What can I do with a Human Development and Family Science degree?

Are you looking for a degree that opens doors to a wide range of career opportunities, especially jobs helping families? Are you searching for the perfect stepping stone toward a graduate degree? Wherever you are in your journey — job-ready or seeking a flexible grad school pathway — a flexible online degree program in Human Development and Family Science (HDFS) can set you up for success.

What is Human Development and Family Science?

How does a person grow, change, and thrive within a family, a career, or a society? Human Development and Family Science is a field focused on how people evolve across all ages and navigate their lives.  

Students interested in Human Development and Family Science often pursue jobs helping families and careers within education, healthcare, and the social sciences — fields where human connection, support, or advocacy are central to their important work.  

Coursework for this degree often includes psychology, developmental theory, and classes focused on relationships, family dynamics, and human well-being across the lifespan.  

Human Development and Family Science careers

Which careers can you pursue with a degree in Human Development and Family Science? With such a versatile foundation, the better question might be: What can’t you do Students of this dynamic field may work to solve social challenges, begin careers in family science or within child/family advocacy, and much more. Explore just a few of the Human Development and Family Science careers available below. You can also dive deeper into potential HDFS career paths and see real examples of where our graduates have landed.

Social sciences

Careers in the social sciences include counseling, advocacy, program development, and case management. Graduates may seek employment at community centers, family service agencies, nursing homes and assisted living facilities, rehabilitation centers and group homes, shelters and emergency housing, and adoption agencies, just to name a few.  

$78,240: 2024 Median Pay* for Social and Community Service Managers 
$64,520: 2024 Median Pay* for Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists  

Healthcare

Human Development and Family Science careers in healthcare include health, nutrition, and safety education as well as hospital-based family support, such as providing emotional support to patients and their families. Hospitals, doctors’ offices, public health clinics, hospice programs, funeral homes, and government agencies are all potential employment avenues.  

For students interested in pursuing a pre-med or allied health (i.e., physical therapy, occupational therapy, medical imaging) path, a Human Development and Family Services degree can provide a strong foundation. However, these paths require additional specialized education. 

$63,000: 2024 Median Pay* for Health Education Specialists 

Education and childcare

If you are considering working with or administering a childcare center, recreation program, or pre-school, then Human Development and Family Sciences is the degree for you. Other opportunities include work with health clubs, au pair services, jobs helping families, extended school programs and camps, and religious organizations.  

$65,140: 2024 Median Pay* for School and Career Counselors and Advisors 

Advocacy

Countless organizations are in need of educated advocates, including disability services, juvenile justice, child safety, humanitarian relief, and more. Advocates work within policy development for economic, community, and housing-related causes, both domestically and internationally, as well as with faith-based organizations and non-governmental organizations such as the Red Cross.  

$42,120: 2024 Median Pay* for Social and Human Service Assistants

Business

Graduates of a Human Development and Family Science program may consider work in management, sales, administration, market research, product testing and development, and customer service.  

$93,500: 2024 Median Pay* for Labor Relations Specialists
$76,950: 2024 Median Pay* for Market Research Analysts
$72,910: 2024 Median Pay* for Human Resource Specialists  

Communication

Writing, editing, research, journalism, public relations — there are countless employment opportunities within Communications for Human Development and Family Science graduates, particularly for organizations geared toward families and children, such as book publishers, media organizations, and consumer protection agencies.  

$159,660: 2024 Median Pay* for Advertising, Promotions, and Marketing Managers
$75,260: 2024 Median Pay* for Editors
$69,780: 2024 Median Pay* for Public Relations Specialists
$60,280: 2024 Median Pay* for News Analysis, Reporters, and Journalists  

*Data courtesy of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 

Why choose The Ohio State University’s online Human Development and Family Science program?

Flexible for real life

Ohio State’s online Human Development and Family Science bachelor’s degree is 100% online and almost entirely asynchronous. With a flexible online degree program, there’s no need to put the rest of your life on hold while you study.

Tailored to your unique goals

Did you know you can shape the Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Science degree to your individual interests? Students choose electives along their degree path, allowing them to focus on their specific career goals.

Support from day one

Faculty support is a critical component of this program. Expect to be treated like a person, not a number. All online students are assigned dedicated enrollment advisors to help with the application process, as well as student success coordinators to guide you to the graduation you’ve worked so hard for.  

Entryway to grad school

Does your long-term plan include graduate school in a field involving social sciences, children and families, communication, or business? Many graduates from Ohio State’s Human Development and Family Science degree continue on to graduate school, as this bachelor’s degree is the perfect stepping stone.  

Transfer-friendly bachelor’s degree

A minimum of 30 post-high-school semester hours (45 quarter hours) is required for admission into Ohio State’s online Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Science program. That also makes it an ideal program to transfer into if you have already begun your education elsewhere.  

Proven track record

Ohio State’s Bachelor of Science in Human Development has existed for 45 years! Now it is available online in a flexible, convenient format, but it includes the same expert faculty who have made this program a success for decades.  

How do I begin my Human Development and Family Science degree?

We are happy to help you begin your journey into this flexible degree with a wide range of career and graduate school opportunities. Find more information on Ohio State’s online Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Science, and connect with an Enrollment Advisor if you have questions.  

When you’re ready, begin your application — we look forward to helping you reach your goals!