HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Interdisciplinary Major or Minor - www.uwgb.edu/humdev

 

OVERVIEW OF THE PROGRAM:
Human development is a suitable major or minor for students who plan any type of career that involves working with people and helping to solve human problems, and students base their selection of upper division electives on their particular career goals. Some have a broad interest in careers in human resources, human services, and health-related fields, but not specifically in the fields of counseling or psychology. They select courses, therefore, that will prepare them for graduate work in human development, child development, and similar programs. Career possibilities are varied, and include youth services worker, adoption agency official, children’s librarian, career consultant, student affairs dean, and nursing home administrator. Many of these jobs require master’s degrees or doctoral-level preparation.

Some human development majors may decide to practice counseling or clinical psychology, or become social workers. Such careers require a master’s degree or doctoral degree, and students with these interests should plan their programs carefully with their advisers in order to be prepared to apply to graduate school programs. Admission to graduate school is highly selective and requires very strong academic credentials. It is advisable that students with career goals of this type combine human development with a minor or second major in psychology. For some students, a human development minor may be more suitable.

Still others are interested in studying development within the context of the family, and they choose courses that will prepare them for careers such as parent educator, human services worker, family therapist or counselor, or childbirth instructor. Their undergraduate program is seen as preparation for graduate work in family and human development, marriage and family therapy, developmental psychology, and related areas. Some jobs require master’s degrees or doctoral-level preparation.

Program advisers can help students tailor their choice of electives to their individual career goals. In fact, an adviser can help to put together a program with any number of possibilities. For example, a human development major might also be combined with minors in women’s studies, American Indian studies, sociology, anthropology, business, or communication processes (linguistics).

One particular advantage of the human development program is the opportunity for undergraduate students to gain practical experience, and many work with faculty on independent research projects. Human development strives to educate students who are committed to and engaged in their communities. Therefore, students are strongly encouraged to complete an internship in an approved community agency. Such experiences are beneficial when entering the job market or seeking admission to graduate and professional schools.

So you want to be a Human Development major? Great! But first there are a few things to consider before you declare your major.

WHO SHOULD HAVE THIS MAJOR :

WHO SHOULD HAVE THIS MINOR :
The Human Development minor provides a broad, interdisciplinary complement to majors such as Psychology, Education, Social Work, Business Administration, Human Biology, Communication and the Arts, or Social Change and Development.

 

WHAT’S UNIQUE ABOUT THIS MAJOR AT UWGB:

SKILLS & ABILITIES GAINED WITH THIS MAJOR:

WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH THIS MAJOR :
Use the following as an idea list, and remember that they represent some, but certainly not all, of the careers you might consider in Human Development.

The following list represents a few of the kinds of career titles for Human Development majors:

With a Bachelors Degree. Child life specialist, Crisis Center specialist, Early childhood/preschool teacher, Employee services manager, Employment interviewer/recruiter, Health educator, Human services worker, Infant caregiver, Parent educator, Psychiatric aide, Recreation aide, Retirement counselor, Teacher, Youth services worker...

With a Masters Degree. Admissions counselor, Adoption agency official, Career consultant, Case manager/social work/child protective services, Counselor, Coordinator of special services, Correction counselor/Probation officer, Early Childhood Center/Director, Dean of admissions/students/student affairs/housing, Elementary school counselor, Family counselor/therapist, Gerontological counselor, Guidance counselor, Human resources, Museum educator, Music/Art/Dance therapist, Occupational/recreational therapist, Pastoral counselor, Psychometrist, School psychologist, Speech therapist, Substance abuse counselor...

With a Doctoral Degree. Administrator (Clinics), Clinical Psychologist, College/Univ. Administrator, College/Univ. Professor, Consultant, Counseling Psychologist, Director of Career Planning, Health Psychologist...

The following list represents a few of the businesses and institutions that employ Human Development majors:

AIDS Resource Center, American Red Cross, Alternative Schools, Nursing homes, Big Brothers-Big Sisters, Social Services, Mental Health centers, Crisis Intervention centers, schools, Child care, Family violence centers, Human services, Juvenile detention centers, Health centers, Planned Parenthood, Hospitals, Community support programs, Volunteer centers.

Want to know more about the nature of the work, working conditions, earnings, training, and job outlook? Then check out the Occupational Outlook Handbook @ http://stats.bls.gov/ocohome.htm

 

LINKS TO WEB SITES FOR MORE INFORMATION:

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