All family science majors must complete prerequisites, required core courses, and electives. Students must maintain a 2.00 GPA or better in all courses required for the major and must meet Towson University requirements for the completion of a Bachelor of Arts or Science degree.
Prerequisites
The following courses are prerequisites for courses required in the family science major. The 100 level courses should be taken early in the student's academic studies, and MATH 231, MATH 237, ECON 205, or PSYC 212 must be taken prior to FMST 485.
Course
Units
ENGL 102 or
ENGL 190
Writing for a Liberal Education
Honors Writing Seminar
3
PSYC 101
Introduction to Psychology
3
SOCI 101
Introduction to Sociology
3
MATH 231 or
MATH 237 or
ECON 205 or
PSYC 212
Basic Statistics
Elementary Biostatistics
Statistics for Business and Economics
Behavioral Statistics
3
Required Courses for the Major (24 units)
Course
Units
FMST 101
Introduction to Family Studies
3
FMST 301
Family Relationships
3
FMST 302
Theories of Family Functioning
3
FMST 303
Trends in Contemporary Family Life
3
FMST 305
Parent-Child Relationships Across the Lifespan
3
FMST 380
Family Law
3
FMST 485
Writing and Research Methods in Family Studies
3
FMST 4XX
Advanced Research
3
Elective Courses (21 Units)
Elective Area I: 6 Units of Life Span Development Electives
Students will choose two courses from the following*:
ECED 201
Early Childhood Development and Intervention
ECED 315
Infancy and Toddlerhood Development and Intervention
GERO 101
Introduction to Gerontology
GERO 367
Death, Dying and Bereavement
OCTH 216
Life Span Adaptation and Occupations
PSYC 203
Human Development
PSYC 404
Adolescent Psychology
PSYC 405
The Psychology of Aging
PSYC 467
Midlife Development
SOCI 359
Social Gerontology
*Pending Support from Departments
Elective Area II: 6 Units of Interdisciplinary Electives
Students will choose two courses from any of the following disciplines: ANTH, CLST, COMM, CRMJ, DFST, GERO, HLTH, NURS (NURS 323 Crisis and Stress Management, NURS 416 Cultural Diversity in Health Care), OCTH (OCTH 205 Alternative and Complementary Health Care, OCTH 301 Genetics, Health and Society, OCTH 305 Disability, the Individual and Society), PHIL, PSYC, RLST, SOCI, WMST.
Elective Area III: 3 Units of Written Communication Electives
Students will choose an additional Advanced Writing Seminar course (FMST 485 currently required for the major) certified as a University Core Course.
Elective Area IV: 6 Units of Family Studies Electives
Students will choose two courses from the following:
FMST 201
Family Resources
FMST 340
The Hospitalized Child and Family
FMST 345
Introduction to Art Therapy
FMST 350
Fundamentals of Leadership in the Nonprofit Sector
FMST 387
Community Services for Families
FMST 415
Services to Children and Youth
FMST 370-379
Special Topics
FMST 491
Independent Study
FMST 4XX
Family Studies Courses to be Developed
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.