Human Development Program
[ Requirements] [ Minor] [ Professors] [ Courses]
OFFICE: 5320 AP&M, Muir College
WEB PAGE: http://hdp.ucsd.edu
The Human Development Major
The scientific study of human development focuses on issues of growth, development, and behavioral change across the lifespan. The Human Development Program is interdisciplinary, incorporating courses from the Departments of Anthropology, Biology, Cognitive Science, Communication, Ethnic Studies, History, Linguistics, Literature, Psychology, Sociology, Education Studies Program, and Urban Studies and Planning Program. The curriculum is designed to emphasize the idea of development as an essential perspective from which to understand human behavior. The courses cover a broad spectrum of issues in human development: from brain and perceptual development, to reasoning and problem solving, to social interaction and the evolution of cultural systems. The Human Development Program unifies and coordinates the excellent research and teaching resources currently available on campus in this area and profiles the factors that influence the ways in which humans develop and change.
Human development is a very large field, but there is a set of basic questions which serve to define and integrate it: What underlies the development of human knowledge? To what extent is the capacity to know, indeed the concepts themselves, encoded in the genes? How is the role of learning and environmental influences accounted for? How do we learn? What are the ways in which children become competent participants in their social groups? What is the origin and nature of social interaction and organization?
The study of human development has become increasingly central to a wide range of important issues affecting infants, young children, and adolescents, as well as the changing structure of the American family and public policy on children and education. An understanding of the processes that underlie human development is crucial to our evaluation of these issues and to our ability to offer avenues for remediation of the attendant problems. The three major areas of study within the Human Development Program are: Biological Development, Ontogenetic Development, and Socio-Cultural Development. These areas consider issues that pertain to development of specific neural and cognitive processes and development within a larger social and cultural context.
Career Guidance
A degree in human development offers training of special interest to those considering admission to graduate or professional schools and careers in medicine, law, education, counseling, clinical psychology, public health, public policy, public administration, or social work. Students who are interested in these areas are advised to see a Human Development Program advisor for assistance in selecting elective and major courses. A major in human development is designed to impart fundamental skills in critical thinking, comparative analysis, research analysis, and written expression.
A human development major can offer preparation for teaching in elementary schools. However, if you are interested in earning a California teaching credential from UC San Diego, contact the Education Studies Program (EDS) for information about prerequisite and professional preparation requirements. It is recommended you contact TEP as early as possible in your academic career.
Education Abroad
Students are often able to participate in the UC Education Abroad Program (EAP) and UCSD’s Opportunities Abroad Program (OAP) while still making progress towards the major. Students interested in studying abroad should see a Human Development Program advisor to discuss curriculum plans and appropriate courses. It is strongly recommended that students obtain HDP pre-approval for EAP courses that are intended to count toward the major. Information on EAP/OAP is detailed in the Education Abroad Program section of the UCSD General Catalog. Interested students should contact the Programs Abroad Office in the International Center and visit the Web site at http://programsabroad.ucsd.edu/pao. Financial aid is applicable and special study abroad scholarships are available.
Prerequisites for Human Development Majors
A bachelor of arts degree in human development will be given to students who satisfactorily complete the general-education and graduation requirements of Marshall, Muir, Revelle, Roosevelt, Sixth, or Warren College in addition to the Human Development Program requirements. In accordance with UCSD academic regulations, upper-division courses used to satisfy major requirements cannot be applied towards minors (please note there is some overlap permitted for double majors). See college advisor and major advisor for questions and restrictions.
Applying for the HDP Major
Students who wish to declare the Human Development Program major must meet premajor requirements and apply for entrance into the major. All lower-division requirements must be fulfilled before applying for the major. All lower-division courses must be completed with a grade of C or better. The cumulative GPA for the eight lower-division courses must equal or exceed 2.75. Students must meet with an HDP advisor and obtain approval to declare the human development major, no later than the second quarter of the student’s junior year.
Grade Requirements for the Major
A minimum grade-point average of 2.0 is required in the major. Students must receive a grade of C– or better in any course counted toward fulfillment of the major requirements. All courses taken to satisfy the program’s lower- and upper-division requirements must be taken for a letter grade. HDP 1, HDP 150, HDP 181, and HDP 191 must be taken in residence. No substitutions will be approved.
Lower-Division Requirements
1. Introduction to Human Development: HDP1
2. One statistics course selected from the approved list: PSYC 60, COGS 14, BIEB 100, ECON 120A, POLI 30, or MATH 11
3. One formal skills course selected from the approved list: PHIL 10, PHIL 12, LIGN 17, or one course from the MATH 10 sequence or MATH 20 sequence
4 & 5. Two biological sciences courses selected from the approved list: ANTH 2, BILD 1, BILD 2, BILD 3, BILD 7, BILD 10, BILD 12, BILD 18, BILD 20, BILD 26, COGS 11, COGS 17, PSYC 2
6 & 7. Two social sciences courses selected from the approved list: ANTH 1, ANTH 3, COGN 20, COGS 1, One course from the HILD 7A, B, or C sequence (only one allowed), LIGN 4, LIGN 7 LIGN 8, LIGN 101, MMW 1, MMW 2, PSYC 1, PSYC 3, PSYC 6, Soc/L 1A, Soc/L 20
8. One computer literacy course selected from the approved list: MAE 5, COGS 3, COGS 8, COGS 18, CSE 3, CSE 5A, CSE 11
Upper-Division Requirements for the HDP Major:
A. Three Methods courses
B. Three Core Series courses
C. Six Development courses
D. HDP 150
(Full information follows)
- Methods Courses
1. HDP 181 (Students are encouraged to take this course their junior year.)
2. HDP 191 (Students are encouraged to take this course their junior year.)
3. One course selected from the following approved list*
ANSC 172. Life History Seminar and Practicum
BICD 131. Embryology Laboratory
BICD 133. Developmental Biology Laboratory
HDP 115/COMT 115. Media and Design of Social Learning Contexts
HDP 131. Fifth Dimension for Elementary Schools
HDP 135/COMT 116. Practicum in Child Development
HDP 193. Advanced Research in Human Development**
PSYC 111A or B. Research Methods I or II
Soc/A 104. Field Research: Methods of Participant Observation
Soc/A 110A or B. Qualitative Research In Educational Settings
*Completion of an advanced methods course for the HDP Honors Thesis can be petitioned to replace the third methods course (not HDP 181 or HDP 191).
**HDP193 must be taken for two quarters to fulfill the third methods course requirement.
- Core Series Courses (three courses selected from the approved
list required, one from each DOMAIN)
Domain 1: The biological basis of human development
ANBI 140. The Evolution of the Human Brain
ANTH 102. Human Evolution
COGS 115. Neurological Development and Cognitive Change
HDP 110. Brain and Behavioral Development
Domain 2: The social/cognitive basis of human development
COGS 156. Language Development
HDP 120. Language Development
HDP 121. Developing Mind
HDP 122. Social Development
LIGN 171. Child Language Acquisition
LIGN 179. Second Language Acquisition
PSYC 187. Development of Social Cognition
Domain 3: The socio-cultural basis of human development
HDP 133. Socio-cultural Foundations of Human Development
HITO 126. History of Childhood
Soc/B 131. Sociology of Youth
Soc/C 129. The Family
- Development Courses (six courses required; at least one from each
area of focus)
Biological Development
ANBI 140. The Evolution of the Human Brain
ANBI 159. Biological and Cultural Perspectives on Intelligence
BICD 100. Genetics
BICD 130. Embryology
BICD 132. Molecular Basis of Development
BICD 134. Human Reproduction and Development
BIPN 144. Developmental Neurobiology
COGS 115. Neurological Development and Cognitive Change
COGS 184. Modeling the Evolution of Cognition
PSYC 168. Psychological Disorders of Childhood
Ontogenetic Development
COGS 113. Cognitive Development
COGS 154. Communication Disorders in Children and Adults
COGS 156. Language Development
COHI 100. Introduction to Communication and the Individual
COHI 114. Bilingual Communication
COHI 119. Learning to Read
COHI 121. Literacy, Social Organization, and the Individual
EDS 119. First and Second Language Learning: From Childhood through Adolescence
LIGN 119. First and Second Language Learning: From Childhood through Adolescence
LIGN 171. Child Language Acquisition
LIGN 179. Second Language Acquisition
LTWL 114. Children’s Literature
LTWL 116. Adolescent Literature
PSYC 101. Introduction to Developmental Psychology
PSYC 136. Cognite Development
PSYC 156. Cognitive Development in Infancy
PSYC 168. Psychological Disorders of Childhood
PSYC 172. Psychology of Human Sexuality
PSYC 180. Adolescence
PSYC 187. Development of Social Cognition
PSYC 190. Parenting
Socio-Cultural Development
ANBI 159. Biological and Cultural Perspectives on Intelligence
COHI 123. Children and Media
EDS 115. Cognitive Development and Education
EDS 117. Language, Culture, and Education
HILA 117. Indians, Blacks, and Whites: Family Relations in Latin America
LTWL 114. Children’s Literature
LTWL 116. Adolescent Literature
PSYC 167. Social and Emotional Development
PSYC 180. Adolescence
Soc/B 117. Language, Culture, and Education
Soc/B 118A / LIGN 174. Gender and Language in Society
Soc/C 129. The Family
Soc/B 131. Sociology of Youth
Soc/C 159. Special Topics in Organizations and Institutions (Only when topic is approved for HDP major)
Soc/B 161. Sociology of The Life Course
USP 145. Aging—Social and Health Policy Issues
- HDP 150. Advanced Human Development
(HDP students should enroll in this course in their senior year.)
Advanced Human Development Requirement HDP 150
Seminar for graduating HDP seniors. Readings and discussion of special topics in human development. Provides advanced-level study on subfields of human development. Topics vary quarterly. Prerequisites: HDP1, HDP 181, HDP 191, senior standing, and department approval one quarter prior to enrollment.
Field Research Requirement HDP 191
This course provides students with the opportunity to participate jointly in a research project in conjunction with a mentor/collaborator from a local service site. This applied research experience allows students to design and conduct research projects in a variety of settings ranging from laboratory research settings to service oriented placements. In addition to literature research and a final paper at the end of the quarter, students will participate at an off-campus site for a minimum of four hours per week. Research sites are prearranged one academic year in advance (see the student affairs office or the HDP Web site for enrollment information). Students’ interests and future career plans are considered for site placement. Various research orientations and methodologies are reviewed in class. Prerequisites: HDP 1 and department approval one academic year prior to enrollment.
Honors in Human Development HDP 194A-B-C
The Human Development Program offers an honors option for those students who have demonstrated excellence in the human development major. The honors program allows eligible undergraduates to explore advanced issues in the field through an honors thesis on a topic of their choice and under faculty supervision. In order to be admitted to the honors program, students must have 1) junior standing and 2) maintained a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.2, and a 3.5 GPA for courses taken in the human development major. Interested students need to apply for departmental honors in spring quarter of their junior year. Students in the honors program are expected to complete the following additional requirements:
- An advanced course in statistics or methods design (see the HDP student affairs office for more information).
- HDP 194A-B-C, a year-long independent research project, which results in an Honors Thesis.
- Weekly attendance of the Center for Human Development Seminar and participation.
Petitioning Courses
There are three circumstances under which petitions to receive credit for courses not explicitly approved for the major will be considered (all approved courses are detailed in the UCSD General Catalog, HDP section): Requests from transfer students, requests from students planning to study abroad, and exceptional courses identified by a student. In all cases, students are required to submit a petition in writing that clearly describes the course for which they wish to receive HDP major credit, and to attach to the petition as much information as possible about the content of the course (e.g., syllabus, course description, etc.). With the exception of courses petitioned by transfer students, ALL REQUESTS FOR APPROVAL OF COURSES NOT EXPLICITLY LISTED IN THE UCSD General Catalog SHOULD BE SUBMITTED BEFORE THE COURSE IS TAKEN BY THE STUDENT.
Transfer students. Students transferring from a community college or other university must petition for HDP credit for courses taken at their previous institution. For students transferring from the California Community College System, articulation agreements for many courses have been developed that facilitate the petition process. Transfer students should make an appointment with an HDP advisor to review courses for which they will most likely receive credit and fill out a written petition for each course.
Education Abroad. Students planning to study abroad may receive credit toward the major for courses taken in another country. IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED THAT STUDENTS RECEIVE PRELIMINARY APPROVAL (BEFORE LEAVING THE COUNTRY) FOR COURSES THEY ARE CONSIDERING TAKING DURING THEIR TIME ABROAD. While the preliminary approval does not guarantee that the actual course will be approved, the great majority of courses for which preliminary approval has been obtained are approved when the actual petition is submitted upon the student’s return.
Other courses. Occasionally students identify a UCSD course that has the potential to fulfill an HDP requirement. Students may petition in writing to request credit for such courses. However, it is important to note that very few such petitions are successful, and students are strongly cautioned to petition and receive approval for such a course BEFORE ENROLLING IN THE COURSE.
Note: Courses are not officially approved for credit until the written petition has been approved by the HDP Executive Committee and signed by the HDP director.
The Minor Program
(Courses must be discussed with and approved by a Human Development academic advisor.) A total of seven courses are required to complete a minor in human development. These include Introduction to Human Development (HDP 1), and six developmental courses, one from each major area of study from the developmental course list.
FINISH-IN-FOUR PLAN
Students interested in a particular career field should see the student affairs office for more specific Finish-in-Four plans for their particular college.
