Whatever your personal and career goals are, or turn out to be, the college and the department have as our goal that you become a well-educated, informed, citizen and competent professional. Below are the set of goals and objectives which we hope you will have attained by graduation:

Theoretical and Conceptual Understanding

1. Have acquired an understanding of human and family development across the life span, including milestones, stages, and important theories of human and family development.
2. Have acquired an understanding of processes and contextual factors that impact the health and well-being of individuals and families.
3. Have an understanding of concepts and theories central to specific aspects of the human services (e.g., the theoretical and conceptual bases for managing an agency, principles guiding legislative processes, an understanding of American government and principles of our democracy, the history of human services; theories underlying psychotherapies; principles of early childhood education)

Application of Knowledge / Skills

4. Have the skills to analyze information, think critically, problem solve, and critique research.
5. Have effective writing skills for a broad range of settings.
6. Have effective public speaking and interpersonal communication skills.
7. Understand social science research and program evaluation.
8. Demonstrate the ability to able to apply theory and research to field experiences.

Personal and Professional Development

9. Know and adhere to professional standards of conduct.
10. Develop and apply leadership skills.
11. Have an appreciation for different values, beliefs, cultures, and customs, and demonstrate a willingness to contribute to the health and well-being of individuals, couples, and families within the community, state, and world.

You will find these goals repeated in Appendix E. Each course that you take in the major is intended to help you meet these goals. Appendix F shows how the required courses for the major work to build the skills that lead to achievement of these goals. As you will see when you examine that matrix, what you have mastered in one course becomes the foundation for what you do in the next course. Thus, getting courses in the appropriate sequence matters.

Appendix B provides a template for sequencing courses for the 4-year degree. Appendix C provides a chart to help you visualize the sequencing of required courses for the major.