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Welcome to the Human Development Department website!

And welcome to the Human Development Department if you are new to our major! We appreciate your interest in our rapidly growing department. We have designed this site to provide a general overview of our aims, department, and requirements. Since its inception in 1996, the department has experienced rapid growth with our current majors numbering over 458. Students often comment that there's a strong sense of community among all our majors, with many getting to know one another in classes, internships, and thru study groups. The Human Development Club is an outgrowth of this sense of camaraderie that we all feel. As we look forward to the future, we expect the Department will enjoy a steady growth while maintaining the collegial atmosphere appreciated by our continuing students.

Regarding the curriculum and instructional philosophy, the foundation of the Human Development Department is its interdisciplinary curriculum. Students pursuing the major complete required coursework in several disciplines namely biology, psychology, sociology, and anthropology. The major affords students the opportunity to explore the complex interplay of body, mind, and environment that shapes developmental processes and outcomes. The aim of this approach is to promote a more holistic and lifespan understanding of human development by surveying the subject matter from several complementary and interdependent perspectives and disciplines.

We also believe that it is important for students to have opportunities to combine traditional classroom learning with experiential learning opportunities in human development-related professions. Thus, our major requirements include one "field experience" course wherein students participate in community service learning activities related to their career and intellectual interests in human development. Another distinction and field experience offered to students is tied to an applied research course that helps students conduct research on a subject matter of particular interest to them in human development. These field activities are combined with classroom-based reflection exercises facilitated by Human Development faculty. Many of our majors say that they find our distinctive combination of interdisciplinary and field-based coursework to be one of the most attractive aspects of the major. We hope that you will too.

Another noteworthy feature of the Human Development major is our organization into "concentrations." In addition to completing required core coursework, each student must complete six courses chosen from one of four concentrations: Health Services, Children's Services, Adult and Gerontological Services, and Counseling Services. Courses within each of these concentrations have been selected to provide a solid educational foundation for students wishing to pursue careers in each of these arenas.

Thank you for your interest in our department. Please feel free to send us an email with any further questions you may have or with any suggestions of how we might make this site more helpful to you at: jespinoz@csusm.edu.

Fernando I. Soriano, Ph.D.
Professor & Department Chair
Human Development
California State University, San Marcos
San Marcos, CA 92096
Telephone: (760)750-8033
Email: fsoriano@csusm.edu