Human Development and Family Studies - B.S. Download to print

The Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies comprises six concentrations: Case Management for Individuals and Families, Child and Youth Development, Family Life Education, Gerontology, Nursing Home Administration and Human Services Technology.

The Case Management for Individuals and Families concentration provides training in needs assessment and the utilization of available public and private resources. Case managers provide assistance to individuals and families by coordinating services and access to resources. Students in this concentration will learn the skills necessary to understand clients' needs and goals, and develop a plan to achieve these goals with the resources and services available to them.  Graduates are eligible for securing positions in a wide array of social service agencies.

The Child and Youth Development concentration prepares students for working with children and adolescents in non-school settings such as residential treatment, group care, community youth services, foster care and after-school programs. Graduates are able to design and deliver developmentally appropriate programs, preparing children and youth for productive adulthood by emphasizing skills and competency development. The curriculum prepares students for provisional national certification as child and youth care professionals.

The Family Life Education concentration prepares graduates to develop and implement educational programming for parents, couples, and families in a variety of education and human service settings. Family Life Educators teach individuals and families effective communication skills, positive self-esteem, parenting skills, and healthy interpersonal skills. Graduates are eligible to apply to be Certified Family Life Educators (CFLE), a credential granted by the National Council on Family Relations. 

The Gerontology concentration prepares graduates for professional positions in the diverse field of aging, including health and wellness, community-based social services, retirement communities, adult-care centers and nursing homes. The curriculum provides students with a solid understanding of typical age-related changes and how these changes affect a person physiologically, psychologically and socially. According to the U.S. Census, 20 percent of the total population will be 65 or older by 2030. Because of the increasing number of older persons and the fact that people are generally living longer, there is a growing need for people to work in the field of aging.

The Nursing Home Administration concentration qualifies students for employment as administrators in long-term care settings, including nursing homes, assisted living facilities and congregate living settings. The Nursing Home Administration program at Kent State University is accredited by the National Association of Long Term Care Administrator Boards (NAB). Our program is one of eight NAB accredited programs in the country and one of four in the state of Ohio. Upon completion of the program, graduates will be eligible to sit for the national exam offered through the National Association of Long Term Care Administrator Boards and the state exam offered by the Ohio Board of Examiners of Nursing Home Administrators (BENHA) through the Ohio Department of Health. Graduates of the Program perform well on both exams due to the interdisciplinary coursework and high quality practicum sites offered in KSU’s program. In order to pass the national exam offered through the National Association of Long Term Care Administrator boards and the state exam offered by Ohio, it is highly recommeded that students maintain a 2.500 GPA in the major and overall. Nursing Home Administration students are encouraged to pursue a minor in business through the College of Business Administration, which provides students with exposure to a basic business core and helps them gain an overview of the world of business while pursuing a degree in another field. 

Minors in Human Development and Family Studies, Gerontology and Nonprofit Studies are also offered. These allow students to develop expertise in either lifespan development and family relationships (HDFS), aging (GERO) or nonprofit management (NPST) while completing requirements in their selected major.

Both the four-year concentrations and minors provide strong interdisciplinary knowledge base, research skills and preparation for graduate study in a wide variety of disciplines, such as human development and family studies, sociology, public administration, social work, counseling and gerontology.

The Human Services Technology concentration is for associate degree holders and is offered at the Ashtabula and Salem campuses. This program prepares graduates for entry-level positions in a variety of human service agencies, including child and family welfare agencies, mental health centers, developmental disability facilities, and substance abuse treatment centers.

The Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) program is committed to promoting students' professional development at all stages of instruction. To ensure that students are acquiring skills and competencies essential to professional practice, HDFS faculty will, if needed, work with students to create a plan to improve progress and enhance professional development. 

Note: State/federal background checks may be required for some practicum/internship sites. Please see Program Coordinator for more information. Results indicating one of the disqualifying offenses, whether expunged or current, may result in the inability to be placed in select practicum/internship sites. For students in the Nursing Home Administration Concentration: Results indicating one of the disqualifying offences, whether expunged or current, may result in the inability to be placed at a skilled nursing facility for the required practicum hours and may prevent the applicant from applying to operate a skilled nursing facility or assisted living facility.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projections for 2008-2018 include a 47 percent increase in the number of jobs in individual and family services and a 23 percent increase in aging related jobs.

Students graduating with a degree in HDFS find employment in a variety of human services settings and non-profit organizations such as children’s services, early head start, residential youth centers, after-school programs, domestic violence shelters, homeless services, mandatory family support services, retirement communities, nursing homes and many more. Students graduating with a degree in HDFS are not eligible for social work licensure.

Admission to the college does not guarantee admission to a major and/or admission to professional coursework for a selective admission program.

For admissions, the College of Education, Health and Human Services considers a student to have established a Kent State University GPA after the student has successfully completed a minimum of 12 Kent State University credit hours. Undergraduate students who have not completed a minimum of 12 Kent State University credit hours will be evaluated for admission into programs, Advanced Study, and the Professional phase based on their high school GPA for new freshmen, or transfer GPA for transfer students. Once a student has successfully completed a minimum of 12 Kent State University credit hours, only the student’s Kent State overall GPA will be considered for admission into a program, Advanced Study, and Professional Phase.

General Admissions for Freshman Students: Admission Requirements at the Kent Campus: The freshman admission policy at the Kent Campus is selective. Admission decisions are based upon the following: overall grade point average, ACT and/or SAT scores, strength of high school college preparatory curriculum and grade trends.

The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students who graduated from high school three or more years ago. For more information on admissions, visit the admissions website for new freshmen.

For more information about admission criteria for transfer, transitioning and former students, please visit the admissions website.

Admission to the Professional Phase of the degree (i.e., upper-division human development and family studies courses):

• a minimum 2.500 overall GPA in the following courses: ENG 11011, ENG 21011, PSYC 11762, SOC 12050, HDFS 14027 or HST 11000, HDFS 24011 and HDFS 24012.
• a minimum 3.000 overall GPA must be earned in HDFS 14027 or HST 11000, HDFS 24011 and HDFS  24012.
• The Human Services Technology concentration is specifcally for graduates of the Associate of Applied Science Human Service Technology program. Therefore, those students must complete the AAS HST pior to being admitted to the profressional phase of the BS HDFS program.

The purpose of the Professional Phase admission requirements are to ensure that students in the major have adequate preparation necessary to successfully complete upper-division human development and family studies courses, including a senior-level practicum, which provides students with professional training in the field of human/social services.

Minimum 120 credit hours, minimum 39 upper-division credit hours. Minimum 2.250 major GPA and 2.000 overall GPA.

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Identify physical, cognitive, emotional and social dimensions of human development and family relationships.
2. Identify reciprocal influences of family, school, work, and community contexts on human development.
3. Identify practical implications of human development and family relationship concepts.
4. Demonstrate an understanding of program development, delivery and evaluation.
5. Access scholarly sources and critically evaluate the quality of empirical research.
6. Demonstrate an understanding of theories, methods and principles of research.
7. Effectively communicate ideas in oral presentations and written papers.
8. Recognize the unique strengths and needs of individuals and families.
9. Apply knowledge of human development and family relationships through involvement with and study of diverse domestic and international populations.
10. Identify opportunities for advanced training in human development and family studies and related professions.
11. Identify opportunities for employment in human development and family studies and related professions.

The Nursing Home Administration concentration: National Association of Long Term Care Administrator Boards (NAB)