The major in Human and Social Development (HSD) focuses on the promotion of healthy development and well-being. It prepares students to work with people in multiple contexts and settings:

  • health and human services
  • schools, universities, and community programs
  • government and non-government agencies
  • grass-roots movements

By exploring the scholarly and practical interconnections among individual, interpersonal, social, and community approaches to change, students learn to identify barriers to well-being and to implement effective change-oriented strategies and policies. HSD coursework emphasizes theory, research, and skills. It culminates in a practicum in a setting related to students’ area of interest and prepares them for both graduate studies and careers.

The major in Human and Social Development (HSD) is based on the premise that the well-being of individuals and families cannot be fostered in isolation from the communities in which they live and the institutions that affect their lives.

HSD courses cover the scholarly and applied knowledge bases regarding the interconnectedness of personal, interpersonal, institutional, and community change, the barriers to healthy development and well-being at these levels, and the strategies and policies that promote well-being in individuals, families, and communities. Emphasis is placed on research and theory regarding preventive and strengths-promoting strategies as applied to complex, multicultural systems.