Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Relations

Program Details

Through this program, students view culturally and linguistically diverse families from a strengths-based perspective and serve them in a variety of contexts. CU Denver offers on-campus, hybrid, and fully online versions of the Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Relations degree. The degree can be completed in four years.
 
Students may be starting college for the first time, transferring from another institution, or returning to the university setting after years away. Regardless, students will always find a learning community in the HDFR program.
 
The program is designed with the faculty's involvement in students' academic and personal development. The program fosters a closely-knit, dedicated community of students, each of whom is mentored by professors who care. The program guides students from the first class to the last, supporting them each step of the way. It offers them valuable experiences such as partnering in undergraduate research projects and service learning activities.
 
A major focus of the program is experiential education in both online and face-to-face programs. The curriculum helps students find sites for service learning that allow them to work with diverse populations in a variety of contexts. This includes global sites through study abroad programs. Many courses have service learning requirements built into the curriculum.
 
This program is also the first bilingual (Spanish) Human Development and Family Relations program in the country. Students can take courses entirely in English, or take some online courses in a Spanish/English bilingual format. The bilingual courses are uniquely constructed so that students do not need to speak Spanish to participate. This exposure to another language can provide students with the competencies needed to be an advocate for Spanish language speakers. It also adds a competitive edge over graduates of other programs as it relates to gainful employment and graduate school applications.

Online students may choose a degree focus from two different course concentration areas:

• Family Diversity
• Human Development and Learning

On-campus and hybrid students may choose from the following concentrations:

• Bilingual (Spanish) Family and Community Services
• Family Gerontology
• Pre-Higher Education and Student Affairs
• Leadership and Community-based Organizations
• Pre-individual, Couple and Family Therapy/Counseling
• Additional options: Students may enroll in courses in the program areas listed below. For additional information, please schedule an appointment with a faculty mentor for approval.
  
  
• Counseling
• Early Childhood Education
• Educational Foundations
• Literacy Education

Choose CU Denver's School of Education & Human Development

SEHD attracts students who are passionate about careers in serving culturally and linguistically diverse families and individuals. The program matches their passion with an education rooted in diversity, technology, proven approaches, and real-world practice. That's why graduates are prepared to make immediate and life-long impacts on people, communities, and the world.

Curriculum

This is an interdisciplinary degree that requires approximately 90 major credits plus general education requirements for a total of 120 credits.
 
This is the only Certified Family Life Educator-approved program in Colorado, according to the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR). NCFR recognizes schools offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs with coursework that follows the standards and criteria required for approval as a Provisional Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE). NCFR approval allows the school the ability to offer alumni the opportunity to apply for Provisional Certification using the abbreviated application process. The CFLE checklist represents the courses that meet the CFLE criteria at that school. Students must complete all the courses on a checklist to qualify to apply for the CFLE designation.