Human Development, B.A.

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

The Human Development (HD) Program offers an interdisciplinary Bachelor of Arts degree that focuses on human growth and development across the life course, the underlying processes and structures that support that development, and the relationships between the individual and the complex familial, social, and cultural environments in which development is situated.

The Human Development Program has two components. Pre-Human Development is not impacted and is not a degree-granting program. Pre-Human Development is open to all SSU undergraduates. Students must be in Pre-Human Development and complete the Pre-Human Development curriculum before they can apply to Human Development, which is an impacted major. Being Pre-Human Development does not guarantee admission into the Human Development major. Pre-Human Development students who complete the curriculum will be ranked by GPA when they apply to the major. Students who are interested in the Human Development major should declare Pre-Human Development as early as possible and use the sample four-year plan as a guide for completing the Pre-Human Development curriculum and the Human Development major.

Program Learning Outcomes

Human Development Majors will master the following learning outcomes by the time they graduate:

Recognize the way in which the life course comes to be culturally shaped as well as inflected by social positions such as gender, race, sexuality and class.
Evaluate the variety of concepts and theories that shape scholarship and practice in human development, including from biological, social, cultural and psychological perspectives.
Experience designing, undertaking, and presenting research that is empirically rigrous as well as ethically and methodologically sound.
Identify the way that human development knowledge informs practices in applied settings focused on issues such as learning and education, health and wellness, social justice and community advocacy, and the social contexts of disability.
Critically reflect on how human development knowledge can be used to facilitate positive change in the life course, especially in contexts of inequality and structural violence.

Learn more about the Human Development Program

Pre-Human Development

Students must declare Pre-Human Development and complete the following requirements before being accepted into the Human Development major:

2.5 overall and SSU GPA.
Completion of 30 units of GE coursework including:

Complete the following with a C- or better:

A1 (3 units)
A2 (3 units)
A3 (3 units)

Complete the following with a C or better:

B2 (3-4 units)
B4 with MATH 165 Elementary Statistics or equivalent from another institution (4 units)
A Social Sciences Foundation class: ANTH 203 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology or PSY 250 Introduction to Psychology or SOCI 201 Introduction to Sociology or equivalent from another institution (3 units)
A Language Foundation class: ANTH 200 Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology (3 units) or equivalent from another institution (recommended). Students may complete this requirement with ENGL 203 Introduction to Linguistic Studies (4 units), but ENGL 203 fulfills the D1 GE area. Students who wish to complete the most GE areas while completing the Pre-Human Development curriculum should take ANTH 200.
Additional lower division GE coursework (e.g., B1, D3, D4, science lab) with a passing grade to reach 30 units. Pre-Human Development majors looking for a GE area E course are encouraged to consider HD 200 (Introduction to Human Aging; GE-E), which also fulfills the Adulthood and Lifespan Topical Area for the Human Development major.

Degree Requirements

See the “Degree Requirements ” in the University Catalog for complete details on general degree requirements.

General Education Requirements (48 units)

See the “General Education Program ” requirements in the University Catalog for information on General Education requirements. Some major requirements may double count for GE requirements.

Major Core Requirements

Applicants to the Human Development major should expect it to take three (3) semesters to complete the Major Core Requirements.

ANTH 318 - Human Development in Evolutionary Perspective Unit(s): 3
HD 320 - Culture and the Life Course Unit(s): 4
HD 321 - Human Development Core Concepts Unit(s): 4
HD 322 - Applied Human Development Unit(s): 4
HD 450 - Qualitative Research Design Unit(s): 4
HD 490 - Senior Project Unit(s): 1

Topical Areas

Four courses, one from each topical area, taken from at least three different departments. EDXX count as one department and crosslisted courses count as the same department.

Childhood and Adolescence

(at least 1 course)

EDEC 220 - Child Observation with Field Experience Unit(s): 4
EDEC 435 - Leadership on Behalf of Children and Families Unit(s): 4
EDEC 437 - Integrated Curriculum with Field Experience Unit(s): 4
EDSS 418 - Development in Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood Unit(s): 3
HD 325 - Topics in Human Development: Childhood and Adolescence Unit(s): 3-4

Adulthood and Lifespan

(at least 1 course)

ANTH 303 - Human Behavioral Ecology Unit(s): 4
BIOL 218 - Biology of Aging Unit(s): 3
HD 200 - Introduction to Human Aging Unit(s): 3
HD 335 - Topics in Human Development: Adulthood and Lifespan Unit(s): 3-4
KIN 410 - Lifespan Motor Development Unit(s): 3
SOCI 319 - Aging and Society Unit(s): 4

Gender and Sexuality

(at least 1 course)

ANTH 302 - The Evolution of Males and Females Unit(s): 4
NURS 480 - Health, Sexuality and Society Unit(s): 3
WGS 325 - Youth: Gender Perspectives Unit(s): 3-4
WGS 375 - Gender, Power and Freedom in U.S. History Unit(s): 3
WGS 385 - Transnational Feminisms Unit(s): 3-4
WGS 390 - Gender and Work Unit(s): 4
HD 365 - Topics in Human Development: Gender and Sexuality Unit(s): 3-4

Society, Culture and Language

(at least 1 course)

ANTH 240 - Living in our Globalized World Unit(s): 3
ANTH 380 - Language, Culture, and Society Unit(s): 4
ANTH 383 - Language in Sociopolitical Context Unit(s): 4
ANTH 386 - Sign Languages and Signing Communities Unit(s): 4
EDMS 419 - Identity and Agency for Socially Just Classrooms and Communities Unit(s): 3
EDUC 417 - School and Society Unit(s): 3
SOCI 326 - Social Psychology Unit(s): 4
HD 375 - Topics in Human Development: Society, Culture and Language Unit(s): 3-4

Electives

(as needed to get to 40 units)

ANTH 451 - Applied Ethnographic Methods Unit(s): 4
ANTH 480 - Studies of Language Use Unit(s): 4
EDEC 460 - Introduction to Research in Early Childhood Studies Unit(s): 4
EDEC 490 - Special Topics in Early Childhood Studies Unit(s): 1-4
HD 496 - Agency Internships Unit(s): 1-4
HD 495 - Special Studies Unit(s): 1-4

Units

Total core requirements: 20 Units Total in topical areas: 12-20 Units

Program Roadmaps

Sample Four-Year Program

The Four year Plan is a sample study plan. The sequence and specific courses given are suggestive; please see an advisor each semester to plan your personal program and track your progress using the Academic Requirements Report (ARR) in MYSSU.

Courses may be interchanged fall and spring semester depending on course offering each semester.

General Education Notes:

GE Areas A2 and B4 should be completed by the end of the first year. Some students may take year-long courses for GE A2 and/or B4.
GE Area A1 and A3 should be completed by the end of the second year
Students should enroll in Upper Division GE courses after completion of Areas A1, A2, A3, and B4 with a C- or better, lower division GE in that area, and 45 units total.
Not all First-Year Learning Communities (FLC’s) meet the same GE areas.
GE Area D must be taken in two different subject areas across the nine total required units in lower division (LD) and upper division (UD).
Students must take American Institution requirements in U.S. History and U.S. Constitution/California State and Local Government. These requirements may be met in GE.

Human Development, B.A.

Freshman Year: Minimum of 30 Units

Fall Semester (15-16 Units)

Lower Division GE Area A1: Oral Communication
Units: 3
Lower Division GE Area B1: Physical Sciences
Units: 3-4
Lower Division GE Area B2: Life Sciences
Units: 3-4
Lower Division GE Area D: Social Sciences
Units: 3-4
University Elective Units: 1-2

Spring Semester (15 Units)

Take just one of ANTH 203, PSY 250 or SOCI 201, in addition to ANTH 200. Additional courses must be taken to reach 15 units.

ANTH 203 - Introduction to Cultural Anthropology Unit(s): 3
PSY 250 - Introduction to Psychology Unit(s): 3
SOCI 201 - Introduction to Sociology Unit(s): 3
ANTH 200 - Introduction to Language Studies Unit(s): 3