Human Development and Family Science

Individual and Family Development across the Lifespan

About
Courses

Human development and family science students acquire a broad knowledge of human development, family development, and family systems in preparation for working with people and communities in a variety of career fields ranging from local organizations, to non-profit, to government agencies.

A minimum of 120 semester hours, of which 42 must be advanced, and fulfillment of degree requirements for the Bachelor of Science degree as specified in the “University Core Curriculum.”

Major requirements

Educational psychology core, 42 hours

It is recommended that students enroll in HDFS 1013, HDFS 1023, HDFS 2013, and HDFS 2042 during their first year in the program.

Concentrations

Students must also complete course requirements for a concentration, chosen with the advice of a faculty member within the program area. Concentrations are available in Individual and Family Development Across the Lifespan or Community and Family Services.

Individual and Family Development Across the Lifespan, 21 hours

Required courses

AGER 3480 - Psychology of Adult Development and Aging
TWO upper-level electives from the following departments/programs: AGER, ANTH, ASLP, COUN, EDSP, HDFS, HSML, PADM, PSYC, RHAB, SOCI, SOWK, WGST.

Electives

To complete the minimum of 120 hours for the degree.

Other requirements

A minimum grade of C is required in each course in the major; a minimum GPA of 2.50 in the major, 2.0 GPA in UNT courses and 2.0 overall GPA is required for graduation (overall GPA includes all course work transferred in addition to those taken at UNT).
Students who are interested in research and preparing for graduate studies are advised to take a research practicum and complete a senior thesis. Any student who is interested in research should meet with a faculty advisor early in the program to plan an appropriate minor and electives and to seek approval for choosing a senior thesis.
Students majoring in Human Development and Family Science must contact the Student Advising Office, Matthews Hall, Room 105, to prepare their degree audits.

Internship Information

Include one 3-hour unpaid internship course (HDFS 4023) related to the student’s selected emphasis area (see below). Students must complete a minimum of 150 clock hours to meet this requirement. Some students may be required to complete a second internship. Students should have senior status and have completed HDFS 4011 before beginning the internship. Liability insurance is required for all internship students. Permission to enroll in an internship and approval of the internship site are required. Students must have completed the following courses to be eligible for enrollment in internships related to:

Infants or toddlers

Teaching young children (2 years–8 years)

EDEC 4243 - Environmental Processes and Assessment

School-age care and programming

Adolescents

HDFS 4133 - Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood

Administration and/or parent/family life education

Child life

HDFS 4213 - Child Life Seminar

Faculty

Dana D. Booker

Dana D. Booker

Senior Lecturer

Educational Psychology
Ph.D. 2016, University of North Texas

Matthews Hall 316

Dana.Booker@unt.edu

Faculty Profile

Dana Booker holds a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology with a concentration in Human Development and Family Science from the University of North Texas. Specifically, Dana has researched child advocacy practices, multi-system collaborations around prevention and intervention, and parent-centered education through her work at Prevent Child Abuse Texas. Her research interests also include working with military families and military systems to identify effective academic prevention strategies for youth. Dr. Booker has received evaluation training from the American Evaluation Association and worked as the program evaluator for the Texas chapter of the Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY). It was this opportunity that increased her passion for prevention and intervention work. Originally from Albuquerque, Dana received her B.A. in Psychology and M.S. in Educational Psychology from the University of New Mexico. Dana is married to her best friend and is a proud mom of three amazing boys.

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Jason Chiang

Jason Chiang

Senior Lecturer

Educational Psychology
Ph.D. 2018, Syracuse University

Matthews Hall

jason.chiang@unt.edu

Faculty Profile

Jason Chiang received his Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Science from Syracuse University, Master’s degree in Educational Psychology and Methodology from SUNY Albany, and Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from University of Toronto. As a first-generation Canadian and American, Dr. Chiang takes pride in his immigrant identity and actively participates in community activities. He is deeply in love with DFW area and everything Texas.

Informed by John Berry's ecological perspective and his work on acculturation strategies, Dr. Chiang's research involves investigating how familial, school, and cultural factors affect immigrant children’s capacity to cope with challenging educational and environmental situations and succeed.

Before moving to Texas, Dr. Chiang had previously taught at University of Akron as Assistant Professor of Instruction, and at Berkshire Community College as Assistant Professor of Psychology. He also worked briefly as a Head Start Administrator in California.

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Daphne C. Harris
Lauren Kelly

Lauren Kelly

Senior Lecturer

Educational Psychology

Matthews Hall 322-DA

940-565-3485

Lauren.Kelly@unt.edu

Faculty Profile

Lauren Kelly received her doctorate in HDFS/Forensic Science from Texas Tech University. She also completed training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center where she developed skills related to crime scene investigation, trauma-informed counseling, lie detection, victim advocacy and profiling. She also worked for a non-profit in New Mexico as a clinician assisting children who experienced the most severe forms of physical abuse, sexual abuse, and/or neglect. Dr. Kelly teaches family law and public policy, courtship and marriage, families in crisis and families, communities, schools. Dr. Kelly's research focuses on child abuse and outcomes, romantic relationships, sexism, forensic interviewing, and breastfeeding awareness.

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Wendy Middlemiss

Wendy Middlemiss

Professor

Educational Psychology
Ph.D., 1992, Syracuse University

Matthews Hall 304-H

940-369-8870

wendy.middlemiss@unt.edu

Texas HIPPY

Faculty Profile

Dr. Wendy Middlemiss is a Professor in Educational Psychology at the University of North Texas. She earned her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology at Syracuse University in 1992. In her role at the University of North Texas, Dr. Middlemiss is principal investigator for the Home Instruction of Parents of Preschool Youngsters (Texas HIPPY), editor of Family Relations and graduate faculty with a concentration in Human Development and Family Sciences.

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Anondah Saide

Anondah Saide

Assistant Professor

Assistant Professor in Educational Psychology

Matthews Hall 304-L

940-565-2432

Anondah.Saide@unt.edu

Faculty Profile

Dr. Anondah Saide is a developmental psychologist with a mixed-methods research approach. Dr. Saide’s research program spans two distinct but related areas. The first pertains to the complex interplay between culture and cognitive development. For example, Dr. Saide seeks to understand how family background influences children’s reasoning about religious (e.g., God), scientific (e.g., germs), and existential (e.g., death) concepts. By extension, Dr. Saide examines how cognitive biases may enhance or constrain the learning of cultural concepts.

The second area of her research program examines how cultural concepts become components of worldview commitments (e.g., political, religious, moral) in adulthood and the socioemotional correlates (e.g., anxiety) of those commitments. Dr. Saide's scholarship is committed to promoting transparency, diverse perspectives, and public engagement in the scientific process. Dr. Saide’s scholarship can be found in journals such as Cognitive Science, the British Journal of Developmental Psychology, the Journal of Cognition and Culture, and Frontiers in Psychology.

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