Changing our name to Human Development and Family Science

Beginning in Summer 2023, we will officially be changing our name from Family Studies and Human Development to Human Development and Family Science (HDFS). All classes, degrees, and anything else affiliated with our academic program will have the names updated to match the HDFS name change. All current graduate and undergraduate majors will earn a B.S. in Human Development and Family Science effective as early as Winter 2023. 

Why is this happening?

We decided to do this for two main reasons.

First, the majority of universities around the country in our discipline are referred to this way. We wanted to make sure that we are recognized within this field just like other schools; it helps us be more visible and align with other universities with programs like ours.

Second, using the term science in our name is important, as leaders in the field are encouraging us to move away from the term “studies” to “science”, which is a more fitting description of the type of work we do and recognizes the validity of our field as a type of social/life science.

What does this mean for us?

We know that this transition may take some getting used to, and we’ll work to do our best to make sure we make this as seamless as possible for you all. Remember that all the things you love about your classes and enjoy about our program are staying the same—all that will change is our name.

We are so proud of our HDFS students and look forward to this next phase of our program!

Sincerely,

The Human Development and Family Science Faculty & Staff