Developmental Science for Health Professions Option

The Developmental Science for Health Professions option is designed for HDFS students who are preparing for graduate study in health professions, including medicine, psychiatry, nursing, and occupational therapy. 

This option is built on the foundational premise that patients are people, and that health professionals benefit from both a broad understanding of healthy human development and basic helping and interpersonal skills.

Students learn how social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development interact, as well as how environments—from genes and biology to families, communities, and social policies—influence developmental outcomes. Students also develop core skills in communication, ethics, intervention science, and research methods.

Alongside the foundational knowledge and skills from the conventional Human Development and Family Science option, students in this option have the flexibility and space in their course and General Education (GE) requirements to complete the required courses for pre-health programs. Like the HDFS degree program overall, the Developmental Science for Health Professions option offers students the opportunity to specialize their coursework and capstone learning experience to meet their professional and personal goals.

Preparation for advanced training

Students in the Developmental Science for Health Professions option are often pursuing pre-health or allied-health degrees alongside an HDFS degree, and ultimately go on to advanced training in the health professions of their choice.

• Public health

• Nursing

• Child life

• Medicine, including pediatrics, family medicine, and geriatrics

• Psychiatry

• Occupational therapy

• Physical therapy

• Healthcare administration

• Doctoral (research) training in psychology, neuroscience, and human development