HDFS Blog
Dr. Scot Allgood Presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award
Dr. Scot Allgood, professor and head of the department of Human Development and Family Studies in the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services at Utah State, was recently presented with a lifetime achievement award
One of the Largest Research Faculty in USU's College of Education and Human Services
The Human Development and Family Studies department has one of the largest research faculty in USU’s College of Education and Human Services. Our students get to know who we are and what we’re passionate about by taking our graduate and undergraduate clas...
Self Check Up
You know the safety speech that you hear right before the airplane takes off every time you fly? There is one part that usually goes something like this, “In the event that the cabin loses pressure, an oxygen mask will fall from the compartment above…plea...
Are you Sleeping?
While the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged many of our lives, one thing we can do to help stay healthy is to have a good night sleep.
The Family Finance Program in the HDFS Department Prepares Students to Take the Accredited Financial Counseling (AFC) Exam
The Family Finance program in the HDFS department prepares students to take the Accredited Financial Counseling (AFC) exam through the Association of Financial Counseling and Planning Education (AFCPE).
Balancing Work and Family Course
The USU Human Development and Family Studies department (HDFS) offers many valuable General Education courses; in particular, the Balancing Work and Family Course (HDFS 1010).
Employment Opportunities Benefit Undergraduate Practicum Students
Many have noted changes in the employment sector in the last year or so, with many companies seeming to be short staffed. This appears to be the case in the professional helping field in northern Utah, which has been of great benefit to students preparing...
The Postdocs of Healthy Relationships Utah’ or the like works fine
Healthy Relationships Utah, directed by Dr. Brian Higginbotham, offers free research-based relationship education courses throughout the state. Meet the three Postdoctoral Fellows who work with Dr. Kay Bradford to analyze the processes and impacts of thes...
Working with your Academic Advisor
At USU we have people specifically designated to answer undergraduate students’ questions about courses, programs, graduation requirements, majors, minors, and more. If these individuals don’t know the answer to your questions, they will connect you to t...
Legislature Moves Utah Marriage Commission to Utah State University
For more than two decades, the Utah Marriage Commission has been providing relationship and marriage education classes, conferences and other resources to countless Utahns.
College Student Parents Juggle Family and School
USU Wide Receiver, Deven Thompkins, recently shared his experience of being a USU football star and father (USU Statesmen, 2021):
USU HDFS Faculty Discuss their Research on Instead Podcast
What do HDFS faculty researchers actually do? Presented by Utah State University’s Office of Research, Wyatt Traughber, M.A., learns just this as he interviews four HDFS faculty as part of an ongoing podcast series on the research being conducted at USU....
Diversity
So if I’m being honest, I never wanted to teach diversity. I am a White male who grew up on a farm in Rupert, Idaho. I am a marriage and family therapist (MFT) by trade, and so when I think of topics that most resonate with me, they are about couple and f...
An Incomplete List of Resources That Helped Me Through Graduate School
Early in my graduate career, a faculty member recommended me to add the book The professor is in (TPII) to my reading list. TPII offers helpful insight on how to navigate the academic career from step one - building strong records as a graduate student. T...
Perinatal Anxiety and Depression in a Pandemic
Giving birth to my first child during the height of the pandemic, the end of April 2020, was a roller coaster of emotions for me.
Marriage and Family Therapy Conference
To be accepted to present at the annual conference for the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) is a great honor. Originally, I was not planning to present when COVID-19 restrictions caused the 2020 AAMFT conference to move to an on...
Fatherhood and Relationship Education Grant
Utah State University was recently awarded two $5 million grants from the U.S Department of Health and Human Services Office of Family Assistance. Both grants will be distributed over a five-year period and will fund fatherhood and relationship education ...
Applying to Graduate Programs?
I was the first in my immediate family to apply to graduate school, and the first in my extended family to aim for a PhD. I knew I wanted to study peer relations among adolescents, and that I was drawn toward quantitative methods and meta-analysis. Howeve...
“Writing … with Young Co-Authors”
As a recognized name in youth sport parenting research, I often get cold-called (or cold-emailed) with a request to contribute to a journal, volume, or book, my area of expertise. This is not an uncommon occurrence, and I’m sure my colleagues field such r...
Faculty in HDFS Continues to Get Relationship Education Grants and are Currently Hiring Staff.
Faculty in HDFS continues to get relationship education grants and are currently hiring staff. If you are interested in being a family life educator or marketing our programs…
Practicum Experiences Within the Human Development and Family Studies Department
The practicum experience within the Human Development and Family Studies department is designed to be a step that bridges a student's transformation from a purely academic approach to the human services field to participation in the field, under the super...
HDFS Offers a Human Sexuality Course? What??! Why???
The mere thought of taking a Human Sexuality course makes some students blush. Single students sometimes think, “Why is this course required?” and “Ewww, what are we going to learn?” Married students reluctantly think, “what more can I learn?”
Family Economist Studies Household Debt, Savings, Credit Use, and Family Economic Issues.
I am a Family Economist scholar who is interested in studies on household debt, savings, credit use decisions, and relevant family economics issues. I received my MS degree in Family Ecology from the University of Utah and my PhD in Consumer Economics fro...
American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy Annual Conference
Each year the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy holds an annual conference where professions in the field from around the nation come together to learn from and network with other Marriage and Family Therapists.
Utah State Universities Land-Grant Mission Extends Resources to Individuals and Families Across the State, and to the World.
Beyond our delicious Aggie Ice Cream, one of the other things that makes Utah State University unique is our land-grant mission. While other colleges and universities across Utah engage in research and teaching, here at USU we also focus on Extension.
Predicting Who is Apt to Defend Peers from Peer Victimization
Summary of the Meta-Analysis Defending behavior of peer victimization in school and cyber context during childhood and adolescence: A meta-analytic review of individual and peer-relational characteristics.
HDFS Club
Did you know that children from low-income households are exposed to less language on average than children from higher income households?
Family Finance Students Chosen to Compete in the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education (AFCPE) Knowledge Bowl
compete in the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education (AFCPE) Knowledge Bowl, students had to be chosen based on an application process. Team USU consisted of Captain Sierra Walters and team members TJ Guinn, Natalie Hansen, and Emil...
Memories of Randy Jones
For those that didn’t get a chance to know Randy, he was a faculty member in our department for many years and retired just two years ago.
Graduate Work in Human Development and Family Studies at Utah State University
The success of the doctoral program in Human Development and Family Studies at Utah State University is directly related to its dedicated faculty, motivated students, and supportive administration.
The Center for Women and Gender is an academic entity located in the Provost’s office and offering an undergraduate minor and certificate and a graduate certificate in women and gender studies.
The Center for Women and Gender is an academic entity located in the Provost’s office and offering an undergraduate minor and certificate and a graduate certificate in women and gender studies. Directed by Dr. Ann Berghout Austin, Professor of Human Deve...
Co-mentors and Unofficial Mentors: Meeting Advisors and Collaborators Outside of Your Lab
You may be lucky to have attentive, supportive mentors who provide you with opportunities to grow and develop as a junior scholar. Even among those who are in this opportune position, there are many reasons to form relationships with mentors outside of yo...
A Tour of HDFS
Welcome to the Department of Human Development and Family Studies. We are one of eight departments in the very highly regarded Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services. This college is consistently ranked as one of the very most producti...
Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education (AFCPE) Symposium
This year for the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education (AFCPE) Symposium, we had grad and undergrad students attend and present posters.
Uintah Basin Child Development Lab
Utah State University (USU) is Utah’s land-grant university. With this designation, USU has long focused on promoting higher education throughout the state. In 1967, USU’s first regional campus was created in Roosevelt, Utah to serve students in Uintah
How my doctoral training prepared me for my current academic appointment
Just a few years ago, I was a relatively successful financial advisor. I worked from home and enjoyed visiting with my clients. One evening while watching TV, my wife and I had an impromptu conversation about my professional course and objectives. I was
The Adele and Dale Young Child Development Laboratory
The Adele and Dale Young Child Development Laboratory is part of the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, within the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services. Consistent with Utah State University’s Land-Grant mission, the ...
The Project Approach at the Dolores Doré Eccles Center for Early Care and Education
The Dolores Doré Eccles Center for Early Care and Education (DDE Center) is moving toward implementing a project-based approach throughout our center. Children have the time, energy, and desire to engage in open-ended exploration. They want to understan
Family Life Studies Major
The Family Life Studies degree is a fantastic major for undergraduate students looking to work in helping professions. The degree is available 100% online, making it flexible and achievable for students.