Degree Requirements

Undergraduate Programs

Family and Human Services Major

All family and human services majors must complete prerequisites, required core courses, and specific courses for their chosen track. Each track also has an internship requirement. 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 and human services 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 for Leadership in the Nonprofit Sector Track

Required Courses for the Major (43 units)

Course		Units
FMST 101	Introduction to Family Studies	3
FMST 201	Family Resources	3
FMST 297	Preparing Human Service Workers	3
FMST 301	Family Relationships	3
FMST 302	Theories of Family Functioning	3
FMST 303	Trends in Contemporary Family Life	3
FMST 305 or EDUC 201	Parent-Child Relationships Across the Lifespan The Parenting Process	3
FMST 380	Family Law	3
FMST 387	Community Services for Families	3
FMST 397	Internship in Family Studies	3
FMST 485	Writing and Research Methods in Family Studies	3
FMST 490	Senior Seminar	4
PSYC 203	Human Development	3
HLTH 220	Sexuality in a Diverse Society	3

Family Life Educator Certification
Completion of the required core coursework above prepares the student for provisional certification as a Family Life Educator (CFLE). A student may become fully certified by completing two years of family-life work experience following graduation. The CFLE credential is administered through the National Council on Family Relations.

National Council on Family Relations

Electives

Students in tracks other than Child Life may use the following document as a guide when choosing electives.

Suggested List of Electives (PDF)

Track Specific Courses

Human Services Track (22 Units)
Required Courses (10 Units)		Units
PSYC 205	Introduction to the Helping Relationship	3
FMST 350	Fundamentals of Leadership in the Nonprofit Sector	3
FMST 497	Advanced Internship in Family Studies & Community Development	4 (240 Hours)
Track Specific Electives (12 Units)
Electives shall be selected from the following content areas: psychology, sociology, health science, education, gerontology, and women's studies. Students are encouraged to take a course in small-group dynamics and gerontology. One elective course (3 units) must be at the 300 level or above. Minors in gerontology, sociology, or psychology can be completed with minimal or no additional coursework. Electives must be approved by a family studies adviser or the department chairperson.

Services to Children and Youth Track (21 Units)
Required Courses (6 Units)		Units
ECED 201	Intervention and the Young Child	3
FMST 415	Services to Children and Youth	3
Track Specific Electives (15 Units)
Electives shall be selected from the following content areas: education, psychology, sociology, and health science. Three elective courses (9 units) must be at the 300 level or above. Electives must be approved by a department adviser. Please Note: Students in this track cannot take FMST 497 as an elective unless special permission is given by the department chair.

Introduction to Child Life Track (21 Units)
For students who entered Towson University in the 2011-2012 academic year or later
Required Courses (15 Units)		Units
FMST 240	Introduction to Child Life	3
OCTH 213 or PSYC 431	Small Group Dynamics Group Dynamics	3
PSYC 205	Introduction to the Helping Relationship	3
FMST 340	The Hospitalized Child and Family	3
GERO 367	Sociology of Death, Dying, and Bereavement	3
Required Child and Adolescent Development Courses (6 Units)		Units
PSYC 403	Infant and Child Development	3
PSYC 404	Adolescent Psychology	3
Other Recommended Courses
FMST 140	Medical Terminology for Human Service Workers	1
ECED 201	Intervention and the Young Child	3
ECED 315	Infant Intervention	3
FMST 345 Introduction to Art Therapy as additional elective to meet content areas specified by the Child Life Council.

Child Life Track (28 Units)
For students who entered Towson University prior to the 2011-2012 academic year
Required Courses (19 Units)		Units
ECED 201	Intervention and the Young Child	3
OCTH 213 or PSYC 431	Small Group Dynamics Group Dynamics	3
PSYC 205	Introduction to the Helping Relationship	3
FMST 340	The Hospitalized Child and Family	3
FMST 497	Advanced Internship in Family Studies & Community Development	4 (240 Hours)
GERO 367	Sociology of Death, Dying, and Bereavement	3
Required Child and Adolescent Development Courses (9 Units)		Units
ECED 315	Infant Intervention	3
PSYC 403	Infant and Child Development	3
PSYC 404	Adolescent Psychology	3
Other Recommended Courses
FMST 140	Medical Terminology for Human Service Workers	1
FMST 345 Introduction to Art Therapy as additional elective to meet content areas specified by the Child Life Council.

Child Life B.S. to M.S. Program
Students in the Introduction to Child Life Track may, in their junior year, apply for admission to the B.S. to M.S. Program. This program allows students to complete combined undergraduate and graduate degrees in 5 years. Students accepted into the program begin graduate coursework during their senior year. The course requirements for the program are listed below.
Child Life Specific Courses (13 Units)		Units
FMST 540	Hospitalized Child and Family	3
FMST 545	Introduction to Art Therapy	3
FMST 697	Graduate Internship	4
FMST 640	Medical Aspects of Illness: A Child Life Perspective	3
Family-Professional Collaboration Courses (12 Units)		Units
FMST 601	Applied Family Relationships	3
FMST 610	Family Professional Collaboration	3
FMST 615	Applied Research Methods in Family Science	3
FMST 620	Project in Family-Focused Program Development	3
Health Administration Courses (9 to 15 Units) - Students may choose to meet the administration course requirement by either completing the Clinician-Administrator Transition (CAT) coursework (15 units) or selecting 9 units of CAT courses and 6 units of elective coursework for a total of 15 units.
Clinician-Administrator Transition Courses		Units
IDHP 600	Transitions: Health Care Professionals in a Changing Environment	3
IDHP 605	Managing Health Care Professionals	3
IDHP 610	Administration of Health Care Organizations	3
IDHP 647	Health Care Financial Management	3
IDHP 651	Planning and Marketing Health in Business and Industry	3

Leadership in the Nonprofit Sector Track (22 Units)
Required FMST Courses (7 Units)		Units
FMST 350	Fundamentals of Leadership in the Nonprofit Sector	3
FMST 497	Advanced Internship in Family Studies & Community Development	4 (240 Hours)
Required Business and Liberal Arts Courses (12 Units)
MCOM 253	Principles of Strategic Public Relations and Integrated Communication	3
CLST 303	Identity and Culture	3
MKTG 341	Principles of Marketing	3
MNGT 361	Principles of Management	3
Elective (3 Units)
Elective approved by advisor (Recommended disciplines: MNGT, MCOM, MKTG)		3
Students who pursue the Leadership in the Nonprofit Sector track, especially those seeking certification from the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance, are encouraged to complete a minor in Business Administration (BUAD) or Business, Communication and the Liberal Arts (BCLA): Nonprofit Leadership Focus. The required coursework for the BUAD minor includes MKTG 341 and MNGT 361. Nine credits of the BUAD minor would be approved toward the track requirements replacing MCOM 253, CLST 303 and the elective course listed above. Students should note that the BUAD minor requires six additional credits beyond the major requirements. A complete description of the BUAD minor is found under the College of Business and Economics, Business Administration Program. The BCLA minor is aligned with the certification requirements of the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance. A complete description of the BCLA minor: Nonprofit Leadership Focus can be found in the catalog under the College of Liberal Arts Interdisciplinary Studies Programs.

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

Family and Human Services majors take a variety of courses to complete their degrees. These include prerequisites, required courses for the major and track-specific courses.

• Gen Ed Requirements

• Core Requirements