Research Opportunities

Human Development and Family Studies is home to many nationally recognized scholars engaging in cutting-edge research. Department faculty also run or are part of many outstanding research centers. There are two primary ways that undergraduate students can get involved in research.

Work on a research project

Undergraduate students can learn about research by working on a research project. Students can work in the labs of HDFS faculty or faculty from other departments. Research opportunities are regularly announced in the HDFS Student News and the College of Health and Human Development #StudentInfo newsletters. Students are also welcome to reach out to faculty whose research they find interesting to see if they can work on their research projects.

Most undergraduate work in labs is done for credit, with students earning 400-level HDFS credits. In some cases, faculty share paid opportunities for students to work on projects or in research centers.

Complete a senior research project or honors thesis

The Capstone Experience for students in the Life Span Developmental Sciences (LSDS) option of the major is a senior research project or, for Schreyer Honors College students, an honors thesis. In most cases, students work in an HDFS faculty research lab during their third year, and then complete a supervised, two-semester research project or thesis in their fourth year.

Learn more about research opportunities

• Explore HDFS faculty and their research interests.
• View resources about how to get involved in research, as well as research funding and research mentoring initiatives.
• Explore the Undergraduate Research and Fellowships Mentoring database of research opportunities.