Applied Human Development and Family Sciences Admissions

In addition to admission to NIU’s Graduate School for the Applied Human Development and Family Sciences (AHDFS) program, you’ll need to have a minimum of nine semester hours of undergraduate courses in human development and family studies (formerly family and child studies) or the equivalent, including a course in family relations and one in child or lifespan development. Three of the nine hours must be an upper-division family theories or child development theories course.

Admission and acceptance to the AHDFS program is required for admission into either the specialization in marriage and family therapy or the specialization in leadership in aging studies.

You may be required to make up deficiencies in the area of human development and family sciences by successfully completing designated courses. These deficiencies should be completed during the first semester after admission to the major. Graduate students' undergraduate deficiencies have to be met with a grade of B or better. Failure to do so may result in removal from the program.

The maximum combined total of student-at-large hours plus transfer credit used in the degree program may not exceed 12 semester hours. For course work taken while a student-at-large, no more than six semester hours taken in the school and six hours outside of the school may be used in the degree program. Exceptions to these limits may be approved in special cases by the coordinator of the Applied Human Development and Family Sciences faculty, provided that the Graduate School limit of transfer credit is not exceeded.

For more information about admissions requirements and fulfilling course deficiencies, please contact facs@niu.edu or call 815-753-1543.