Overview of undergraduate degree programs related to human development and family science

Abstract

AbstractObjectiveThe objective of this overview of academic programs related to Human Development and Family Science (HDFS) is to describe the current status of HDFS in the academy.BackgroundHDFS is an interdisciplinary nexus of family science, developmental science, and early childhood education (ECE), often coexisting in academic units.MethodUniversities were identified using Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) codes in Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) data. Program information was identified by review of university websites and online catalogs.ResultsSix hundred thirty‐six programs granted 28,000 HDFS‐related degrees in the United States in 2019. Universities are evenly split between public and private and are geographically diverse. Approximately half of programs self‐identify as HDFS, 30% ECE, 15% developmental science, and 5% family science. The largest number of programs (53%) were in colleges of education, but they were widely dispersed across campuses, with self‐identified HDFS programs likely to be in colleges that reflect a home economics heritage. The most common department name was Human Development and Family Studies/Science, but these were only 25% of programs. Department names and degree names reflect an interdisciplinary collaboration of developmental science with family science but were less likely to reflect early education. There was little correspondence between the name of degrees offered and the CIP codes attached to them.ConclusionHDFS has a large and interdisciplinary presence on university campuses but an unclear identity.ImplicationsHDFS needs to clarify its relationship with ECE and to decide whether to standardize its complex and interdisciplinary identity.