Human and Community Development

www.aces.uiuc.edu/~hcdGraduate

Head of the Department: Constance H. Shapiro
274 Bevier Hall
905 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 333-0628
Fax: (217) 244-7887

Degree Programs

The Department of Human and Community Development offers graduate programs leading to the master of science and doctor of philosophy degrees. Students may choose an option in community and rural studies or in human development and family studies. The community and rural studies concentration focuses on methods of community study, frameworks for analyzing and understanding community systems, and the study of forces that transform the structure and functioning of communities. It addresses issues pertaining to community viability and sustainability from both economic and human resource development perspectives, as well as the use of effective educational strategies to strengthen the capacity and leadership potential of individuals and groups. The human development and family studies concentration focuses on the psychological and social development of individuals across the life span and the structure and well-being of families, with an emphasis on understanding children, youth, and families in their natural settings. The concentration takes an interdisciplinary approach, with training including psychological, sociological, anthropological, and educational approaches to understanding human development and families in the U.S. and in other cultures.

Admission

Admission into all programs is based on a combination of criteria, including undergraduate grade point average, Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, letters of recommendation, and a personal statement. International applicants from non-English-speaking countries must have an official paper-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of at least 575 (233 on the computer-based test). The minimum grade point average for admission is 3.0 (A = 4.0). All applicants are required to take the GRE and to have previous coursework in an area of behavioral or social sciences. A student without prior coursework in advanced-level statistics may be admitted to a graduate program, but will be required to make up deficiencies during the first year of the program. Applications will generally be considered only for fall enrollment.

Graduate Teaching Experience

Although teaching is not a general Graduate College requirement, experience in teaching is considered an important part of the graduate experience in this program.

Master of Science

The M.S. degree program is designed to prepare students as practitioners in business, education, and human service settings or for progress toward the doctor of philosophy degree. Students select either community and rural studies or human development and family studies as an area of concentration. Within community and rural studies, students may select specializations in community studies, rural and community development, or agricultural and outreach education. Within human development and family studies, students may select emphases in human development (early childhood, middle childhood, adolescence) or family studies (relationships between family members, the family in cross-cultural settings, relationships between families and other social institutions). All students must complete a minimum of 32 graduate hours, including three required core courses, an advanced methods or statistics course, and 8 graduate hours of thesis (or 36 graduate hours if a thesis is not submitted). At least four courses must be at the 500 level.

Master of Science and Master of Social Work

A joint master’s degree program offered in conjunction with the School of Social Work is designed to prepare students for careers aimed at providing services to couples and families within a human service agency or as independent practitioners, teachers, or clinical researchers. For admission to the M.S./M.S.W. joint degree program, students must apply to both the Department of Human and Community Development and the School of Social Work and must meet the standards for admission and be approved by both. Completion of the program may meet the requirements for associate membership in the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. Students in the human and community development phase of the program take coursework in family studies, human development, and family systems to fulfill the requirements for the M.S. They then fulfill requirements for the M.S.W., which include an intensive fieldwork internship. Students who hold B.S.W. degrees must complete a minimum of 80 graduate hours of coursework to satisfy requirements for the M.S.W. and M.S. degrees. Students with baccalaureate degrees in other disciplines may need to complete up to 88 graduate hours if they lack certain social work credits as undergraduates.

Doctor of Philosophy

The doctoral program is designed to prepare students to be researchers, educators, policy developers, or professionals who develop, evaluate, and implement programs for children, families, and communities. Students select concentrations in either community and rural studies or human development and family studies as described in the requirements for the M.S. degree. Students in the human development and family studies doctoral concentration can also choose a specialization in applied human development and family studies, which is intended to prepare students to enter careers in administration, human services, social policy, international aid agencies, and government, as well as traditional careers in teaching and research. Requirements for the Ph.D. include 64 graduate hours beyond the M.S. degree, completion of the written qualifying examination, defense of the written dissertation proposal, and a final thesis defense upon completion of the dissertation. Coursework must include two required core courses, 8 graduate hours in advanced research methodology and/or statistics, and 32 graduate hours of thesis credit. Students in the applied human development specialty are required to complete 16 additional graduate hours, which includes a course in program development or policy studies, a course in program evaluation, and two practical in more applied settings that focus on direct services, policy development, planning, administration, supervision, research, or consultation.

Financial Aid

University fellowships and fellowships in the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences, tuition and service fee waivers, research assistantships, and teaching assistantships are available on a competitive basis.