Human Development and Family Relations Department

Assistant Professor: O. Belser, L. Kincade
Lecturers: N. Hughes

Contact Us
Chairperson: Lolita Kincade, Associate Professor
Phone: 518-564-4175
Email: lkinc001@plattsburgh.edu

The Human Development & Family Relations (HDFR) major prepares students to work in human services professions that support the well-being of individuals, families and communities. The HDFR discipline focuses on understanding people, how they learn, grow and change. HDFR professionals help clients to understand themselves and solve problems to improve their optimal functioning, and to positively adapt in a changing, global society. We have four distinct concentrations, including General Lifespan, Adolescence, Adult Development & Aging, and Child Care Management.

General Lifespan Concentration in Human Development and Family Relations: Prepares students for careers in public and private human service agencies. Emphasis is on learning to help individuals and families solve problems related to child development, family relations, aging, nutritional planning for individuals and families, and family financial management. One semester of full-time, supervised field work required in a human service agency. All students must attend the mandatory orientation meeting that is scheduled during the semester prior to the internship. Failure to attend may result in postponement of the internship for one semester. Final decisions regarding admission to the senior internship experience are made by the HDFR internship coordinator upon recommendation of the HDFR faculty. Students are prepared for graduate study in a related field.

Child Care Management Concentration in Human Development and Family Relations: Prepares students for careers related to the management of child care facilities. Examples of courses include infant and toddler program planning, preschool curriculum development, child development, administering child care facilities, and one semester of full-time, supervised field work in a child care facility. All students must attend the mandatory orientation meeting that is scheduled during the semester prior to the internship. Failure to attend may result in postponement of the internship for one semester. Final decisions regarding admission to the senior internship experience are made by the HDFR coordinator upon recommendation of the HDFR faculty. Students are prepared for graduate study in a related field.

Adolescence Concentration in Human Development and Family Relations: Prepares students for careers related to adolescents and young adults in public and private human service agencies. Examples of courses include adolescence and society; introductory and applied counseling techniques; psychology of adolescence, youth, and early adulthood; and juvenile delinquency: cross cultural perspectives. One semester of full-time supervised field work in a human service agency. All students must attend the mandatory orientation meeting that is scheduled during the semester prior to the internship. Failure to attend may result in postponement of the internship for one semester. Final decisions regarding admission to the senior internship experience are made by the HDFR internship coordinator upon recommendation of the HDFR faculty. Students are prepared for graduate study in a related field.

Adult Development and Aging Concentration in Human Development and Family Relations: Prepares students for careers related to senior citizens and the elderly in public and private human service agencies. Examples of courses include adult development and aging; introductory and applied counseling techniques; psychology of adult development and aging; sociology of aging and death; and nutrition and the elderly. One semester of full-time, supervised field work required in a human service agency. All students must attend the mandatory orientation meeting that is scheduled during the semester prior to the internship. Failure to attend may result in postponement of the internship for one semester. Final decisions regarding admission to the senior internship experience are made by the HDFR internship coordinator upon recommendation of the HDFR faculty. Students are prepared for graduate study in a related field.

Degree Requirements:

1. General Education courses must be approved as liberal arts.

2. A GPA of 2.5 or better is required (of majors and non-majors) to register for HDF and CEM prefixed courses.

3. Students may repeat a course only once in order to raise a grade.

4. Students must receive a 2.5 grade or higher for the field work program in order to graduate.

5. A minimum grade of C+ or better is required in CLG 402, FNI 191 and each CEM and HDF prefixed course.

6. A minimum overall GPA of 2.5 in all required major courses (Major Departmental Requirements).

7. All major requirements must be completed before the internship semester.

8. Students must be recommended for the internship by the HDFR faculty.

9. Completion of all Undergraduate Degree Requirements .

Additional Academic Policies of the Human Development and Family Relations Program:

A. Students are expected to make satisfactory academic progress toward degree requirements to remain in good academic standing. Students who do not maintain a minimum cumulative and major average of 2.5 will be reviewed by the Academic Progress Committee and the HDFR chairperson to determine their eligibility to continue in the Human Development and Family Relations Program.

B. The human development and family relations faculty are in full cooperation with federal and state guidelines for the accommodation of students with learning and/or physical disabilities.

C. Students must receive a 2.5 grade or higher for the field work program in order to graduate. Failure to do this will result in the need to repeat the field work experience, or, with the advisor’s participation, to change majors.

D. No academic credit for life experience or previous work experience will be granted under any circumstances.

E. Transfer credit for human services courses taken at another accredited college program will be granted, as deemed appropriate, to prevent duplication of academic credit on the Plattsburgh transcript.

F. Transfer credit for previous field work experiences will not be granted, except as elective credit, and not to exceed the maximum allowable limit of transfer credit. Fieldwork Site Selection: Clinton, Essex, and Franklin Counties have a wide variety of community agencies and child care centers, thus providing fieldwork seekers with ample possibilities from which to choose a site. Fieldwork students may not leave New York state, nor the three North Country counties for purposes of establishing a fieldwork site, in order to facilitate timely visits by the college’s human development and family relations internship supervisor.

G. Practicum and internship candidates are expected to follow the external and professional practicum guidelines appropriate to their discipline (refer to specific department/program student/internship manual for details). Certain field placements require fingerprinting and/or background checks of all student participants prior to the start of the field experience or internship.

Programs

Majors (Undergraduate)

Minors (Undergraduate)

Human Development and Family Relations Minor