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Deciding which college to attend can be a daunting task. For many, it will be the most important decision that they make in their lives. To make an informed decision, you have to consider a lot of variables, such as cost of attendance, financial aid, student/teacher ratio, academics, student life, and more. These factors will either positively or negatively impact the quality of education that you receive.
Do you want to acquire a human and family development programs, but don’t know what institution you should attend? Well, if you are as ambitious as I was in my late teens, then you want to attend a top school, instead of an average or mediocre one. Fortunately, we have already done the legwork for you. To help you find the right school for your interests and goals, we’ve compiled a list of 2022’s best bachelor’s in urban planning programs.
What institution did we forget? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
- University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL
The first state-run institution in the state, the University of Alabama, offers its learners an educational foundation for a lifetime of achievement. The institution’s Bama by Distance degree program has remote access to numerous online degrees, including an online human development and family studies degree with two concentration options: child life specialists and child development professionals. Both paths require the completion of 120 credits to graduate.
The school’s child development practitioner concentration focuses on the stages of growth in childhood. This path familiarizes learners with methods that promote healthy and safe learning environments that foster collaboration among families and communities. Many learners entering the child development practitioner degree program possess an associate degree and may apply a maximum of 60 credits toward their BS degree.
- Pennsylvania State University – World Campus, University Park, PA
With 100,000 learners in attendance across its 24 campuses, Pennsylvania State University offers unprecedented access to higher education. The school’s World Campus has over 150 degree and certificate programs, including an online bachelor’s in family studies. This 120-credit degree program prepares graduates for careers in preschools, youth organizations, and eldercare centers. The coursework covers developmental milestones encountered across a lifetime, and learners finish 27 required classes in family development, human services degree program administration, and helping relationship theories and research.
The degree program has elective classes, including infant development, advanced child development, and the transition to adulthood. The degree program also encourages the formation of a human development professional identity, and learners learn about the history of the profession, major trends in the field, and professional ethics and advocacy. Along with completing online classes, learners meet several fieldwork requirements, including an excellent internship experience and the completion of an internship project or research paper that totals 14 credits. Learners satisfy required field hours at a human services agency in their hometown. Potential internship sites range from daycare centers and schools to mental health agencies and nonprofit organizations.
- Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
Composed of 180 quarter credits, the online human development and family sciences BS emphasizes skills in writing, critical thinking, and problem-solving that meet the needs of individuals and families at all stages of life. Topics in the coursework consist of family violence and neglect, human nutrition, and parenting research. Learners obtain skills for career entry positions in the human services sector, and many continue their education at the graduate level in areas like counseling and social work. The adaptable Ecampus format enables learners enrolled in this degree program to minor in public health or sociology. Transfer learners must finish at least 45 of their final credits at Oregon State University.
- Washington State University, Pullman, WA
Washington State University connects learners around the world to career-focused, academic programs. The institution’s Global Campus has a bachelor’s degree in human development and family studies online. The degree program includes licensure options in gerontology or early childhood education that learners earn concurrently with their degree. Online learners with interests in gerontology may obtain licensure for careers working with the elderly. Washington residents are eligible for early childhood licensure that leads to careers in childcare, protective services, and crisis center settings.
Along with completing the core requirements, learners enrolled in the online human development degree program finish 11 credits of introductory classes. Topics consist of lifespan development, family systems, and human development theories. Learners finish 12 credits of upper-division classes that offer in-depth studies of various stages of growth and family issues, including coping with stress and parenting styles. A selection of integrative classes that examine contemporary family issues like poverty, work balance, and social policies. The degree program’s culminating experience requires learners to finish four to eight credits of fieldwork. Major classwork for this degree program consists of 42 credits, 21 of which learners may transfer from a previous degree program.
- Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
Colorado State University offers education to individuals wishing to promote upward mobility and economic growth. While the institution attracts more Colorado high school graduates than any other college in the state, involvement in its inclusive academic programs is not limited by geography. The institution’s online degree program delivery enables domestic and international learners to earn the university’s online human development and family studies degree from the comfort of their homes.
CSU’s human development and family studies has adaptable coursework that suits the lifestyles of busy working professionals. This 120-credit degree requires learners to finish 42 upper-division classes in areas such as risk and resilience; it couples studies and intervention strategies across a lifespan. Learners engage in training for professional advocacy and the facilitation of community empowerment with diverse groups of people. Learners select one of these concentrations: early childhood professions, leadership and entrepreneurial professions, pre-health professions, prevention, and intervention sciences, and human development and family studies. Graduates of this degree program pursue careers in social service environments, corrections, and long-term care facilities.
- University of Wisconsin – Stout, Menomonie, WI
The online degree-completion degree program consists of 120 credits, including 43 general education requirements that transfer from an associate degree. Major classwork in areas, including individual and family interventions, family research, and sexuality across the lifespan, comprise roughly half of the degree, which learners finish in two years of full-time study; learners can also take the degree program part time. Learners develop their concentration by completing 15 credits in a specific area or by merging complementary subjects; they finish an internship near the end of the degree program. Graduates of this degree qualify for licensure as a family life educator according to the National Council on Family Relations.
- University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
The University of Arizona’s more than 40,000 learners take advantage of its many academic programs. The school’s online bachelor’s in family studies offers a per-credit tuition rate that enables learners to earn their degree while avoiding out-of-state tuition costs. Using asynchronous class formats, professors design engaging online classroom content that learners can access at their convenience.
Ideal for individuals seeking careers working directly with children and families, this degree prepares learners with the tools needed for positions in social policy development, law enforcement, community health, and counseling. The coursework prepares learners for a graduate degree program in the social sciences. Completed in four years, learners begin as pre-majors engaging in foundational coursework with corresponding general studies classwork. A learner’s first semester in the degree program may consist of English and math classes along with introductory human development classwork. Once learners satisfy pre-major requirements, they apply for the family studies and human development major and begin upper-division classwork. Major classes consist of concepts in family studies leadership and ethics, advanced family relations, and cultural influences on development. Learners with a preference for an internship select an organization in the Tucson area.
- North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND
North Dakota State University employs and grants admission to diverse populations. The school’s distance and continuing education degree program has an array of available degrees, including a human development and family studies degree program online with three concentration options: child and adolescent development, family science; or adult development and aging provides learners with training for careers working with distinct populations. The child and adolescent. The development path prepares learners for positions providing direct and support services. Learners finish nine credits focused on infant, child, and adolescent development with a focus on cognitive, emotional, and physical areas of growth. The family science path examines relationship issues, family finance, and methods for reducing family stress with an emphasis on family life education. The third path, adult development and aging investigates the factors that influence adult aging, such as gender and family subtleties.
Learners enrolled in the BS in human development and family science degree program finish 20 core credits that familiarize them with family science, theories and stages of lifespan development, and public policies affecting families. Learners obtain skills in cultural expertise by completing a five-credit field experience at their home location. The degree program requires 122 credits to finish along with a minor in an area of the learner’s choosing.
- Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
Brigham Young University serves more than 33,000 online learners, 12 online bachelor’s degrees, and 300 online classes. The institution’s online human development and family studies degree has holistically focused coursework that unites theories of family relations with the teachings of Jesus Christ.
The 120-credit degree consists of 40 foundation credits, 54 major credits, and 26 elective credits. Along with familiarizing learners with academic subjects, BYU’s foundation classes consist of 14 credits of eternal truths, which focus on the doctrine of the Book of Mormon, scripture studies, and the principles of eternal marriage. The marriage and family studies major emphasizes the acquisition of skills that promote healthy marriages and family relationships. Learners obtain knowledge of parenting practices, money management, and theories of family subtleties. The degree program requires the completion of a family practicum and internship for distance learners who select to finish an online internship at an endorsed site in their area.
- Hope International University, Fullerton, CA
Hope International University has a Christ–centered education grounded in the Restoration Movement. The institution supports learner faith via the examination of contemporary methods of stewardship. The school’s online bachelor’s in human development offers learners the training necessary to nurture their faith and community simultaneously. In a total of 120 credits, learners finish 46 major credits, 49 leadership credits, and 25 electives.
The BS in human development two concentrations: the community mental health and counseling concentration or the family studies concentration. The mental health path emphasizes training in therapeutic interventions and case management. Example classes consist of abnormal psychology, counseling skills, and counseling theories. The family studies path familiarizes learners with theories of child and adolescent development, and learners finish classwork in areas like the sociology of families, parent-child relations, and toddler mental health. Learners in both concentrations finish a capstone class in which they develop a case project that includes thoughtfully selected components of theories, methods, and biblical values to design a holistic treatment plan.
- Utah State University, Logan, UT
The school’s online format provides a versatile choice for working professions with families. Available with an emphasis in human development or family relations, this online bachelor’s in family consists of 120 credits of coursework that takes full-time learners four years to finish. Before beginning core classwork, learners finish a series of classes that provide introductory knowledge in human growth across the lifespan, professional development, and statistics.
The major core includes 25 credits of classes that prepare learners for service-oriented occupations working with children, families, and elderly populations. Learners finish upper-level classwork in human sexuality, parenting and child guidance, and family finance. The degree program has several elective classes, such as balancing work and family, that allow learners to focus on areas that correspond to their career interests. A final senior project requires learners to develop a portfolio that documents their professional growth across the degree program.
- Amridge University, Montgomery, AL
Amridge University has one of the leading military-friendly online human and family development programs available in the country. Veterans and active-duty military personnel and their spouses pursue their degree at discounted rates through the assistance of the Post-9/11 GI Bill®, Montgomery GI Bill, and the Yellow Ribbon Scholarship Program. Additionally, the institution offers scholarships to new and returning learners.
Learners enrolled in this human development bachelor’s degree program finish 128 credits, including 40 general studies classes, 40 major classes, and 48 elective credits. Major classes includes concepts in child development, counseling theories, and theories of individuality. The institution encourages the completion of electives in systematic theology and New and Old Testament studies along with human development classes. Graduates of this degree program often pursue their master’s in family therapy or counseling—available through the institution’s graduate school.
- San Diego Christian College, Santee, CA
San Diego Christian College has biblically focused academic programs that accentuate culturally relevant perspectives. The institution’s online bachelor’s in human development enables learners to earn their degree online, on campus, or in a blended format. Graduates of this degree program pursue careers with human resource agencies, early childhood centers, and youth organizations.
The 123-credit human development BA takes full-time learners four years to finish. With an emphasis on interindividual skills, the major coursework familiarizes learners with concepts pertinent to careers in the social service sector. With a combination of classes in lifespan development, motivation and learning, and counseling theory, learners get an appreciation for the nuances of human psychology. The degree program’s general education requirements expose learners to classes in biblical studies and Christian ministries.
San Diego Christian College requires candidates to provide evidence of their dedication to the Christian faith via the documentation of community service and involvement in a church. Prospective learners submit a recommendation from a church leader familiar with their spiritual journey. Candidates possess a minimum ACT score of 19 or SAT score of 1350. Learners who do not meet these requirements may be required to submit an academic recommendation.
- California State University – East Bay, Hayward, CA
The online bachelor’s in human development completion degree program at California State University–East Bay prepares learners for graduate programs in social science fields like anthropology, counseling, and social work. The degree program consists of more than 400 majors, and many learners select this degree program for its adaptable online format. This degree employs the latest technology to deliver class materials, and learners engage in an interactive virtual environment that blogs and video streaming. The degree program selects 60 transfer learners for the fall semester.
Consisting of 180 units, learners take foundational classes in human or child development, psychology, and ethnic studies. Upper-level classes focus on theories of human development, research methods, and contemporary perspectives of the field. Learners examine cultural and social factors impacting cognitive, emotional, and physical growth. During the final year of the degree program, learners select a concentration in one of the following developmental areas: early childhood, adult and gerontology, or women’s development. Learners take five classes in their chosen concentration. The degree program concludes with two senior projects that require learners to select a research area and develop and execute a project.
- Stephen F Austin State University, Nacogdoches, TX
Stephen F. Austin State University offers residents of eastern Texas and distance learners around the world a learner-focused academic experience. The school’s BS in human sciences includes an emphasis on human development and family studies for learners seeking careers working with children. The online coursework investigates major areas of growth and change that occur across the human lifespan, and learners obtain knowledge of how to help families with parenting challenges, consumer problems, and intergenerational issues.
Before completing fieldwork requirements, learners partake in a pre-practicum class focused on professional development, ethics, and multidisciplinary collaboration. In-depth investigations of child development and family interactions prepare learners for a culminating internship experience where learners practice what they have learned.
Eligible candidates possess two years of finished classwork before entering into this degree-completion degree program. Learners apply a maximum of 66 credits toward their degree and boast a GPA of 2.0 or better. The school gives human science transfer learners access to a class equivalency guide and a two-year planning guide. Learners must finish at least 36 upper-level credits at Stephen F. Austin State University. The degree program accepts applications across the year.
