Human Development and Family Sciences

As a Human Development & Family Sciences major or minor, you can:

  • Explore a variety of courses that can count towards your major or minor as core requirements, related courses and electives.
  • Intentionally plan for a semester without major specific courses.
  • Expand your areas of interest within the field through unique course offerings.
  • Immerse yourself in hands-on learning experiences and internships to help shape your future career.
  • Participate in courses abroad with diverse student populations that enrich classroom discussions.
  • Begin or continue studying a foreign language, adding value to your professional skill set.

How will #UConnChangeYourWorld

These programs are recommended based on your academic interests but students can explore additional approved program options via the Program Search.

Short-Term Faculty-Led Programs:

Summer Psychology in Florence
Florence, Italy
Students will appreciate this short-term, Maymester program led by UConn faculty. The Multicultural Psychology course worth 3 credits can also fulfill a Content Area 4: Diversity & Multiculturalism. Students will study alongside other UConn students, taking advantage of all the city of Florence has to offer and will have down time to explore independently as well.

Winter in Costa Rica
Heredia, Costa Rica
This faculty-led, short-term program during the winter break, features two homestays in socioeconomically diverse communities, as well as time spent in the rainforest with a women’s collective. Students will benefit from the 6-credit course structure and options for different types of credit for the two courses offered. The group will explore the human rights world from the perspective of local activists and other guest speakers. Language immersion in addition to a Spanish course will propel students in their proficiency development from any level.

Tuition-Based Programs:

Korea University
Seoul, South Korea
Semester and Academic Year exchanges with diverse courses in psychology. Korea University (KU), founded in 1905, is widely acknowledged as one of the country’s oldest, largest and top-ranked universities in Korea. Its reputation for quality is based on excellence in teaching, research and service to Korean society. Some past course titles include Social Problems, Clinical Psychology, Leisure & Quality of Life, and Contemporary Korean Society. 

Lund University
Lund, Sweden
The University lies in the heart of the city. Everything is close at hand and within easy reach by bicycle or foot. According to a recent survey, Lund is regarded as the best city in Sweden in terms of health, safety and wealth. Semester and Academic Year exchanges featuring social science coursework in gender studies, history, human geography and ecology, social anthropology, and Swedish social policy. Some past course titles include Social Anthropology & Contemporary Swedish Society,

University College Dublin
Dublin, Ireland
Semester and Academic Year exchanges with many courses aligned in the major/minor as well as anthropology and psychology. Some past course titles include  Ireland: Heritage & Culture, the Life Cycle, Child Abuse: Sexual & Domestic, Family & Child Law, Contemporary Irish Welfare State, Masculinities, Gender & Equality, and Family, Ethics & Law.

The Umbra Institute Perugia
Perugia, Italy
The Umbra Institute is located in the historic center of Perugia on the grandiose Piazza IV Novembre. It occupies the main floors of a fifteenth-century palace and the cloisters of the centuries-old Duomo di San Lorenzo. Umbra offers a wide array of courses and program options for study-abroad students from U.S. colleges and universities. This semester program features embedded community engagement, service learning and research experiences. Past courses have included Art Therapy, Experiencing Multicultural Psychology, Education in Italy: Seminar & Practicum, Critical Disabilities Studies: Seminar & Practicum, Human Development in Culture, and Intercultural Communication.

University College Masstricht  
Maastrict, Netherlands
Students learn in an innovative teaching system which offers a challenging and exciting academic experience and a close-knit community in one of the most beautiful and oldest towns in the Netherlands. UCM is very international, and about half of the students come from countries outside the Netherlands. Semester and Academic Year exchanges studying academic subjects including child rights, consumer behavior, personality psychology, global inequity and urban development. Some past course titles include the Psychology of Individual Differences, Culture & Identity in a Globalizing Europe, Personality Psychology and Social Problems.

Fee-Based Semester Programs:

AIFS Athens
Athens, Greece
Located on a beautiful, wooded hillside in the attractive suburb of Aghia Paraskevi, the campus is home to a student population of over 2,500. Over 85% of the student body year round is Greek, so AIFS students have plenty of opportunities to make local friends. This semester program has course options in developmental psychology, sociology and economics and more. Past course titles include Cultural Anthropology, Criminology, Modern Greece: A Troubled History, and Developmental Psychology: the Preschool Years.

KEI in Bangkok, Thailand
Bangkok, Thailand
Discover the traditional spices of Bangkok, Thailand as you float through the market and visit the golden temples. Then experience the energetic dominance of the modern city when you see the maze of skyscrapers pushing into the sky. Students can take courses in social sciences as well as other subject areas at Thailand’s top university. Past course titles include Educational Psychology, Drug Use & Behavior, Southeast Asian Women, and Thai Society & Thai Culture. 

Finances are an integral part of the program selection and planning process. Research scholarships early to meet application deadlines and request feedback on essays from advisors and the Writing Center.

Featured Scholarships:

McMahon Family Endowment for Global Education

Elizabeth C. Hanson Scholarship

To learn more and discover other financial opportunities to fund your Experiential Global Learning opportunity, visit our scholarships page.

Students are encouraged to gather information through advising and participating in Experiential Global Learning events:

Experiential Global Learning Calendar
Learn about upcoming information sessions and events.

Experiential Global Learning Advisor
Schedule an appointment.

HDFS Department
Schedule an appointment with your advisor.

Financial Aid for Experiential Global Learning
Learn how to use your financial aid.

Academic

As a Human Development & Family Sciences major or minor, you can:

  • Explore a variety of courses that can count towards your major or minor as core requirements, related courses and electives.
  • Intentionally plan for a semester without major specific courses.
  • Expand your areas of interest within the field through unique course offerings.
  • Immerse yourself in hands-on learning experiences and internships to help shape your future career.
  • Participate in courses abroad with diverse student populations that enrich classroom discussions.
  • Begin or continue studying a foreign language, adding value to your professional skill set.

How will #UConnChangeYourWorld

Programs

These programs are recommended based on your academic interests but students can explore additional approved program options via the Program Search.

Short-Term Faculty-Led Programs:

Summer Psychology in Florence
Florence, Italy
Students will appreciate this short-term, Maymester program led by UConn faculty. The Multicultural Psychology course worth 3 credits can also fulfill a Content Area 4: Diversity & Multiculturalism. Students will study alongside other UConn students, taking advantage of all the city of Florence has to offer and will have down time to explore independently as well.

Winter in Costa Rica
Heredia, Costa Rica
This faculty-led, short-term program during the winter break, features two homestays in socioeconomically diverse communities, as well as time spent in the rainforest with a women’s collective. Students will benefit from the 6-credit course structure and options for different types of credit for the two courses offered. The group will explore the human rights world from the perspective of local activists and other guest speakers. Language immersion in addition to a Spanish course will propel students in their proficiency development from any level.

Tuition-Based Programs:

Korea University
Seoul, South Korea
Semester and Academic Year exchanges with diverse courses in psychology. Korea University (KU), founded in 1905, is widely acknowledged as one of the country’s oldest, largest and top-ranked universities in Korea. Its reputation for quality is based on excellence in teaching, research and service to Korean society. Some past course titles include Social Problems, Clinical Psychology, Leisure & Quality of Life, and Contemporary Korean Society. 

Lund University
Lund, Sweden
The University lies in the heart of the city. Everything is close at hand and within easy reach by bicycle or foot. According to a recent survey, Lund is regarded as the best city in Sweden in terms of health, safety and wealth. Semester and Academic Year exchanges featuring social science coursework in gender studies, history, human geography and ecology, social anthropology, and Swedish social policy. Some past course titles include Social Anthropology & Contemporary Swedish Society,

University College Dublin
Dublin, Ireland
Semester and Academic Year exchanges with many courses aligned in the major/minor as well as anthropology and psychology. Some past course titles include  Ireland: Heritage & Culture, the Life Cycle, Child Abuse: Sexual & Domestic, Family & Child Law, Contemporary Irish Welfare State, Masculinities, Gender & Equality, and Family, Ethics & Law.

The Umbra Institute Perugia
Perugia, Italy
The Umbra Institute is located in the historic center of Perugia on the grandiose Piazza IV Novembre. It occupies the main floors of a fifteenth-century palace and the cloisters of the centuries-old Duomo di San Lorenzo. Umbra offers a wide array of courses and program options for study-abroad students from U.S. colleges and universities. This semester program features embedded community engagement, service learning and research experiences. Past courses have included Art Therapy, Experiencing Multicultural Psychology, Education in Italy: Seminar & Practicum, Critical Disabilities Studies: Seminar & Practicum, Human Development in Culture, and Intercultural Communication.

University College Masstricht  
Maastrict, Netherlands
Students learn in an innovative teaching system which offers a challenging and exciting academic experience and a close-knit community in one of the most beautiful and oldest towns in the Netherlands. UCM is very international, and about half of the students come from countries outside the Netherlands. Semester and Academic Year exchanges studying academic subjects including child rights, consumer behavior, personality psychology, global inequity and urban development. Some past course titles include the Psychology of Individual Differences, Culture & Identity in a Globalizing Europe, Personality Psychology and Social Problems.

Fee-Based Semester Programs:

AIFS Athens
Athens, Greece
Located on a beautiful, wooded hillside in the attractive suburb of Aghia Paraskevi, the campus is home to a student population of over 2,500. Over 85% of the student body year round is Greek, so AIFS students have plenty of opportunities to make local friends. This semester program has course options in developmental psychology, sociology and economics and more. Past course titles include Cultural Anthropology, Criminology, Modern Greece: A Troubled History, and Developmental Psychology: the Preschool Years.

KEI in Bangkok, Thailand
Bangkok, Thailand
Discover the traditional spices of Bangkok, Thailand as you float through the market and visit the golden temples. Then experience the energetic dominance of the modern city when you see the maze of skyscrapers pushing into the sky. Students can take courses in social sciences as well as other subject areas at Thailand’s top university. Past course titles include Educational Psychology, Drug Use & Behavior, Southeast Asian Women, and Thai Society & Thai Culture. 

Finances

Finances are an integral part of the program selection and planning process. Research scholarships early to meet application deadlines and request feedback on essays from advisors and the Writing Center.

Featured Scholarships:

McMahon Family Endowment for Global Education

Elizabeth C. Hanson Scholarship

To learn more and discover other financial opportunities to fund your Experiential Global Learning opportunity, visit our scholarships page.

Resources & Contacts

Students are encouraged to gather information through advising and participating in Experiential Global Learning events:

Experiential Global Learning Calendar
Learn about upcoming information sessions and events.

Experiential Global Learning Advisor
Schedule an appointment.

HDFS Department
Schedule an appointment with your advisor.

Financial Aid for Experiential Global Learning
Learn how to use your financial aid.

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