The Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) program at UVM will help prepare you for a broad range of professional careers that improve the lives of people across the entire lifespan. You will explore the ways people grow and develop, form relationships and families, and cope with the common events of life.

The IDP offers a unique opportunity for the very capable, imaginative student to create his/her own educational program sequence and to accept the risks and challenges inherent in self-prescribed learning.

As a professional social worker, you are qualified to work in many areas of the health, education, justice, or social service systems in the public or private sector. You could work with and on behalf of diverse groups, from infants to elders, rural families to urban families, homeless women to runaway youth. Your job duties often involve any of a wide range of activities, from prevention, crisis intervention, conflict resolution and counseling, to community organizing and organizational management.

The undergraduate Teacher Education programs include Art, Early Childhood Education, Early Childhood Special Education, Elementary, Middle Level, Music, Physical Education and Secondary Education. All students are required to meet specific criteria for admittance into the professional portion of the program and for a teaching internship placement as well as for a recommendation for licensure.

The Curriculum and Instruction Master of Education Program is designed to develop leadership in educational settings such as teaching, curriculum theory, curriculum development, and related areas of research for public/private elementary and secondary school settings. Work at the graduate level draws upon other divisions of the University, thus enabling the College to develop strong programs of professional education, which include academic offerings in the various teaching fields in elementary and secondary education.

The Education Leadership Master of Education Program is designed to cultivate leaders who can apply knowledge toward leading and building learning communities designed to make a positive difference in the lives of children, youth, families, adults, and communities. The program prepares public and private school leaders, curriculum leaders, teacher leaders, leaders of educational and social service agencies, and leaders for other educational organizations. The program is designed to prepare leaders to think and act creatively, responsibly, and effectively in leadership roles. Successful completion of this program may lead to recommendation for Vermont State Administrative Licensure.

The Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration (HESA) Master of Education program is designed to prepare professionals to apply student development, organizational, foundational, multicultural and administrative principles to work with students. Working closely with faculty and in-place practitioners, graduate students in the program are challenged to experience an unparalleled learning experience. Graduates from the Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration program pursue careers as professionals in colleges and universities, as well as in fields related to higher education throughout the country.

This Master of Education degree program is for students who wish to pursue an individually designed, integrated program of study. The program draws primarily from graduate courses in Educational Leadership, Counseling, Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration, and Educational Studies but may include courses from other departments within the College and the university.

The University of Vermont Graduate Counseling Program is designed to prepare students with the professional knowledge and skills they need to act as facilitators of change and growth for individuals, groups, and organizations. Counseling Program graduates receive a Master of Science degree and are prepared to work as professional counselors in a wide variety of settings.

The doctoral programs in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies are applied research programs for professionals serving in educational leadership positions in preK-12 schools, colleges, healthcare, law enforcement, and social service organizations. The programs seek to produce leaders who can construct and apply knowledge to make a positive difference in the lives of individuals, families and communities.