Human Ecology PhD - Human Development and Family Studies

This is a named option within the Human Ecology, Ph.D.

Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) offers an interdisciplinary approach to the study of families and individuals across the lifespan with an emphasis on research and its application to practice, programs, and policy. Graduate students in this option may earn the Human Ecology: Human Development & Family Studies, M.S. along the way to the Ph.D.

The HDFS graduate program option is served by 11 full-time faculty members plus affiliated faculty members. Faculty members are professionally active with strong records of national and international scholarship. The faculty bring the perspectives of many different disciplines to their work, including psychology, human development and family studies, sociology, education, and psychiatry. Faculty members conduct basic research to understand families and their members and applied research and outreach to promote positive outcomes in human development and family life.

Faculty and graduate students in HDFS collaborate on research and outreach-engagement projects in a wide variety of substantive areas focusing on the well-being of individuals, couples, and families. Current areas of scholarly activity focus on early childhood, couple relationships, contemplative practices, mind-body well-being, parenting, family caregiving, and vulnerable populations (e.g., incarcerated parents, children with autism, and historically under-represented groups).

Reflecting the multidisciplinary orientation of the program, faculty and students employ a wide array of methods in their work. Faculty possess expertise in areas as diverse as multilevel, longitudinal, nonlinear, and dyadic modeling; physiological measurement; program evaluation; observational methods; experimental methods; survey methodology; and community-based research. The program explicitly values both qualitative and quantitative approaches to inquiry.

Central to the mission of the program is the creation, dissemination, and application of scientific knowledge to address real-world problems and issues. Applied work of current faculty and students includes public policy education, community building, outreach education, and prevention programs. This applied work is conducted throughout the state.

There is a demand for professionals trained in research, teaching, and outreach in the areas of human development and family studies in higher education, government, and human and family service programs. Regardless of whether HDFS graduates pursue careers in academic or applied settings, they are prepared for a life of scholarship and service.

A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or a comparable degree from an international institution is required. International applicants must have a degree comparable to a regionally accredited U.S. bachelor’s degree. You must have completed your undergraduate degree, or similar, before starting graduate school.

A minimum undergraduate grade-point average (GPA) of 3.00 on the equivalent of the last 60 semester hours (approximately two years of work) or a master’s degree with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 is required. Applicants from an international institution must demonstrate strong academic achievement comparable to a 3.00 for an undergraduate or master’s degree. The Graduate School will use your institution’s grading scale. Do not convert your grades to a 4.00 scale.

Every applicant whose native language is not English, or whose undergraduate instruction was not in English, must provide an English proficiency test score. TOEFL scores must be submitted electronically via ETS. IELTS scores can be submitted electronically or by paper.  Our office address is: UW-Madison Graduate School, Office of Admissions, 232 Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI 53706.  Your score will not be accepted if it is more than two years old from the start of your admission term. Country of citizenship does not exempt applicants from this requirement. Language of instruction at the college or university level and how recent the language instruction was taken are the determining factors in meeting this requirement.

Applicants are exempt if: