The courses in the Early Childhood Professions concentration prepare students for careers in early childhood education as well as professional work with children across a variety of settings, including working with children with disabilities, in healthcare settings, and community agencies. This concentration focuses on early childhood development from birth to eight years old and therefore is an ideal choice for first and second year HDFS majors who plan to apply to the competitive on-campus Major in Early Childhood Education during their sophomore year.
This concentration is also the preferred choice for students interested in early childhood education careers that do not require teacher licensure, for students who will pursue a graduate degree and licensure in childhood education, and those interested in combining this concentration with another concentration in pre-health, prevention and intervention sciences, or leadership and advocacy professions. Students interested in working with children with special needs, those seeking director qualifications in early childhood education, and those seeking other relevant credentials would also benefit from choosing this concentration. The curriculum incorporates courses from several disciplines that focus on early childhood development, education, diversity, and professional skills.
Effective Fall 2023
A minimum grade of C (2.000) is required in all courses used to satisfy the requirements of the Major in Human Development and Family Studies, Early Childhood Professions Concentration. Courses used as substitutions also require a minimum grade of C (2.000).
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| AUCC | Credits | ||
| CO 150 | College Composition (GT-CO2) | 1A | 3 |
| HDFS 101 | Individual and Family Development (GT-SS3) | 3C | 3 |
| HDFS 277 | Introductory Seminar in HDFS | 1 | |
| PSY 100 | General Psychology (GT-SS3) | 3C | 3 |
| SOC 100 | Introduction to Sociology (GT-SS3) | 3C | 3 |
| Select one course from the following: | 3-4 | ||
| Humans and Other Animals (GT-SC2) | 3A | ||
| Attributes of Living Systems (GT-SC1) | 3A | ||
| Arts and Humanities | 3B | 6 | |
| Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | 1C | 3 | |
| Historical Perspectives | 3D | 3 | |
| Quantitative Reasoning | 1B | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 31-32 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| HDFS 250 | Introduction to Research Methods | 3 | |
| HDFS 310 | Infant and Child Development in Context | 3 | |
| HDFS 311 | Adolescent/Early Adult Development in Context | 3 | |
| HDFS 312 | Adult Development-Middle Age and Aging | 3 | |
| HDFS 334 | Family and Parenthood Across the Lifespan | 3 | |
| Select one course from the following: | 3 | ||
| Writing Arguments (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||
| Writing in the Disciplines: Social Sciences (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||
| Early Childhood Professions Concentration Courses (See list below)1 | 3 | ||
| Biological and Physical Sciences | 3A | 3-4 | |
| Electives | 6 | ||
| Total Credits | 30-31 | ||
| Junior | |||
| HDFS 350 | Applied Research Methods | 4A | 3 |
| HDFS 375 | Lifespan Intervention and Prevention Science | 3 | |
| HDFS 402 | Couple and Family Studies | 3 | |
| Select one course from the following:2 | 1 | ||
| Professional Preparation: Local Internship Placements | |||
| Professional Preparation: Distance Internship Placements | |||
| HDFS Professional Development | |||
| Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice Course (See list below)3 | 3 | ||
| Early Childhood Professions Concentration Courses (See list below)1 | 6 | ||
| Electives | 11 | ||
| Total Credits | 30 | ||
| Senior | |||
| HDFS 410 | Promoting Early Socioemotional Development | 3 | |
| HDFS 434 | Risk and Resilience Across the Lifespan | 4B | 3 |
| HDFS 488B2 | Internship: Early Childhood | 4-6 | |
| HDFS 492 | Capstone--Evidence-Based Program Proposals | 4C | 3 |
| Early Childhood Professions Concentration Courses (See list below)1 | 3 | ||
| Electives4 | 10-12 | ||
| Total Credits | 28 | ||
| Program Total Credits: | 120 | ||
Early Childhood Professions Concentration Courses
Of the 15 credits of concentration courses, 3 credits of HDFS 410 are required (as noted above). Of the remaining 12 credits, a minimum of 6 credits must be HDFS courses and a minimum of 9 credits must be upper-division (300- to 400-level). Courses from this list may not double-count for more than one HDFS concentration or as the required Diversity Equity, Inclusion & Justice Course.
| Code | Title | AUCC | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Select 6-12 credits from the following courses: | |||
| FSHN 445/HDFS 445 | Early Childhood Health, Safety, and Nutrition | 3 | |
| HDFS 217 | Creative Experiences for Children | 3 | |
| HDFS 286 | Practicum | 3 | |
| HDFS 317 | Disabilities in Early Childhood Education | 3 | |
| HDFS 318 | Infancy and Toddlerhood | 3 | |
| HDFS 404 | Child Life Theory and Practice | 3 | |
| HDFS 439 | Administration of Early Childhood Programs | 3 | |
| Select 0-6 credits from the following courses: | |||
| D 324 | Teaching Creative Movement | 3 | |
| EDUC 265/ETST 265 | Culture of Care in Schools | 3 | |
| EDUC 275 | Schooling in the United States (GT-SS3) 3 | 3C | 3 |
| IDEA 210 | Introduction to Design Thinking (GT-AH1) | 3B | 3 |
| IE 471 | Children and Youth in Global Context | 3 | |
| PSY 300 | Positive Psychology | 3 | |
| PSY 460 | Child Exceptionality and Psychopathology | 3 | |
| SOWK 352/ETST 352 | Indigenous Women, Children, and Tribes | 3 | |
| SOWK 371A | Fields of Practice: Child Protection | 3 | |
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Justice Courses3
Select 3 upper-division credits from the following list. Selected course may not double-count as a concentration course.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ANTH 317 | Anthropology of Human Rights | 3 |
| ANTH 333 | Anthropology of Sex and Reproduction | 3 |
| ANTH 338 | Gender and Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTH 416 | Gender, Culture, and Health | 3 |
| ANTH 423 | Cultural Psychiatry | 3 |
| ANTH 472 | Human Biology | 3 |
| ANTH 479/IE 479 | International Development Theory and Practice | 3 |
| ETST 300 | Queer Studies and Women of Color | 3 |
| ETST 310 | African American Studies | 3 |
| ETST 320 | Ethnicity and Film--Asian-American Experience | 3 |
| ETST 332 | Contemporary Chicanx Issues | 3 |
| ETST 342 | Queer Indigenous Studies | 3 |
| ETST 354 | Black Cinema and Media | 3 |
| ETST 362/WS 362 | Indigenous Consciousness and Gender | 3 |
| ETST 365 | Global Environmental Justice Movements | 3 |
| ETST 438/E 438 | Native American Literature | 3 |
| HDFS 315 | Disability across the Lifespan and Culture | 3 |
| HDFS 317 | Disabilities in Early Childhood Education | 3 |
| IE 470 | Women and Development | 3 |
| IE 471 | Children and Youth in Global Context | 3 |
| PHIL 350 | Social and Political Philosophy | 3 |
| PHIL 353 | Feminist Philosophies | 3 |
| PSY 437 | Psychology of Gender | 3 |
| SOC 330 | Social Inequality | 3 |
| SOC 333 | Gender and Society | 3 |
| SOC 334 | Sociology of Intersectionality | 3 |
| SOC 357 | Women, Crime, and Victimization | 3 |
| SPCM 334 | Co-Cultural Communication | 3 |
| SPCM 335 | Gender and Communication | 3 |
| SPCM 357 | Film and Social Change | 3 |
| SPCM 401 | Rhetoric in Social Movements | 3 |
| SPCM 434 | Intercultural Communication | 3 |
| WS 340 | Race and Sexuality | 3 |
| WS 375 | Intersectionality--Theory, Method, Practice | 3 |
- 1
Courses selected to fulfill All-University Core Curriculum (AUCC) requirements may not double count toward the Early Childhood Professions Concentration Course requirement.
- 2
Students with substantial concentration-specific work experience may petition the Director of Undergraduate Advising in HDFS to replace HDFS 488B with additional coursework and complete HDFS 478 instead of HDFS 477A or HDFS 477B.
- 3
Other 300 and 400 level courses related to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice are subject to advisor approval.
- 4
Select enough elective credits to bring the program to a minimum of 120 credits, of which at least 42 must be upper-division (300- to 400-level).
Distinctive Requirements for Degree Program:
Human Development and Family Studies is an open-entry major for freshmen. For sophomores and above, students must complete and/or be enrolled in HDFS 101, PSY 100 or SOC 100 in order to declare HDFS. HDFS subject code courses must be completed with a grade of C (2.000) or higher. Background check required prior to participating in the internship course (HDFS 488B) during the senior year. Students will complete a graduation contract with an HDFS Academic Advisor during the first two weeks of the semester in which they are graduating.
| Freshman | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semester 1 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| CO 150 | College Composition (GT-CO2) | X | 1A | 3 | |
| HDFS 101 | Individual and Family Development (GT-SS3) | X | 3C | 3 | |
| HDFS 277 | Introductory Seminar in HDFS | X | 1 | ||
| Arts and Humanities | X | 3B | 3 | ||
| Historical Perspectives | X | 3D | 3 | ||
| Quantitative Reasoning | X | 1B | 3 | ||
| Total Credits | 16 | ||||
| Semester 2 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| PSY 100 | General Psychology (GT-SS3) | X | 3C | 3 | |
| SOC 100 | Introduction to Sociology (GT-SS3) | X | 3C | 3 | |
| Select one course from the following: | X | 3-4 | |||
| Humans and Other Animals (GT-SC2) | X | 3A | |||
| Attributes of Living Systems (GT-SC1) | X | 3A | |||
| Arts and Humanities | X | 3B | 3 | ||
| Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | X | 1C | 3 | ||
| CO 150 and HDFS 277 must be completed by the end of Semester 2. | X | ||||
| Total Credits | 15-16 | ||||
| Sophomore | |||||
| Semester 3 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| HDFS 310 | Infant and Child Development in Context | X | 3 | ||
| HDFS 311 | Adolescent/Early Adult Development in Context | X | 3 | ||
| HDFS 312 | Adult Development-Middle Age and Aging | X | 3 | ||
| HDFS 334 | Family and Parenthood Across the Lifespan | X | 3 | ||
| Biological and Physical Sciences | X | 3A | 3-4 | ||
| Total Credits | 15-16 | ||||
| Semester 4 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| HDFS 250 | Introduction to Research Methods | X | 3 | ||
| Select one course from the following: | X | 3 | |||
| Writing Arguments (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||||
| Writing in the Disciplines: Social Sciences (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||||
| Early Childhood Professions Concentration Course (See Department List on Concentration Requirements tab) | X | 3 | |||
| Electives | X | 6 | |||
| Total Credits | 15 | ||||
| Junior | |||||
| Semester 5 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| HDFS 350 | Applied Research Methods | X | 4A | 3 | |
| HDFS 375 | Lifespan Intervention and Prevention Science | X | 3 | ||
| Early Childhood Professions Concentration Course (See Department List on Concentration Requirements tab) | X | 3 | |||
| Electives | X | 5 | |||
| Total Credits | 14 | ||||
| Semester 6 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| HDFS 402 | Couple and Family Studies | X | 3 | ||
| Select one course from the following: | X | 1 | |||
| Professional Preparation: Local Internship Placements | |||||
| Professional Preparation: Distance Internship Placements | |||||
| HDFS Professional Development | |||||
| Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice Course (See Department List on Concentration Requirements tab) | X | 3 | |||
| Early Childhood Professions Concentration Course (See Department List on Concentration Requirements tab) | X | 3 | |||
| Electives | X | 6 | |||
| Total Credits | 16 | ||||
| Senior | |||||
| Semester 7 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| HDFS 410 | Promoting Early Socioemotional Development | X | 3 | ||
| HDFS 434 | Risk and Resilience Across the Lifespan | X | 4B | 3 | |
| HDFS 488B | Internship: Early Childhood | X | 4-6 | ||
| Early Childhood Professions Concentration Course (See Department List on Concentration Requirements tab) | X | 3 | |||
| HDFS 350 must be completed by the end of Semester 7. | X | ||||
| Total Credits | 14 | ||||
| Semester 8 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| HDFS 492 | Capstone--Evidence-Based Program Proposals | X | 4C | 3 | |
| Electives | X | 10-12 | |||
| The benchmark courses for the 8th semester are the remaining courses in the entire program of study. | X | ||||
| Total Credits | 14 | ||||
| Program Total Credits: | 120 | ||||