Department of Family Studies and Community Development

The Department of Family Studies and Community Development was founded on the belief that the family is the fundamental unit in contemporary society. Support of healthy family functioning strengthens individual, group, and societal functioning. The department offers the opportunity to study individual and family development, dynamics within families, and the interactions between families and society.

Undergraduate Programs

The department offers two undergraduate majors and a minor. Family and Human Services is an applied major that prepares students to be human service professionals. Students in this major choose among four different tracks: Human Services, Services to Children and Youth, Introduction to Child Life, and Leadership in the Nonprofit Sector. Community participation is required in several core courses throughout the family and human services curriculum. The Family Science major emphasizes scholarship and research in the discipline. It focuses on the social and behavioral science foundation necessary for those working in family therapy, psychology, education, health and other human services. The family studies minor fits nicely for students who are interested in studying families along with their major focus of study, especially students in the health professions, liberal arts, and education.

• Family and Human Services Major
• Family Science Major
• Family Studies Minor

Graduate Education

The academic coursework provides the foundation for graduate study in social, behavioral, and health sciences or for advanced professional training in counseling, psychology, social work, law, medicine, and the allied health professions, such as occupational therapy and physical therapy. The department offers several graduate programs.

• Child Life, Administration and Family Collaboration (M.S.)
• Family-Professional Collaboration Post-Baccalaureate Certificate
• Jewish Communal Service (M.A.)
• Jewish Education (M.A.)

Certifications and Career Opportunities

Depending on the course of study, students are prepared for certification in three areas: Family Life Education, Child Life, and Nonprofit Leadership.

• Professional Certifications

Family studies graduates have a wide range of career opportunities in school settings, social service agencies, child and adult day-care centers, alcohol and drug abuse treatment centers, domestic abuse programs and shelters, hospitals, and other agencies that provide services to individuals and families.

• Careers

Department of Family Studies and Community Development
College of Liberal Arts Building, Suite 2210
Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Phone: 410-704-5851
Fax: 410-704-3612
E-mail: fmst@towson.edu