catalog
Developmental and Family Science, BS
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Return to: College of Health and Human Sciences (Undergraduate)
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About the Program
The Developmental and Family Science curriculum allows students to take an interdisciplinary approach to studying families and human development across the lifespan. Students gain knowledge and skills that can help them support individuals and families, develop community programs and interventions, and implement policies and practices that benefit individuals and families. Students have many opportunities for specialization within their coursework including optional concentrations in child development or family and community health.. The major culminates in a capstone experience, designed by the student from among three choices: an internship, a research thesis, or a study abroad experience. This degree will prepare you for a wide variety of careers working directly with people, or designing programs and policies to improve people’s lives. It is also a great choice for students interested in graduate or professional school.
Department of Human Development and Family Studies Developmental and Family Science Major Change (CODO) Requirements Degree Requirements
120 Credits RequiredDepartmental/Program Major Course Requirements (25-39 credits)
Other Departmental/Program Course Requirements (40-48 credits)
Foreign Language Selective (9-12 credits)
The Foreign Language requirement may be met by completing ONE of the three options below.
(Select from American Sign Language, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Portuguese, Russian, or Spanish)
Option 1:
Proficiency through level III in any one foreign language
- 10100 (Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00)
- 10200 (Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00)
- 20100 (Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00)
Option 2:
Proficiency through level II in any one foreign language AND an additional course from the Global Perspectives & International Cultures Selective list.
- 10100 (Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00)
- 10200 (Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00)
- additional course from the Global Perspectives & International Cultures Selective list (Credit Hours: 3.00) The selection for this category cannot be used to satisfy other major requirements.
Option 3:
Proficiency through level II in any one foreign language AND an approved study abroad experience that takes place outside of the United States and is at least 14 days in duration.
- 10100 (Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00)
- 10200 (Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00)
- Approved Study Abroad Experience (Credit Hours: 3.00) The selection for this category cannot be used to satisfy other major requirements.
Electives (33-55 credits)
When selecting electives, note that 32 credits of upper division (30000/40000 level) classes must be completed to meet graduation requirements. GPA Requirements
- 2.0 GPA is required for graduation.
Course Requirements and Notes
- Courses used to fulfill the Advanced Content Courses Selective may not be double-counted to fulfill a concentration requirement.
- Courses used to fulfill the HDFS Selective may not be double-counted to fulfill a concentration or capstone requirement.
- 1If not completing an optional concentration, students must complete 12 credit hours of HDFS Selectives.
- 2Capstone Experience courses and credit hours are dependent upon the Capstone Experience chosen. Please see your Academic Advisor for more information.
- To count toward the Capstone Experience, a study abroad experience must include a minimum of 14 full days abroad.
Pass/No Pass Policy
- A student may elect the Pass / Not-Pass grading option for elective courses only, unless an academic unit requires that a specific departmental course/s be taken Pass / Not-Pass. Students may elect to take University Core Curriculum courses Pass / Not-Pass; however, some major Plans of Study require courses that also fulfill UCC foundational outcomes. In such cases, students may not elect the Pass / Not-Pass option. A maximum of 24 credits of elective courses under the Pass / Not-pass grading option can be used toward graduation requirements. For further information, students should refer to the College of Health and Human Sciences Pass / Not-Pass Policy.
University Requirements
University Core Requirements
For a complete listing of University Core Course Selectives, visit the University Senate Website.
- Human Cultures: Behavioral/Social Science (BSS)
- Human Cultures: Humanities (HUM)
- Information Literacy (IL)
- Oral Communication (OC)
- Quantitative Reasoning (QR)
- Science #1 (SCI)
- Science #2 (SCI)
- Science, Technology, and Society (STS)
- Written Communication (WC)
Civics Literacy Proficiency Requirement
The Civics Literacy Proficiency activities are designed to develop civic knowledge of Purdue students in an effort to graduate a more informed citizenry. For more information visit the Civics Literacy Proficiency website.
To obtain the Civics Literacy Proficiency, students will complete an educational activity as part of their chosen Civics Literacy Pathway and pass the Purdue Civics knowledge test. The knowledge test can be completed at any time while the pathway is being perused. There are three different pathways:
- Civics Event pathway - Attend six approved civics-related events and pass the required exam; or
- Civics Literacy Podcast pathway - Complete 12 podcasts created by the Purdue Center for C-SPAN Scholarship & Engagement that use C-SPAN material and pass the required exam; or
- Approved course pathway - Complete one of the following approved courses and pass the required exam.
More details about each pathway and how to complete the requirement can be found on the Civics Literacy Student Dashboard in myPurdue.
Upper Level Requirement
- Resident study at Purdue University for at least two semesters and the enrollment in and completion of at least 32 semester hours of coursework required and approved for the completion of the degree. These courses are expected to be at least junior-level (30000+) courses.
- Students should be able to fulfill most, if not all, of these credits within their major requirements; there should be a clear pathway for students to complete any credits not completed within their major.
Fall 3rd Year
- HDFS Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Optional Concentration Course or Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Science, Technology, & Society Core - Credit Hours: 1.00-3.00
- Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00
- Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00
Spring 3rd Year
- HDFS Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Optional Concentration Course or Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
Fall 4th Year
- Capstone Experience- Thesis, Study Abroad, or Internship Option2 - Credit Hours: 2.00 - 6.00
- HDFS Selective1 or Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Optional Concentration Course or Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Elective - Credit Hours: 0.00-4.00
- Elective - Credit Hours: 1.00-4.00
Spring 4th Year
- Capstone Experience- Thesis, Study Abroad, or Internship Option2 - Credit Hours: 2.00 - 6.00
- HDFS Selective1 or Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Optional Concentration Course or Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Elective - Credit Hours: 0.00-4.00
- Elective - Credit Hours: 0.00-4.00
Pre-Requisite Information
For pre-requisite information, log in to mypurdue.purdue.edu and click here.
World Language Courses
World Language proficiency requirements vary by program. The following list is inclusive of all world languages PWL offers for credit; for acceptable languages and proficiency levels, see your advisor. (ASL-American Sign Language; ARAB-Arabic; CHNS-Chinese; FR-French; GER-German; GREK-Greek(Ancient); HEBR-Hebrew(Biblical); HEBR-Hebrew(Modern); ITAL-Italian; JPNS-Japanese; KOR-Korean; LATN-Latin; PTGS=Portuguese; RUSS-Russian; SPAN-Spanish)
Critical Course
The ♦ course is considered critical.
In alignment with the Degree Map Guidance for Indiana’s Public Colleges and Universities, published by the Commission for Higher Education (pursuant to HEA 1348-2013), a Critical Course is identified as “one that a student must be able to pass to persist and succeed in a particular major. Students who want to be nurses, for example, should know that they are expected to be proficient in courses like biology in order to be successful. These would be identified by the institutions for each degree program.”
Disclaimer
The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements. Consultation with an advisor may result in an altered plan customized for an individual student. The myPurduePlan powered by DegreeWorks is the knowledge source for specific requirements and completion.
Comparative information about Purdue University and other U.S. educational institutions is also available through the College Navigator tool, provided by the National Center for Education Statistics, and through the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
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Return to: College of Health and Human Sciences (Undergraduate)
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