Master's and doctoral degrees are offered with specialization in one of the following program areas:

Developmental Studies

Family Studies

Marriage and Family Therapy

Developmental Studies

The graduate program in developmental studies is designed to prepare students for research, college-level teaching, and professional positions that relate to the development of children and adolescents.

This interdisciplinary program emphasizes the study of individual development in the context of relationships (including peers, teachers and family) and programs (e.g., early education, parenting interventions and to the roles of cultural, developmental, and economic diversity in development are emphasized.

The program provides a unique opportunity to explore how context affects the development of children and adults. A wide variety of research and intervention opportunities are represented in the program.

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Family Studies

Around the world, families must raise children, join the labor force, and retain connections to aging relatives. How do they handle this balance of work and family? The growing power of the global economy and the increasing influence of public and private policies on families are causing the relationships between families and society to unfold in new and challenging ways.

The Family Studies program focuses on how family relationships develop and change, with particular attention to influences in the larger environment such as gender, age, historical period, birth cohort, ethnicity and socioeconomic status.

• Attention to the daily processes of family life.
• Recognition of the centrality of age, historical period, and birth cohort in family dynamics.
• Understanding of the complex interactions between families and social institutions.

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Marriage and Family Therapy

This Doctoral Program, accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE), aims to develop researcher-clinicians who are excited about the possibility of making significant research contributions to the field of marriage and family therapy (MFT).

The program enables students to develop a critical view of a broad range of theories of marriage and family therapy, and to develop his/her theory of family therapy in writing and to present it with videotaped illustrations as part of the doctoral specialization requirement.

For more information about the Marriage and Family Therapy program, please visit the MFT Web site.

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Doctoral Program

The graduate program in CDFS prepares scholars to define problems and conduct rigorous original research that informs policies and practices aimed at supporting the well-being of individuals and social contexts. The doctoral program emphasizes integration and critical evaluation of research relevant to the development of individuals and families as well as interventions aimed at supporting the well-being of individuals and families. Specifically, students demonstrate that they 1) understand and can apply theories of individual and family development, 2) are sophisticated in the use of multiple research strategies to answers specific research questions, and 3) use theory and research to plan and evaluate interventions (policies and programs) designed to enhance individual and family well-being

Both the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees are offered. Because the graduate program is designed to prepare research scientist, students are admitted to the doctoral degree program. Students may, but are not required to, receive a Master's degree in the process of completing doctoral requirements.

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