Family Science Major

Academic Advisor: Kendyl Oliver

The Department of Family Science promotes the physical, mental, and social well-being of all families in order to eliminate the burden of disease and health disparities, and to foster resilience and social justice.  As one of the only Family Science departments in a school of public health in the US, the undergraduate program is uniquely positioned to train students in the study of family health.  Faculty bring the synergies of multiple disciplines, including family science, couple and family therapy, human development, maternal and child health, psychology, epidemiology, and economics, to enhance family health and well-being.

The curriculum focuses on individual and family development over the life course, examining social, cultural, economic, and historical trends that affect family functioning, and their physical and mental health. Students learn to describe, explain, and improve the quality of family life through education, applied research, legal and policy analysis, and human services program management. The major offers excellent training in scientific methods, including data analyses, application, and communication. Required coursework examines challenges to family health, diverse families, mental health and trauma, global health, child/family development, maternal and child health, sexual and reproductive health, social inequality and health disparities, sexual and gender diversity, family law and economics, work and family issues, family crises, research methods, and the delivery of human services to families. As part of the required research course, all students design a study, collect data, prepare, and present an empirical research project prior to graduation.

Family Science graduates are the next generation of investigators, practitioners, and policy leaders who can tackle the complex health challenges facing families. The major prepares students for many career paths including family therapy, public health, family life education, social work, law, policy analysis, human services, nursing, and family mediation. A wide variety of employment opportunities exist for Family Science graduates in direct service and management positions in government, non-profit, and private agencies. The major also provides excellent preparation for graduate study in family science, public health, marriage and family therapy, social work, professional schools such as medicine, nursing, dentistry and law, psychology, human resource management, and other social science disciplines. 

Courses offered by this department are listed under the acronym FMSC. 

Admission to the Major

Upper-level students who wish to change or declare a major in Family Science can only do so through a Change of Major Workshop. To register for a workshop, visit the School of Public Health website. Students must register in advance in order to attend a Change of Major Workshop. Freshman or admitted high school seniors may declare the FMSC major at orientation.

Program Learning Outcomes

1. Students evaluate policy and programmatic interventions to address social and behavioral factors that influence family well-being.
2. Students demonstrate the principles of cultural competence that shape the experiences and disparities of vulnerable families and populations.
3. Students create a hypothesis, conduct research, prepare data and present a research project that addresses a significant issue of family well-being.
4. Students demonstrate basic knowledge of family theories and apply the knowledge to diverse contexts, including experientially in the required workshop.
5. Students analyze and critique the range of social structures and systems including health, legal, and economic that affect family well-being.

All students must earn a grade of "C-" or better in all courses applied toward completion of the major.

Click here for roadmaps for four-year plans in the School of Public Health.

Additional information on developing a four-year academic plan can be found on the following pages:

• http://4yearplans.umd.edu
• the Student Academic Success-Degree Completion Policy section of this catalog