Welcome to the page for the Human Ecology PhD – Human Development & Family Studies! The Human Ecology PhD is housed within the School of Human Ecology and broadly aims to understand how humans interact with their lived environment. In the Human Development & Family Studies named option, scholars do so by studying individuals and families at each stage of development, from birth until death.
The Human Ecology PhD – Human Development & Family Studies is among the top of its kind nationally, providing students with opportunities for advanced interdisciplinary study, research, and outreach. Faculty in the Department of Human Development & Family Studies have a rich breadth and depth of research interests, professional connections, and expertise from which graduate students benefit via mentorship.
Our Principles of Graduate Training
We encourage scholarship that takes into account the larger social and cultural contexts in which people live and develop, including community, social class, ethnicity, historical change, and public policy.
We believe graduate training is most effective when students are able to pursue research and outreach tailored to their individual interests and aspirations. A chance to work closely with world-class faculty offers opportunities to co-author scholarly articles, present at conferences and professional workshops, collaborate on research and evaluation projects, and engage with community groups and policy makers to impact social change.
The Wisconsin Idea of transferring knowledge into real-world solutions facing today’s individuals, families, and communities is central to our program. Many students work closely with policy and community, both locally and nationally, to gather, disseminate, and apply scientific knowledge.
In addition to world-renowned faculty, students in the program can take advantage of the department’s many affiliated programs and Centers. These include the UW Child Development Lab, Center for Financial Security, the Center for Community and Nonprofit Studies, the Waisman Center, the Institute for Research on Poverty, and the Morgridge Center for Public Service.
HDFS is also a co-sponsor of the interdisciplinary training program in Prevention Science which offers both a doctoral minor and certificate in prevention science. Finally, the department has close ties to the state Extension network which serves as an important link between campus and county-based Extension colleagues, stakeholders, partners, and the residents of Wisconsin.
Coursework & Curriculum
PhD Curriculum
The PhD curriculum is designed to provide advanced training in HDFS. Whether our graduates end up in academic or applied settings, we prepare them for work that includes independent research, outreach, and teaching. Here are some key things to know about our PhD Curriculum:
Research-based master’s thesis required
Students who are admitted to the PhD program are expected to have completed a research-based master’s thesis prior to admission or to complete the requirements for our MS degree as part of their PhD curriculum. Students who apply to our PhD program with a master’s degree that does not include an empirical thesis will need to complete a pre-doctoral research project prior to taking the doctoral preliminary exam. PhD students must take a proseminar in HDFS and three courses in human development and family theory. Students choose additional HDFS graduate courses to fill out their major area of concentration.
Methodology core requirement & minor concentration
There is a methodology core requirement of one course in advanced statistics and one course in advanced research methods. These advanced methodology courses are beyond those required for the MS. In addition, all students must complete 10 credits in a minor concentration area.
Road to the PhD
Full-time students can expect at least three years of work toward the PhD after the requirements for the MS are met. Students take their preliminary exam after completing their required course work (usually at the end of their second year). This exam requires students to use their knowledge and skills regarding theory, research methodology, and the student’s substantive areas of interest. Upon completion of the preliminary exam, the student must prepare a dissertation proposal. All students are required to complete a dissertation and defend it in a final oral examination.
Individualized program emphasis
Within the PhD program, students may choose to focus on preparation for an applied career by tailoring their program to emphasize such areas as applied research, prevention science, family policy, program development and evaluation, community development, or public policy.
Methodological Orientation
Reflecting the multidisciplinary orientation of the program, faculty and students employ a wide array of methods in their work. Faculty possess expertise in areas as diverse as longitudinal modeling, community-based research, qualitative research, program evaluation, observational methods, survey methodology, and action research. The program explicitly values both qualitative and quantitative methods and encourages students to become proficient in both.
Courses
The program offers courses on development throughout the lifespan and across ecological settings, with topics including risk and resiliency throughout the life span, positive human development, adult development and relationships, and aging and the family. Courses that address the applications of research to practice are also part of the curriculum. To learn about our program’s required courses, see the HDFS PhD program requirements in the Graduate School Guide
Recent Alumni
- Nadia Alnassar, PhD, CCLS 2025
- Aosai Liu, PhD 2025
- Bolim Suh, PhD 2025
- Emma Flanagan, PhD 2025
- Hyojin Choi, PhD 2024
- Sarah Braaten, PhD 2024
- Laura Evans, PhD 2024
- Elizabeth Skora Horgan, PhD 2022
- Roxy Etta, PhD 2022
- Mariela Quesada Centeno, PhD 2022
- Kerrie Ann Fanning, PhD 2022
- Jennifer Putney, PhD 2022
- Dave Smallen, PhD 2021
- Mengguo Jing, PhD 2021
- Seung Heon Yoo, PhD 2021
- Ye Rang Park, PhD 2020
- Shari Blumenstock, PhD 2019
- Carolyn Liesen, PhD 2019
- Dayana Kupisk, PhD 2019
- Emily Parrott, PhD 2019
- Albert Burgess-Hull, PhD 2018
- Emily Hickey, PhD 2018
- Iulia Mihaila, PhD 2018
- Amy Taub PhD 2018
- Lauren Lewis PhD 2017
- Cynthia Burnson PhD 2016
- Laura Pinsoneault PhD 2015
Student Stories
Meet “Those Media Moms”: Human Ecology alumni Drs. Roxanne Etta and Elizabeth Horgan make their national debut on Good Morning America
“Good Morning America finding our website and social media platforms and reaching out to us, barely four months into our business — it was an incredible proof of concept."
Persevering through sisterhood: Meet PhD student Prudence Yokonia
Growing up in Zimbabwe, Prudence's journey to joining the School of Human Ecology as a Human Development & Family Studies PhD student has been up and down, and even cosmically aligned at times.
Program Contacts
Graduate Program Committee Chair
Sigan Hartley, PhD
100 Women Distinguished Chair in Human Ecology | Professor of Human Development & Family Studies
608-265-5424