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.

Contacts

School head: Marilyn S. Thompson, 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.)

2025

Turner, S.G., Hooker, K., Jarrott, S.E., John Geldhof, G. (2025) Development of a New Measure of Intergenerational Contact Journal of Adult Development

Lewis, H.R., Hatfield, B.E., Lipscomb, S.T., Green, B.L., Weber, R., Patterson, L.B. (2025) Type of Early Care and Education and Family Socioeconomic Status Associated with Family–Teacher Relationship Quality Early Education and Development

Ahmadi, A., McClelland, M., Pourmohamadreza Tajrishi, M., Geldhof, J., Rothwell, D., Hatfield, B. (2025) Adaptation and psychometric properties of the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders task in young Iranian children Child Neuropsychology

Witzel, D.D., Segerstrom, S.C., Kurth, M.L., Crosby, P., Choun, S., Aldwin, C. (2025) Aging and subjective cognitive difficulties during COVID-19: stress and positive experiences Anxiety, Stress, and Coping

Witzel, D.D., Chandler, K.D., Geldhof, J., Hooker, K., Stawski, R.S. (2025) Partner strain and support associations with affective reactions to daily stressors Family Relations

HDFS news and stories

Lexi Geampa
Lexi Geampa shares her journey from teaching and research to advocating for youth. Learn how scholarships have shaped her career path and her passion for supporting children and families.
Undergraduate student researchers give lightning talks
Undergraduate researchers presented findings on diverse health topics while developing critical thinking and presentation skills through the Healthy Discoveries/URSA Engage Ambassador Program.
Lily Volger
Lily Volger reflects on her internship at OSU's Child Development Center and her plans to improve the lives of children and families through early education.
New College of Health dean announced
Debbie I. Craig, PhD, ATC will serve as Oregon State University’s new dean of the College of Health effective July 1.
Healthy Aging Club helps older adults get their wheels back
OSU’s Healthy Aging Club took action when Samaritan Village’s activity bus broke, helping secure $65,000+ in funding. Learn how students used grant writing skills to restore transportation for older adults in Corvallis.
New tool measures resilience in early childhood
A new tool for measuring resilience in young children has been developed by Shannon Lipscomb, Alexis Merculief, and Beth Phelps, supporting early childhood development by providing a reliable assessment method.