Family, Consumer, & Human Development Major

Admission Requirements

Students with less than 24 semester credits can declare a premajor in FCHD (PFHD). Completion of at least 24 semester credits (including FCHD 1010, 1500, and 2400) with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required for admission into Family, Consumer, and Human Development. Premajor courses for the Family Finance emphasis include FCHD 1010, 1500, 2400, and 2450. A cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required.

Departmental Program Requirements

The department has established the following regulations, which govern students' academic progress:

1. The P/D+, D, and F option cannot be used for courses required in the FCHD major or minor.
2. An overall cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required to enter the major, and a cumulative 3.0 GPA is required for graduation. A GPA of 3.0 in FCHD major courses is also required for graduation.
3. Ten-year Policy. Courses which are required for the major will be accepted if they have been completed within the last 10 years.

Background Check

All students will be required to pass a background check prior to participation in a practicum experience (FCHD 4950, 4970, 4980, or 5950).

Emphasis Requirements

After admission to the FCHD major, students must complete the requirements for one of the following four emphases: Family and Community Services, Human Development, Deaf Education, or Family Finance.

Family and Community Services and Child Development Emphases

Majors choosing one of these two emphases prepare for employment in a variety of occupational settings. Previous graduates have found employment in such settings as child care, Head Start programs, social services agencies, drug treatment centers, youth and adult residential care centers, foster care, youth centers, crisis centers, parent education programs, senior citizen centers, long-term care facilities, adult day care centers, and a host of related federal, state, and local agencies serving families and children. Students are prepared to work in their communities to develop and guide policies for families and children. In addition, FCHD majors receive increased knowledge and skills in topics which will enhance their personal and family lives.

Deaf Education Emphasis

Majors choosing this emphasis are prepared to work with infants and young children who are hearing impaired and their families. Once students have completed their undergraduate degree, they can apply to the graduate program in the Department of Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education and work toward a master's degree with a specialization in Early Childhood Communicative Disorders. This master's program can be completed in two semesters plus a summer session. Students completing the master's program will have the skills necessary to work in early intervention programs called Parent-Infant Programs (or PIP). These programs may be found in every state of the country. Upon completion of the undergraduate FCHD major with the Deaf Education emphasis and the graduate Early Childhood Communicative Disorders specialization, students will have the coursework necessary to cover the competencies for the 0-3 Hearing Endorsement and the EI-2 credential which are necessary to be a parent advisor in Utah.

Family Finance Emphasis

Majors choosing this emphasis will be prepared for careers in financial counseling, advising, and education. Coursework focuses on the financial decisions that individuals and families face relating to insurance, investing, credit, budgeting, and home ownership. Students will complete an off-campus practicum and a Financial Counseling practicum at the Family Life Center on campus. At the Family Life Center, students will encounter various types of financial experiences, including new home buyer counseling sessions and workshops, as well as financial problems related to credit and budgeting, mortgage defaults, and reverse mortgages. The Family Life Center is a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) approved housing and financial counseling agency that provides counseling and education to the community.

Employment opportunities exist with consumer credit counseling services, credit unions, the armed forces, corporate employee assistance programs, employee benefits counseling firms, college financial aid offices, bank loan offices, hospitals, corporate credit offices, bankruptcy courts, community housing programs, Federal Home Administration, and Housing and Urban Development. A student graduating with a Family Finance emphasis may be employed as a personal banker, mortgage loan officer, credit counselor, financial counselor or educator, consumer relations coordinator, military financial educator, debt collections coordinator, credit investigator, fraud detective, insurance broker, stockbroker, or financial planner.

*For major and emphasis requirements see the FCHD Requirement Sheet.