Bachelor of Human Development and Family Studies at Pennsylvania State University
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    Bachelor of Human Development and Family Studies at Pennsylvania State University

    Pennsylvania State University
    Pennsylvania State University
    United States of America
    United States of America, University Park
    University Rank:#82
    Bachelor of Human Development and Family Studies at Pennsylvania State University

    Pennsylvania State University offers the Bachelor of Human Development and Family Studies as a full-time degree delivered on campus at its Main Site, Any Penn State Campus, Altoona, University Park, Harrisburg, World Campus, DuBois, Fayette, Schuylkill, Shenango, Brandywine, Scranton, York, and Mont Alto campuses in United States of America. Taught in English and completed over 4 years, the program equips students with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills required for human development and family studies and related professional fields. The next available intake begins on June 1, 2027.

    About Bachelor of Human Development and Family Studies

    The Associate in Science in Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) integrates practical and academic experiences to provide you with entry-level, professional competencies in the human service fields. The Adult Development and Aging Services option focuses on the biological, psychological, and social development of adults and elderly persons, with special emphasis on the various contexts of adult development, including work and the family. The Children, Youth, and Family Services option is an ideal choice if you want to work with various age groups in centers, institutions, and agencies. The program's ultimate goal is to improve the quality of planned services for families from varied backgrounds and community settings. For both options, HDFS students complete an internship at a human service organization in their community. Real world experience will help you build professional networks, establish references, and reflect on what you have learned in the classroom.

    You Might Like This Program If...

    • You already work in a human service–related field.
    • You aspire to work in human service–related occupations.

    This major integrates practical and academic experiences to provide the student with entry-level professional competence in the human service field. The objective of the major is to offer a general education background, a knowledge base in life span and family development, and a core of professional skills that may be applied in program planning and service delivery activities. The major is offered part-time, in the evening, and through independent learning.

    Adult Development and Aging Services Option

    Available at the following campuses: Altoona, Brandywine, DuBois, Fayette, Mont Alto, Schuylkill, Scranton, Shenango, World Campus, York

    This option is designed to prepare students for a wide variety of service roles in mental health facilities, nursing homes and other institutions for the aged, area agencies on aging, public welfare and family service agencies, women's resource centers, human relations programs, employee assistance programs and customer services and consumer relations programs in business and industry. An approved field experience in any of a wide variety of settings that serve adults, the aged, and their families, is required for this option.

    Children, Youth, and Family Services Option

    Available at the following campuses: Altoona, Brandywine, DuBois, Fayette, Mont Alto, Schuylkill, Scranton, Shenango, World Campus, York

    This option is designed to prepare students for service roles in preschools; day care centers; hospitals; institutional and community programs for emotionally disturbed, abused, or neglected children and adolescents; as well as a variety of public welfare and family service agencies. An approved field experience in a children, youth, or family services setting is required for this option.

    Early Childhood Care and Education Option

    Available at the following campuses: DuBois, Fayette, Shenango, York

    This option is designed to increase professional capabilities in child care training in regard to issues of quality, affordability, and accessibility of programming. The primary foci are on language, literacy, and science reasoning. In the coursework, there is a blending of theory and practice that requires experience in a group setting with young children. Courses concentrate on infants and toddlers as well as older preschoolers. Each course has a strong parent/family communications component and stresses observation techniques appropriate for assessing and evaluating the development of young children.

    • Understanding of the complexity of individual and family development across the lifespan in diverse contexts and in changing environments.
    • Evaluate and Apply Research and Theory to Practice and Policy.
    • Ability to analyze processes, policies, and contextual factors that affect the delivery of human services to individuals and families.
    • Professional ethical and culturally sensitive standards of conduct.
    • Knowledge and competence in helping, leadership, and administrative human service skills.

    Disciplines

    Penn State Altoona The Altoona College

    Requirements and Admission Criteria for Bachelor of Human Development and Family Studies at Pennsylvania State University

    Entry Requirements

    Penn State requires the submission of specific academic credentials to complete your application. Review the secondary and post-secondary requirements for your country below.

    If you are a first year student applying to Penn State:

    Click Apply to start your Penn State application. Before starting, you can also review the Applying Online Worksheet for more details and helpful hints about the application.

    Your application work can be saved at each step of the process by clicking the Save and Continue button at the bottom of the page. This feature will allow you to move back and forth within the application or log off and return to complete your application at a later time.

    After completing your Academic History, you will need to provide your Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR). As you begin the SRAR process, a new window will open allowing you to complete your SRAR. SRAR will focus on your high school coursework. It is important that this step is a complete and accurate representation of your school record. Therefore, have a copy of your secondary school records available as you complete your SRAR. You will need to enter every class and every grade earned for the last three years, as well as those classes in progress.

    After completing your SRAR, you will be directed back to the Penn State application in order to complete the Program of Study portion of the application. Here, you will indicate your desired starting semester, your intended program of study, and your starting and ending campus. For further details on how to complete this portion based on your applicant type, please see the steps to apply for first-year students.

    After completing this section of the application, you will provide some additional information, an activities resume, and a personal statement. You will be able to paste in this information from other sources, but note that the formatting may not always paste in as intended.

    If you are a transfer student applying to Penn State:

    All international transfer students will be required to submit official high school transcripts in order to complete the application. International transfer students will not complete the Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR) for either their high school or college coursework.

    If you have accepted your offer of admission to Penn State:

    If you completed SRAR and are accepted to Penn State, please provide the following for grade verification:

    • Official transcript from years 9, 10, 11, and 12. If the transcript is issued in a language other than English, it must be accompanied by a separate line-by-line English translation.
    • Official copy of the Tawjihi, accompanied by a separate line-by-line English translation.

    English Requirements

    • IELTSMin 6.5
    • TOEFLMin 80

    Career Opportunities after Completing Bachelor of Human Development and Family Studies

    With an associate degree in HDFS, you can work in the human services field, promoting health and preventing social and mental health problems for child, youth and families and adults and the elderly. You may also find employment in the following areas:

    • medical case worker
    • mental health worker
    • case manager
    • school support services
    • medical and public health services
    • substance abuse services

    The associate degree in HDFS can also serve as a stepping stone to further education if you wish to work as a counselor or social worker.

    Opportunities for Graduate Studies

    Many graduates go on to earn an HDFS bachelor's degree; some eventually enroll in graduate school.

    Tuition and Fee Information for Bachelor of Human Development and Family Studies at Pennsylvania State University

    Application Fee 75

    How to Apply for Bachelor of Human Development and Family Studies at Pennsylvania State University

    Step 1: Choose Your Application Method

    Apply through MyPennState

    The first step of the application process is to create a Penn State account, if you do not have one already. MyPennState is where future students can access the online application.

    If you are new to MyPennState, you will need to establish a Penn State User ID and password, which you will access during the MyPennState profile creation process. Once you have your log in information, you can sign in to begin work on your application.

    When creating the profile, please use the name that is on your passport. Because materials are filed alphabetically under the family name on the application, it is important that all correspondence and records consistently use the same name (family and given) and spelling. If this name does not match your academic records, please notify us of the difference. Please note: In the U.S., the family name is usually referred to as the last name, and the given name is referred to as the first name.

    Additionally, Penn State requires a current, valid email address, as that is our primary means of communication with international students. To ensure deliverability, please make Penn State (psu.edu) an eligible sender to the account.

    Applying through the Common App

    Applying to Penn State via the Common App is available to first-year (freshman) international students. If applying through the Common App, Penn State will create a MyPennState profile when the application is submitted and you will receive instructions on how to access your profile. If you intend to apply with the Common App, you do not need create a MyPennState profile prior to submitting your application.

    Step 2: Access the Application and Review Important Dates

    While you can create a MyPennState profile at any time, the application for admission becomes available on the following dates:

    Fall/Summer Admission: August 1

    Spring Admission: June 1

    The application submission dates vary by applicant type and intended program of study. Some programs have specific deadlines or admissions requirements. Please refer to our Dates & Deadlines for more information about application deadlines, as well as our Admissions Requirements to review information about any additional materials required for your intended program of study.

    Step 3: Start Your Penn State Application

    If applying through MyPennState:

    Click Apply Online to start your Penn State application. 

    Your application work can be saved at each step of the process by clicking the "Save and Continue" button at the bottom of the page. This feature will allow you to move back and forth within the application or log off and return to complete your application at a later time.

    After completing your Academic History, you will need to provide your Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR), unless otherwise directed. You will be directed to enter information about your secondary school coursework. Please have a copy of your secondary school records as you complete SRAR. It is important that this step is a complete and accurate representation of your school record. You will need to enter every grade for every course you have taken in the last three years, as well as your current schedule of classes.

    Students educated in South Korea will not complete SRAR. The document requirements for South Korea can be found by reviewing our International Credential Requirements.

    After this section, you will be directed back to the Penn State application to complete the Program of Study portion. Here, you will indicate your desired starting semester, your intended program of study, and your starting and ending campus. For further details on how to complete this portion based on your applicant type, please see the steps to apply for either first-year students or transfer students.

    After this portion, you will provide some additional application information, an activities resume, and a personal statement. You will be able to paste in this information from other sources, but note that the formatting may not always paste in as intended.

    If applying through the Common App:

    Complete the Common App, which will then direct you to MyPennState to complete SRAR. Applicants using the Common App may feel that they provided their high school record via the Common App, but Penn State requires the completion of SRAR via MyPennState. We strongly encourage you to obtain an official copy of your high school transcript to ensure accurate entry of your coursework completed and grades earned. The SRAR will include all of your high school coursework from your last three years of work and your current year schedule. If your final year grades are available when you enter SRAR, you can enter them at that time.

    Step 4: Submit Your Application

    The application requires a nonrefundable application fee of $75 for international students. Be sure to complete the last step after Summary and Review, which finalizes payment of your fee, and be certain it is successfully submitted. Once the application is submitted, you can verify its completion by accessing your MyPennState profile.

    Step 5: Submit Required Application Materials

    In order to complete your Penn State application, we need the following materials:

    • Application
    • Secondary school record
    • Post-secondary school records (if applicable)
    • First-year applicants only: Official test scores: SAT (code #2660) or ACT (code #3656)

      Writing Component and Subject Tests

      Please note: The writing component of standardized tests (SAT or ACT) is not required. The writing component will not be used as part of our evaluation. If your test scores include the writing component, by all means, have those scores sent to Penn State. Additionally, we do not require SAT Subject Tests.

    • English language proficiency, if your native language is not English

    Please see the admissions requirements for international students to review the details about the required application materials. Some programs require additional items to complete your application. Please review our Admissions Requirements for those details.

    Penn State does not require letters of recommendation, nor are they used in a student’s evaluation (unless required for a specific program).

    Step 6: Check Your Application Status in MyPennState

    You can always check the status of your application in MyPennState. We will communicate with you via MyPennState and through a series of emails regarding the missing items for your application. When everything has arrived, you will see a status in MyPennState confirming the completion of your application.

    Please note: It is your responsibility to check on the status of your application and send us any missing materials.

    Step 7: Receive Your Admission Decision

    Once we have reached a decision regarding your application, we will update your status in MyPennState and provide a printable PDF of your decision letter. Review our Dates & Deadlines to see when you should expect your decision.

    If accepted, you can accept your offer of admission in MyPennState to begin the process of becoming a Penn State student. Visit our Accepted Students section to review the next steps in this process. Once you accept your offer of admission to Penn State, those students completing SRAR will submit their official records for validation purposes as soon as possible.

    Bachelor of Human Development and Family Studies at Pennsylvania State University
    Pennsylvania State University
    Pennsylvania State University
    United States of America

    United States of America, University Park

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