Bachelor of Science
You’re looking for something bigger. A higher purpose or calling. You want to make a difference in others’ lives. It’s a noble goal. That drive to help is what makes you a perfect fit for Mizzou’s online Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Science with an emphasis in Family and Lifespan Development program. Our comprehensive curriculum gives you invaluable skills you’ll put to use making a positive impact in your community.
This degree serves as a springboard to launch into a rewarding career of service to your community, focusing on a population you feel the most passionate about helping. Created by Mizzou’s Department of Human Development and Family Science within the College of Education and Human Development, this program prepares you to support children, the elderly and everyone in between.
About the family and lifespan development program
The online bachelor’s in family and lifespan development program requires no campus visits. However, you will complete both a capstone class and a senior internship. The internship will require 120 hours at a site of your choosing.
Students who complete this program can qualify for the Certified Family Life Educator credential from the National Council on Family Relations.
This program is also eligible for you to pursue Mizzou’s 4+1 option, allowing you to complete both your bachelor’s and your master’s in five years. Choose from:
Quick facts
Official name
Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Science with an emphasis in Family and Lifespan DevelopmentCampus
Program type
Bachelor's degreeAcademic home
College of Education & Human Development | Department of Human Development and Family ScienceDelivery mode
100% onlineAccreditation
Higher Learning CommissionCredit hours
120Estimated cost
$71,712.00Transfer credit hours
60Transfer estimated cost
$35,856.00*This cost is for illustrative purposes only. Your hours and costs will differ, depending on your transfer hours, your course choices and your academic progress. See more about tuition and financial aid.
Career prospects
This program is extremely versatile and lends itself to a number of career paths. Careers you might pursue with this degree include:
- Youth specialist.
- Foster care case manager.
- Extension specialist.
- Social worker*
*Social work and related careers typically require additional education in the form of a master's degree, such as the Master of Social Work.
Program structure
This 120-credit-hour program is all online. No campus visits are required. You will be required to complete a field training/practicum and internship during your senior year, separate from your required capstone project. Both the field training/practicum and internship require 120 hours to complete, at a site of your choosing (but must be separate sites). The sites you choose must be approved by your advisor.
All courses are offered asynchronously in a semester format.
Coursework includes
- Research methods
- Stages of human development
- Understanding the intricacies of relationship building
- Study of family units and their influence on development
- The effects of socioeconomics on individual development
Review all requirements for the online bachelor’s in family and lifespan development program.
Delivery
100% onlineCalendar system
Semester-basedTypical program length
4 yearsTypical course load
4-5 coursesAccreditation
The University of Missouri is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States.
Faculty spotlight
Ashlie Lester is an associate teaching professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science at the University of Missouri. Dr. Lester's research focuses on the scholarship of teaching and learning. She won the Writing Intensive Teaching Excellence Award in 2022, the College of Human Environmental Sciences Distinguished Teaching Award in 2018, and the Great Plains IDEA Teaching Excellence Award in 2017.
Dr. Lester teaches several courses in our FLD program and is happy to talk with students about careers in HDFS, including continuing into graduate school.
So Young Park is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Human Development and Family Science at the University of Missouri. Dr. Park’s research examines the impact of family law and policy on families during critical transitions (e.g., divorce, childbirth, economic recession). She also researches families in the justice system who have experienced domestic violence.
Eunjin Tracy is an assistant professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science at the University of Missouri. Dr. Tracy’s research interests take a life-course perspective in the ways in which health-related stress (e.g., type 1 diabetes) and sleep and circadian rhythms in the context of couple and family relationships shape trajectories of healthy aging and disease.
Francisco Palermo is an associate professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science at the University of Missouri. Dr. Palermo’s research focuses on strengthening families and fostering young children’s healthy development and school readiness, especially vulnerable families and children at risk of experiencing socioemotional and academic difficulties due to limited English proficiency and adverse childhood experiences, such as poverty.
Kelly Warzinik is an instructor and academic advisor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science at the University of Missouri. Ms. Warzinik entered her current role in 2014 and has been working with Mizzou since 2007. In addition to her capacity as academic advisor, Ms. Warzinik also oversees field training and internships for students in the family and lifespan development program and serves as the HDFS minor and certificate advisor.