School of Human Development and Family Sciences

College of Health

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.

School head: Marc Braverman, Ph.D.
Assistant to the school head: Annastazia Stoffell
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, Ph.D.

Other programs of study

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

Community engagement

Research and outreach

January 24, 2023

ELSI: Oregon’s Higher Education Partner for Early Education

Oregon is aiming to improve child care across the state—expanding access, boosting quality and building more sustainability into the system. To achieve its goals, the state is enlisting the support of Oregon State University.
October 18, 2022

How HDFS PhD program helps student promote resilience among underserved communities

Alexis Merculief chose Oregon State’s HDFS PhD program for its supportive environment and focus on how context shapes children's development.
October 18, 2022

What to expect during your human services internship

Tasha Gilardi, Oregon State’s human services internship coordinator, walks through how to land a human services internship and what to expect.
October 12, 2022

The full picture of poverty in America

Op-Ed by Associate Professor David Rothwell. "It's time to expect our policymakers to do more for the most vulnerable by making permanent the expanded Child Tax Credit."
September 20, 2022

It takes a village to raise a child, but who supports the village?

Human development and family sciences researchers support children, families and educators across Oregon.
September 13, 2022

A weeklong human development and family sciences course changed their life

Oregon State students reflect on how an HDFS course shaped their world-view.