Three-year Bachelor's Degree and Accelerated Pathways

The Department of Human Development and Family Studies offers several pathways for students to accelerate their studies, providing faster entry into your career or graduate study. Students considering any accelerated pathway should consult with their academic adviser to determine if the pathway is a good fit, develop an appropriate plan of study, and monitor progress. 

Accelerated three-year bachelor's degree

Graduate in less time and launch your career faster! Through careful planning, highly motivated HDFS majors can work with their academic adviser to develop a plan to accelerate their studies and complete the required 120 credit hours for a bachelor's degree in less time. Let your adviser know as soon as possible if you are interested in early graduation.

There are a number of strategies that can help to accelerate your degree. By combining several of these options, students can fulfill the degree requirements more quickly.

• Enter college with AP credits or attend the LEAP Summer Start program.
• Take summer courses at Penn State or through a community college to fulfill general education requirements.
• Participate in credit-bearing Maymester or summer study abroad programs.
• Take more than 15 credits per semester.
• Complete internships for credit during the summer.

Accelerated three-year plans to graduate with a degree in Human Development and Family Studies require department approval. Students on this pathway must stay on track to remain in the accelerated pathway and graduate in time. Students can opt out at any time and transition to a traditional four-year timeline.

Integrated Undergraduate-Graduate programs

Integrated Undergraduate-Graduate (IUG) programs allow high-achieving undergraduate students the opportunity to apply to a partner Penn State graduate program during junior year, take courses senior year that count toward both the undergraduate and graduate degree, and then finish the graduate degree faster.

HDFS & Master of Public Policy IUG

Develop your passion for well-being into an exciting career in public policy. With its focus on helping students understand lifespan human development, the processes that influence development, and effective ways to promote health across the lifespan, HDFS provides a strong foundation for a career in public policy. Learn more about this program.

Penn State Law School 3+3 accelerated pathway

This pathway is ideal for students interested in family law, child advocacy, civil rights, elder law, and other legal fields that promote well-being. With its focus on lifespan development, social systems, ethics, communication skills, and intervention, HDFS can be a great foundation for a law degree. This 3+3 pathway allows you to combine HDFS courses with pre-law courses to explore and advance quickly into this exciting career path.

Application to the law school is competitive and is not guaranteed.

Students interested in this accelerated pathway must work with an academic adviser beginning early during their first year of college to map out an academic plan. Classes from the law program can fit into only a small number of spaces toward the HDFS degree. Students may also need to take summer classes or extra credits in a semester to complete both degrees in six years.