Education & Human Development

Graduate Programs

M.S. in Human Development
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Program of Study
The graduate program in Human Development is designed to provide advanced training, with special emphasis on child development and family relations. This program is designed for those interested in working in the human development field in such leadership positions as center director, director of services, program coordinator, case manager or project manager.

The curriculum is designed to:

• train students in the fundamentals of professional practice in agencies serving children, adolescents, adults and families
• provide students with advanced content in one or more research areas (e.g., early childhood, human sexuality, family relationships)
• provide students with internship opportunities in human service programs or in applied research mentored by a faculty member

The Master of Science degree in Human Development requires a minimum of 30 credit hours. The degree requirements and schedule of when courses are offered over a two-year period are presented below.

Degree Requirements

Core Curriculum (18 credits)*	Credits
Fundamentals of Human Development	3
Professional Practices in Human Development	3
Program Planning and Evaluation in Human Development	3
Legislation and Policy in Human Development	3
Research Methods	3
Grant Development in Human Development	3
Seminars (6 credits)
Seminar course in human development	3
Seminar course in human development	3
Internship (6 credits)
Agency or research internship, as well as professional portfolio and final presentation at symposium	6
Minimum Hours	30

*Within each core class, students will be required to complete at least one element of a professional portfolio, to be presented during final’s week of their last semester.

Schedule of Classes to be offered over two years

Year 1

Fall
Core Course: Fundamentals of Human Development
Core Course: Professional Practices in Human Development
Seminar: Family Counseling

Spring
Core Course: Program Planning and Evaluation in Human Development 
Seminar: Sexuality and Human Interaction
Seminar: Seminar in Family Relationships

Year 2

Fall
Core Course: Legislation and Policy in Human Development 
Core Course: Research Methods
Seminar: Seminar in Early Childhood

Spring
Core Course: Grant Development in Human Development
Seminar: Recent Research in Human Development
Internship in Human Development and Portfolio Presentation

Note: In addition to the core courses and internship, students take two seminars.

Internship in Human Development

The internship experience entails high-quality, professional placement with an agency or work on a research project with a faculty member in human development.

• Option A: Leadership in an Agency. This option is appropriate for students with an interest in a career in a variety of settings, including federal, state or local governments, and public or private agencies that directly service the needs of children, adolescents, adults or families. In addition to the formal course requirements, students complete a 400-hour internship in a public or private agency in their last semester. If currently employed in a human development field, the employer would need to add new leadership responsibilities to the position.
• Option B: Applied Research. This option is appropriate for students with an interest in pursuing graduate education in a doctoral program (typically in human development and family studies) or those otherwise interested in a career in research. In addition to the formal course requirements, students complete a research project based on original research supervised by a member of the faculty. Students complete a research article suitable for submission to an academic journal. Students in this option are encouraged to take one class in statistics or qualitative research design.

Professional Portfolio and Symposium

All students must complete a professional portfolio that demonstrates their competencies and achievements in the program. Elements of the portfolio are completed in each of the core courses. At the end of the program, students are required to participate in a symposium and portfolio presentation. The symposium occurs the Thursday of final’s week. Each graduating student completes an oral presentation on an interest area developed throughout the program. The presentation of the topic includes integration of several of the portfolio projects developed during the program (integrating theory, research and practice). The professional portfolio will be on display throughout the day. The symposium is open to family, friends, internship supervisors and other interested members of the campus community.

Core Curriculum	For Professional Portfolio
Fundamentals of Human Development	A literature review and analysis of an issue from various theoretical perspectives
Professional Practices in Human Development	An action plan that defines personal and professional goals, and outlines a business proposal for developing a program or center related to human development
Program Planning and Evaluation in Human Development	An intervention plan that could be implemented and evaluated
Legislation and Policy in Human Development	A policy analysis based on a critical human development issue
Research Methods	Grant development program planning and evaluation using concepts and procedures from this course
Grant Development in Human Development	A grant proposal to submit to a funding source

Graduate Faculty
The graduate faculty, nationally recognized and published scholars, share a commitment to excellence in advanced instruction and research.

Sandra L. Caron holds a Ph.D. in Human Development from Syracuse University. She specializes in family studies and human sexuality. She is a member of the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors & Therapists, as well as the Society of Scientific Study of Sexuality. She directs Athletes for Sexual Responsibility, a nationally recognized peer education program. Her research focuses on the social-sexual development of young people, with an emphasis on sexual decision-making, sexuality education, and cross-cultural perspectives.

Julie N. DellaMattera holds an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Maine. She has worked extensively in the early childhood field as an Education Specialist, preschool owner and head teacher, Child Development Specialist, and multi-age classroom teacher. She is a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the Delta Kappa Gamma International Society of Women Educators. Her research focuses on leadership in early education and policies affecting early education teachers.

Mary Ellin Logue holds an Ed.D from the University of Massachusetts in Early Childhood Education. She has worked extensively in Head Start, Special Education, teacher preparation and parent involvement. She is a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the Association for Childhood International. Her research focuses on parent involvement in children's learning and schooling, and prevention of learning and social difficulties.

Robert M. Milardo holds a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from Pennsylvania State University. He is the editor of the Journal of Family Theory and Review published by the National Council on Family Relations. His research interests concern aunts and uncles and their relationships with nieces and nephews, feminist perspectives on friendship and kin relations, and domestic violence.

Gary L. Schilmoeller holds a Ph.D. in Developmental and Child Psychology from the University of Kansas. He specializes in converging factors that influence development in young children and in support for families with disabilities. He is a member of the National Council on Family Relations and co-directs the ACC network, an international support network for people with agenesis of the corpus callosum.

Graduate Assistantships
A limited number of graduate assistantships are available on a competitive basis each year. Students interested in an assistantship should send a letter to the Assoicate Dean of Instruction, College of Education & Human Development, requesting to be considered.