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May 27, 2026
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2026-2027 Graduate Catalog
Human Development and Family Science Major, PhD
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Our human development and family science (HDFS) graduate programs are designed to train highly competent, culturally responsive scientists who will make significant contributions to society as scholars, educators, and professionals. Together, students and faculty in HDFS share a strong commitment to intellectual inquiry, methodological rigor, diversity and inclusion, and community engagement. A cornerstone idea for our HDFS graduate programs is development in context, or the perspective that human development is best understood in terms of interconnections among families, neighborhoods, schools, communities, cultures, and international environments. Our PhD in HDFS provides in-depth studies of theory, methods, and empirical knowledge about HDFS. Doctoral students focus on research and scientific inquiry, preparing professionals to design and evaluate state-of-the-science scholarship, intervention, and prevention programs to understand and promote optimal development and holistic well-being across the lifespan. The degree prepares professionals for careers and leadership roles in education, research, government, and nonprofit agencies.
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Campus Code
Knoxville Campus Admissions Standards/Procedures
- Complete and submit formal online application to the Graduate Admissions Office, along with the application fee.
- For the department, a completed file for review includes
- A departmental application
- Completion of three Graduate Rating Forms by individuals who can attest to the applicant’s potential for graduate education
- Admission to the graduate program is contingent upon
- Undergraduate/graduate GPA
- Rating forms
- Work experience
- The match between student’s goals and department’s foci
- Prerequisites to the doctoral program are a master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution or equivalent, completion of the 12 credit hour foundation core in the human development and family science master’s program, and 3 credit hours of computationally-based, graduate-level statistics.
- Exceptional applicants with only an undergraduate degree may be considered by the HDFS Graduate Committee for direct admittance to the PhD program if they wish. Such applicants must have undergraduate research experience relevant to HDFS, focused research interests, and a strong academic record.
- Students who are admitted without a master’s degree will complete requirements for the thesis-based MS degree as part of their program of study. If in good standing after completing the MS program requirements, and under the recommendation of their MS committee, these students will proceed directly into the PhD program.
Credit Hours Required
A minimum 72 graduate credit hours beyond the baccalaureate degree. Non-Course Requirements
- First year students must document completion of a non-credit Professional Development Checklist designed to ensure they are appropriately oriented to the disciplinary, department, college, and university context in which they will complete their studies.
- After successful defense of their master’s thesis or pre-doctoral research requirement and in their final semsester of required coursework, doctoral students take a comprehensive examination that allows students to demonstrate their ability to integrate knowledge across substantive, theoretical, and methods courses. A student cannot enroll in dissertation hours (HDFS 600) until after successfully passing the written and oral components of the comprehensive examination.
- Doctoral candidates work closely with their major professor to complete a dissertation proposal, conduct the research, prepare the dissertation, and defend the work. See the Graduate Student Handbook for more detailed information.
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