Human Development and Family Sciences, BA, Concentration: Early Childhood

About the Program

The Human Development and Family Sciences (HDFS) field offers its professionals a chance to work with a variety of individuals of any age and their families in different service settings. HDFS courses prepare you for future work with members of families, helping them through systems and enhancing their relationships through experiential learning in the community while providing a foundation of knowledge for your career. The Early Childhood Specialization is for those students who want to learn about and work with children ages 0-8 and their families. This program does not lead to licensure, although students who successfully complete the program qualify for an abbreviated application process to obtain CFLE (Certified Family Life Educator) certification after graduation.

Degree Requirements

• 120 Credit Hours
• Minimum grade of C required for HDFS 35400  and HDFS 45501 ; minimum grade of C- required for BHS 10300 , ENGL 10400 , SOC 10000 , and all HDFS and World Language courses
• Minimum GPA of 2.0 required for graduation
• Certain courses may only be available at one campus location

PNW General Education Core (30 Credits)

• English Composition (6 Credits): ENGL 10400 - English Composition I  and ENGL 10500 - English Composition II  
• Speech Communication (3 Credits): COM 11400 - Fundamentals of Speech Communication  
• Quantitative Reasoning (3 Credits): SOC 38200 - Introduction To Statistics In Sociology  
• Natural Sciences (3 Credits): select any course from the Natural Sciences Core list   
• Technology (3 Credits): select any course from the Technology Core list   
• Humanities (3 Credits): select any course from the Humanities Core list   
• Social Sciences (3 Credits): HDFS 21000 - Introduction To Human Development  
• Additional Credits (3 Credits): SOC 10000 - Introductory Sociology  
• First-Year Experience (FYE) (3 Credits): BHS 10300 - First-Year Experience In Behavioral Sciences  (See Note 1)    

CHESS College Core (24 Credits)

• Four (4) College of Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences (CHESS) electives from courses outside of the student’s major. Electives may not be used toward the fulfillment of General Education requirements (*See notes below) (12 Credits)
• World Language - Proficiency through Level IV in one world language (12 Credits)

*Requirements for transfer students are based on the number of transfer credits accepted at PNW as follows:

1. Students who transfer with less than 30 credits need to take 4 CHESS Core Electives (12 credits)
2. Students who transfer with 30 credits or more and with less than 60 credits need to take 3 CHESS Core Electives (9 credits)
3. Students who transfer with 60 credits or more and with less than 90 credits need to take 2 CHESS Core Electives (6 credits)
4. Students who transfer with 90 credits or more need to take 1 CHESS Core Elective (3 credits)

Major Core (27 Credits)

• COM 21400 - Comparative Theories Of Interpersonal Communication
• HDFS 10100 - Working With Parents
• HDFS 20500 - Introduction To Family Dynamics
• HDFS 34601 - Sexuality, Intimacy And Family Life
• HDFS 45200 - Family Resource Management
• HDFS 46200 - Ethics And Professional Development In Family Life Education
• POL 34601 - Family Law
• SOC 35000 - Sociology Of Family
• SOC 38300 - Introduction To Research Methods In Sociology

Concentration Core (18 Credits)

• HDFS 21600 - Introduction To Early Childhood Development
• HDFS 31500 - Curriculum In Early Childhood
• HDFS 34101 - Infants And Young Children In Family And Community
• HDFS 35400 - Practicum In Early Childhood I
• HDFS 43101 - Techniques Of Human Assessment
• HDFS 45501 - Practicum In Early Childhood II

Other Required Courses (21 Credits)

• Free Electives (21 Credits)

Civics Literacy Proficiency

The Civics Literacy Proficiency activities are designed to develop civic knowledge of Purdue Northwest students in an effort to graduate a more informed citizenry.

Students will complete the Proficiency by passing a test of civic knowledge, and completing one of three paths:

• Attending six approved civics-related events and completing an assessment for each; or
• Completing 12 podcasts created by the Purdue Center for C-SPAN Scholarship and Engagement that use C-SPAN material and completing an assessment for each; or
• Earning a passing grade for one of the approved courses (or transferring in approved AP or departmental credit in lieu of taking a course)

For more information visit the Civics Literacy Proficiency website.

Total 120 Credits Required

Degree Map

Resources

The 8 semester plan of study is a recommended sequence of classes designed to show how this program can be completed within four years.

Visit the 15 to Finish website for information and resources.

For career information, click here to visit the Careers and Employment Trends page.

For Financial Aid eligibility, click here.  See Important Dates and Deadlines for annual FAFSA filing deadlines and Indiana state aid deadlines. State Financial Aid recipients are required to complete 30 credits per calendar year to maintain eligibility for the 21st Century Scholars award and the On-time Frank O’Bannon grant.

Financial Guarantee: If you follow the degree map and find a course unavailable, you may be able to take the course for free in a future semester.  Certain exclusions apply. 

College Scorecard

The U.S. Department of Education has created a scorecard for each university and its programs.  The scorecard shows data for the university such as graduation rate, average annual cost, and median earnings.  Then, when certain minimum standards have been met, data are available for a specific program.  That data could include median earnings, median total debt, and number of graduates. The link below will help you learn more:

https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?490805-Purdue-University-Northwest&fos_code=1907&fos_credential=3