Career outlook and support

With an aging population, social pressures on young adults, and the rapidly changing profile of the American family, employment in HDFS related fields is projected to grow faster than the average for all occupations (source: U.S. Bureau of Labor).

In addition to HDFS’s career-ready curriculum, the School of Human Ecology’s Advising & Career Center offers a variety of helpful resources and employer connections to support  you as you launch a meaningful career centered on families, relationships, and health.

Experience-based learning

‘Practice your profession’ through paid internships and other hands-on learning opportunities.

In advanced courses like Developmental and Family Assessment (HDFS 663), you will work directly with children through community-based placements and practice skills like developmental screening, family interviewing, and focused observation.

Through a required internship-for-credit opportunity, you’ll gain valuable professional experience that will set you apart in your job search.

Off-campus internship examples:

• Intern at the Ronald McDonald Family Room at St. Mary’s Hospital
• Nursing Operations Intern
• Child Health Advocacy Intern
• Primary Care Health Technician Intern
• Legal Intern at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP in New York

On-campus internships examples:

• Child Development Lab
  Work directly with children and families through internship opportunities at the renowned Child Development Lab, our onsite laboratory preschool offering applied learning, research opportunities, and classroom observations.

• PELICAN Center
  Connect with community partners to advance early literacy, child health advocacy, and relational health initiatives through the PELICAN Center.

Research Labs

Students interested in hands-on research with HDFS faculty can become involved with opportunities such as:

• • HEALthy Brain and Child Development Study
    NIH-funded and the largest long-term investigation of early brain and child development in the United States
  • Riser Equitable Early Lifespan (REEL) Lab
    Studies how early economic conditions, parental stress, and social supports influence child development and family well-being across diverse communities.
  • Other research underway at one of the 11 faculty-led, social science research labs at the School of Human Ecology