Undergraduate Program
The Department of Human and Community Development offers two undergraduate majors leading to the B.S. degree: Agricultural and Environmental Communications and Education and Human Development and Family Studies. First-year students in both majors work with the department's advising coordinator to plan their course of study, select courses, and explore potential career and foreign study interests. Sophomores, juniors and seniors work with faculty advisors assigned according to their academic and professional interests to monitor their academic progress, identify internship and other professional development opportunities, and prepare for the transition from college to work or graduate or professional school.
Agricultural and Environmental Communications and Education
The Agricultural and Environmental Communications and Education (AECE) major prepares students for positions that demand expertise in communicating with non-scientific audiences or publics about the findings and applications of agricultural, consumer or environmental science. Examples include newspaper, magazine and web-based writing, editing and publishing; public relations; advertising; broadcasting; teaching agriculture in the public schools; Cooperative Extension work; training and program development; and other education and communication-related positions in agencies and businesses throughout the public and private sectors. AECE students choose one of three concentrations:
- Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) Communication, with a specialization in advertising, broadcast journalism, or news/editorial journalism
- Agricultural Leadership Education
- Agricultural Education
Human Development and Family Studies Major
The Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) program prepares students for a variety of careers in human services, business, education, and public service, or for advanced study in individual and family development. Students can focus on their interest in human development, such as infancy, early childhood or adolescence, or in family studies, such as marital relationships, family change, parent-child interaction, or conflict resolution in the family. Basic courses in these areas are linked to practical experiences in education and community settings. These experiences help graduates find employment in areas such as pediatric services in hospitals, Cooperative Extension work, child care services, business activities related to children and families, or government-sponsored human services, or to pursue further study for a career in social work, counseling, marriage and family therapy, education, pediatrics and allied health professions, law, and business. HDFS students choose one of two concentrations:
- Child and Adolescent Development
- Family Studies
For more information:
Dr. Gerry Walter
Undergraduate Program Coordinator
133 Bevier Hall
gwalter@uiuc.edu
Also see the Department of Human and Community Development Undergraduate Programs page
Graduate Program
Website: http://www.hcd.uiuc.edu/grad/
Email: HCD@uiuc.edu
