Human Development and Family Sciences (M.S.)

M.S. Human Development and Family Sciences

Students are prepared for research-focused and applied careers that address the needs of diverse families and individuals across the lifespan.
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Program Overview

The Human Development and Family Sciences program offers a flexible model of graduate training that allows students to develop individualized degree plans catered to career goals, provides opportunities to conduct research, supports cross-disciplinary education, and emphasizes mentorship and professional opportunities to support students' development and career placement.

Course Work

The 37-credit hour program currently offers a thesis and non-thesis track in human development and family sciences as well as a child life specialist concentration.

The human development and family sciences major will provide advanced educational experiences in the content areas of human and family development, cultural diversity, program administration and evaluation, research methodology, statistics, theories, and current issues impacting families and children.

The child life concentration, offered with thesis and non-thesis option, will also provide advanced educational experiences in theses content areas, as well as knowledge and expertise to become a certified child life specialist.

DegreeConcentrationHoursThesis OptionLocation
Degree
M.S.
Concentration
Child Life Specialist
Hours
37
Thesis Option
Non-Thesis
Location
San Marcos
Degree
M.S.
Concentration
Child Life Specialist
Hours
37
Thesis Option
Thesis
Location
San Marcos
Degree
M.S.
Concentration
No Concentration
Hours
37
Thesis Option
Non-Thesis
Location
San Marcos
Degree
M.S.
Concentration
No Concentration
Hours
37
Thesis Option
Thesis
Location
San Marcos

What Our Alumni Say

“With small class sizes, friendly staff and professors who truly care about my future, I knew that I had made the right choice in choosing this program at Texas State. I couldn’t imagine myself anywhere else.”

— Leslie Wells, Class of ’17

Program Details

Students are accepted to top Ph.D. programs and receive various employment opportunities. Child life students have notable success securing internships and employment as certified child life specialists.

Program Mission

The goals of the human development and family sciences program are to provide students with exceptional classroom and research experiences, support students through practicum and internship experiences, and prepare students to work with diverse populations.

As the first graduate-level child life academic program in Texas, the program also strives to continue to offer its exceptional training from certified child life specialists who combined have nearly 50 years of clinical experience.

Career Options

Students will find a variety of career options available after graduation, including:

  • child life specialists in hospitals and community-based nonprofit organizations
  • leadership roles in nonprofit agencies and early childhood education programs
  • research and project coordinators in governmental agencies
  • faculty members at community colleges

Students are also prepared to continue their studies in doctoral programs.

Program Faculty

Faculty have established research programs in social and cultural processes; family relationships; infant, child, adolescent and young adult development; gender; and teacher-child relationships. Faculty members' research has been published in top-tier journals including Child Development, Developmental Psychology, Family Process and Journal of Family Psychology. Faculty research has been supported by the Department of Health and Human Services, the Greater Texas Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Contact us for general questions about your application, funding opportunities, and more. If you have specific questions after reviewing the program details, contact the program's graduate advisor.

Program Contacts

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Application Process

Application Deadlines

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For important information regarding deadlines and decision timelines, review the Application Policy Information page.

Admission Requirements

The items required for admission consideration are listed below. Additional information for applicants with international credentials can be found on our international webpages.

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  • Review important information about the online application.

    • $55 nonrefundable application fee, OR
    • $90 nonrefundable application fee for applications with international credentials

    Review important information about application fees.

    • Baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited university. (Non-U.S. degrees must be equivalent to a four-year U.S. Bachelor’s degree. In most cases, three-year degrees are not considered. Visit our International FAQs for more information.)
    • A copy of an official transcript from each institution where course credit was granted.
    • A 3.0 overall GPA or a 3.0 GPA in your last 60 hours of undergraduate course work (plus any completed graduate courses).
    • Background course work.

    Review important information about transcripts. Official transcripts, sent directly from your institution, will be required if admission is granted.

  • GRE

    • official GRE will not be required for applicants

    Approved English Proficiency Exam Scores

    Applicants are required to submit an approved English proficiency exam score that meets the minimum program requirements below unless they have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or the equivalent from a country on our exempt countries list.

    • official TOEFL iBT scores required with a 78 overall
    • official PTE scores required with a 52 overall
    • official IELTS (academic) scores required with a 6.5 overall and minimum individual module scores of 6.0
    • official Duolingo Scores required with a 110 overall
    • official TOEFL Essentials scores required with an 8.5 overall

    This program does not offer admission if the scores above are not met.

    Review important information about official test scores.

    • resume/CV
    • statement of purpose (approximately 500 words)
    • three letters of recommendation

    Review important information about documents.

Additional Information

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