Skip to main content
Penn State York
Hotline Student Life Visit Apply Now
  • Academics
    • Baccalaureate Degrees
    • Associate Degrees
    • Graduate Programs
    • Certificate Programs and Professional Exam Preparations
    • Special Programs
    • Academic Calendar
    • Advising and Career Development
    • Registrar
  • Admissions
    • Schedule a Visit to Penn State York
    • Upcoming Events
    • How to Apply
    • The 2+2 Plan
    • After You’ve Been Accepted
    • Request Information
    • Contact Admissions
  • Information For
    • Future Students
    • Parents and Families
    • Current Students
    • Faculty & Staff
    • Adult Learners
    • Transfer Students
    • Alumni
    • Community
Full site navigation menu

This dialog contains the full navigation menu for this site.

Penn State York
Enter the terms you wish to search for.
Search type:
Hotline Student Life Visit Apply Now
  • This is Penn State
  • Academics
    • Majors
    • Academic Calendar
    • Registrar
    • Advising and Career Development
  • Admission
    • Schedule a Visit to Penn State York
    • Upcoming Events
    • How to Apply
    • The 2+2 Plan
    • After You’ve Been Accepted
    • Request Information
    • Contact Admissions
  • Tuition & Financial Aid
  • Student Life
  • Athletics
  • Community Impact

Find Information For:

  • Future Students
  • Parents and Families
  • Current Students
  • Faculty & Staff
  • Adult Learners
  • Transfer Students
  • Alumni
  • Community

Helpful Links

  • Graham Fellows
  • Campus Map
  • Faculty & Staff Directory
  • Giving to Penn State
  • Campus Calendar
  • Pullo Center
  • University Police & Public Safety
  • Lee R. Glatfelter Library

Connect With Us

  • facebook
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • flickr
  • youtube
  1. Home
  2. Academics
  3. Baccalaureate Degrees

Human Development and Family Studies

A student speaks into the microphone as a professor and other students listen.

The Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) major provides a foundation for students interested in working in a wide range of human services with many different groups of people—from infants to the elderly—and with various different kinds of families. It prepares students to become leaders in human services, developing new models to prevent and treat social and mental health problems, and becoming advocates for new social policies and programs.

An HDFS major is also excellent preparation for graduate and professional education in many different fields, and for a research career in developmental and family studies and prevention science.

Meet a successful Penn State York graduate with a degree in Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS)!

Students who major in HDFS:

  • Learn about the human life span from conception to old age
  • Learn about development and families from a multi-dimensional point of view that incorporates biology, psychology, and sociology.

This integrative approach helps students learn how to promote healthy development, how to understand real life problems, and how to implement types of interventions suited for use in diverse contexts.

The degree is designed so that a student may choose development and other departmental supporting courses, including the required final semester internship, to prepare for work with a preferred clientele. In addition, the courses taken to complete general education requirements may also be selected to support the student’s career goals.

Who Should Enroll

If you are interested in working with people and making a positive difference in their lives, you should consider a major in human development and family studies. Our students come from many different points in life, and all are welcome. In our classes, you will find students who have recently graduated from high school sitting beside students who are returning as adults ready for a career change. This variety of ages and life experiences contributes to the richness of HDFS classes, and is a good preparation for your future work life. Students may enroll as first-year students or as advanced standing/transfer students. Many students find that a part-time enrollment suits their lives; part-time as well as full-time enrollments are possible.

Undergraduate Research

Undergraduate research opportunities during summer and/or during the academic year are available for motivated students. Several current HDFS students continue to hold part-time positions in research projects, such as REsearch based and Developmentally Informed (REDI) and Evaluation of Early Head Start programs, where they have opportunities to be trained in research methods and participate in project operations. Students may also hold work study positions. These are excellent opportunities for students to learn project management and research procedures.

Student Information
Contact Information
 

Baccalaureate Degrees

  • Biology
    • Career Opportunities
    • Request Information
    • Biology Faculty
  • Business
    • Degree Options
    • Career Opportunities
    • Request Information
  • Corporate Communication
    • Career Opportunities
    • Degree Requirements
    • Faculty
  • Cybersecurity Analytics and Operations
    • Career Opportunities
    • Degree Requirements
    • Faculty
  • Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technology
    • Program Overview
    • Career Paths
    • Objectives and Outcomes
    • Research and Internship Opportunities
    • Degree Information
    • Suggested Academic Plan
    • Enrollment and Graduation Information
    • Accreditation
    • Request Information
  • English
    • Career Opportunities
    • Beyond Course Work: Internships, Research, and Community
    • Writing and Literature at Penn State York
    • Our Faculty
    • Request Information
  • Human Development and Family Studies
    • Career Opportunities
    • Graduate Success (HDFS)
    • Request Information
  • Information Technology
    • Career Opportunities
    • Graduate Success (IT)
  • Project and Supply Chain Management
    • Career Opportunities
    • Request Information
  • Psychology
    • Career Opportunities
    • Graduate Success (PSYCH)
    • Request Information
  • Science
    • Career Opportunities
    • Request Information
  • Minors

Program Coordinator

Amber J. Majeske, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Studies/Program Coordinator

Room 13, John J. Romano Administration Building
[email protected]
717-771-4029

Related Links

Suggested Academic Plan
University Bulletin Listing
Madison Forbes

Penn State York student wins University Libraries award

More HDFS articles

See Also

  • Human Development and Family Studies Faculty
  • Advising and Career Development
  • Graham Fellows Program for Entrepreneurial Leadership at Penn State York
Locations of Penn State’s campuses throughout Pennsylvania with Penn State York highlighted

Penn State York

Situated on 51 beautiful hillside acres overlooking the historic city of York in south-central Pennsylvania, Penn State York offers a small, engaging college environment with all the resources of a major research university.
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • flickr
  • youtube
Student Life Visit Apply Now
  • This is Penn State York
    • Visit Us
    • Quick Facts
    • Campus Leadership
  • Academics
    • Baccalaureate Degrees
    • Associate Degrees
    • Graduate Programs
    • Support Services
    • Lee R. Glatfelter Library
  • Special Programs
    • Center for Inclusive Leadership
    • Graham Fellows Program
    • Honors Program
    • Nittany Scholars Program
    • Undergraduate Research
  • Admission
    • Schedule a Visit
    • How to Apply
    • Transfer Students
    • Contact Admissions
  • Tuition & Financial Aid
    • Bursar’s Office
    • Scholarships
  • Student Life
    • Activities
    • Clubs and Organizations
    • Student Services
    • Police & Public Safety
    • Athletics
  • Community Impact
    • York LaunchBox
    • OLLI at Penn State York
    • The Pullo Center
    • Youth Programs
    • Women’s Philanthropic Network
  • Campus Directory
    • Faculty
    • Staff
Penn State University
1031 Edgecomb Avenue, York, Pennsylvania 17403-3326 717-771-4000

Footer Legal Menu

  • Privacy
  • Non-discrimination
  • Equal Opportunity
  • Accessibility
  • Copyright
  • The Pennsylvania State University © 2023
  • We Are Penn State