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URI Providence Campus

80 Washington Street

Providence, RI 02903

Phone: 401-277-5000

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B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies

Claudia Kerbel  Claudia Kerbel
 Department of Human Development and Family Studies

 Program Coordinator for the Providence Campus

Welcome to the URI Providence Campus
Human Development and Family Studies Program!

If you enjoy helping others, you’ve found your academic home.  Human Development and Family Studies is a program of study for people who want to make a difference in the lives of individuals and families in their communities and the larger world. 

A Bachelor of Science degree in this major will prepare you to work with children, families, adolescents, and adults in a variety of human service and community settings. Within the major, you’ll be able to choose among a variety of professional preparation concentrations and certificate options. Please refer to the Student Advising Guide for specific course requirements related to these options.

Areas of Concentration

  • Child Settings – a program of study that focuses on the development of children and the role of the family. In addition, students analyze public policy and its impact on children.
  • Family and Community Settings - a program that examines human development from adolescence through adulthood. Students in this concentration consider the well-being of families and individuals as they move through the life cycle.
  • Family Finance – a program that trains students who are interested in helping families and individuals learn how to gain control over their finances and plan for a secure financial future.

Certificate Options

  • Early Childhood Education Teacher Certification – This option prepares students to teach in pre-school to second grade classrooms.
  • Family Financial Counseling and Planning Certificate - Students choosing this certificate option focus on understanding the relationships between family development and family finances with the goal of learning to guide families in sound financial decision-making across the life span.
  • Certified Family Life Educator - The National Council on Family Relations has approved the undergraduate Academic program of HDF for provisional certification of students. Undergraduate Students may apply for a provisional Certificate to become a Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE).

One of the unique features of the Human Development and Family Studies major is the opportunity to gain direct hands-on experiences in the professional world through field experiences and internships. During their senior year, students enroll in an experiential learning course through which you will be able to share your expertise in a wide array of organizations that serve diverse populations and address pressing societal concerns. If you have previous work or community experience, you may even be eligible to earn experiential learning credits that can be applied towards your degree requirements.

Through the major, you will learn about career opportunities, and our faculty will guide you in making decisions about where to apply for employment after completing your degree. Some examples of positions our recent graduates have taken after graduation include: child protective investigator, assistant program manager at the Association for Retarded Citizens, Grade 2 teacher, child care worker, milieu counselor at a hospital psychiatric unit, and crisis advocate at a sex abuse and trauma resource center. Many graduates continue to graduate school in social work, child development, education, psychology, marriage and family therapy, and student affairs. A human development and family studies degree will help you follow your heart to many helping professions.

Join us if you share a passion for working with people to improve their quality of life! We look forward to welcoming you to the Human Development and Family Studies program at the URI Providence campus.

To learn about OUR PROVIDENCE CAMPUS FACULTY... [more]

To see our CURRENT COURSE OFFERINGS... [more]


Use the CALL TO ACTION BOX at the upper left corner of this page to contact our program coordinator, Claudia Kerbel, for more information.