School of Human Development and Family Sciences

Welcome to the School of Human Development and Family Sciences.

We explore how lives and relationships develop within the context of family, work, school and society, and we work to create compassionate, effective solutions for 21st century social problems.

We are consistently in the top 10 HDFS programs in the United States and are the No. 1 undergraduate HDFS program in Oregon.

Our faculty and degree programs were recently part of the School of Social and Behavioral Health Sciences. Learn more about our college name change and restructuring.

Contacts

School head: Marc Braverman, PhD
Assistant to the school head: Annastazia Stoffell
School directory
Academic Program Directors

Our academic programs

Human Development and Family Sciences, BS
- Child Development
- Early Childhood (OSU-Cascades)
- General Option (Corvallis and online)
- Human Services
Human Development and Family Studies, PhD

Other programs of study

Program on Gerontology (minors and certificate)
HDFS minor (Corvallis and online)

Microcredentials

Microcredentials are high-quality educational opportunities that can help advance your career with less time and financial commitment than a formalized degree or certificate program.

Child and Youth Development (online)
Children and Youth with Disabilities (online)

Community engagement

Research and outreach

Recent publications

(This is not an exhaustive list. We are still rebuilding our database of faculty publications. Visit individual faculty profiles for more extensive lists of their publications.)

2024

Gorrell, L., Shen, X., MacDonald, M., Logan, S.W., Hatfield, B.E., Parkinson, C., D’Antonio, A., Massey, W. (2024) The Effect of Outdoor Play, Physical Activity, and Screen Time Use on the Emotional Wellbeing of Children and Youth during a Health Crisis Leisure Sciences

Regnier, S.D., Havens, J.R., Shellenberg, T.P., Cox, D.H., Baker, T.S., Lile, J.A., Rush, C.R., Adatorwovor, R., Hays, L.R., Anderson, D.M., Fisher, M.B., Segerstrom, S.C., Schmitz, J.M., Stoops, W.W. (2024) Using Contingency Management to Understand the Cardiovascular, Immune and Psychosocial Benefits of Reduced Cocaine Use: A Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial Journal of Clinical and Translational Science 8(1)

Marino, V.R., Trudel-Fitzgerald, C., Aldwin, C.M., Spiro, A., Lee, L.O. (2024) The Costs of Coping: Long-Term Mortality Risk in Aging Men The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 79(4)

Lewis, H.R., Lipscomb, S.T., Hatfield, B.E., Jäderholm, C.M., Tominey, S.L. (2024) Early Childhood Teachers’ Relationships with Families When Children Experience Adversity Journal of Research in Childhood Education

Cameron, C.E., McClelland, M.M., Kwan, T., Starke, K., Lewis-Jones, T. (2024) HTKS-Kids: A tablet-based self-regulation measure to equitably assess young children's school readiness Frontiers in Psychology 14

HDFS stories and news

Kelly Chandler on work-family integration and justice
College of Health researcher examines work-life conflict, advocates for women and seeks solutions for a better future.
Committed to supporting people with disabilities
Meet Dean’s Health Hero Abigail Guzman
HDFS alumnus, NFL star to deliver commencement address
Steven Jackson, 2020 human development and family sciences grad, will return to Reser Stadium on June 15
Study sheds light on links between cognitive and motor skill development in children with autism
College of Health researchers highlight the ways motor skills and cognitive skills develop in connection with each other in young children with autism.
Board book promotes healthy beginnings
“Bunny to Bunny” is the first research-based baby board book of its kind and is intended to foster healthy and playful interactions between a child and their grown-up through rhymes and poems.
Veterans’ PTSD symptoms are affected by factors like service appraisal, social support
Oregon State study finds veterans’ personal views of combat experiences and the support they get upon returning home are stronger predictors of PTSD symptoms than the specific conflict in which they served.