About HDFS

Dr. Leanne Lamke, Recipient of the 2005 Gerald and Emily Leishchuck Teaching Excellence Award and the 2005 National Council on Family Relations Osborne Teaching Award

In the Department of Human Development and Family Studies [HDFS] we prepare our students for dynamic careers that focus on helping diverse individuals and families at each stage of the lifespan to meet the challenges of a changing world.

What can you do with an HDFS major?

The breadth of HDFS requires an interdisciplinary approach as it encompasses a complex array of information on how children develop into competent individuals, how adolescents make the transition to adulthood, how adults develop and maintain satisfying relationships, and a host of other issues that are central to living a quality life. With people as our subject, learning is enhanced by the application of theory to real world issues. Adopting this "learning by doing" approach helps our students appreciate, for instance, the linkages between home and school relationships as we search for answers to how parents affect children’s academic readiness, school success, friendships, and preparation for the workforce, or the interconnectedness of home and work as busy couples struggle to maintain an appropriate balance in their husband-wife interactions, parent-child relationships, and workplace demands.

The Auburn University Department of Human Development and Family Studies is an interdisciplinary program committed to advancing and applying knowledge about individuals and families in a changing world. The Department offers the Bachelor of Science Degree in Human Development and Family Studies, a Dual Objective Curriculum in Early Childhood Education, an undergraduate minor, the Certified Family Life Educator Credential for undergraduates, the Master of Science degree with emphases in both Human Development and Family Studies and Marriage and Family Therapy, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Human Development and Family Studies.

The Department also operates the Center for Children, Youth, and Families that includes the Auburn University Early Learning Center and the Harris Early Learning Center of Birmingham, both accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, and the Auburn University Marriage and Family Therapy Center. The objective of these centers is to enhance the instruction/service learning, research, and outreach missions of the Department. Further, The Alabama Cooperative Extension System provides the infrastructure to enable the researchers and practitioners affiliated with the Department and its Centers to disseminate knowledge to the citizens of Alabama, the nation, and the world.