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Our graduate degree programs offer students a culturally diverse and educationally challenging environment that explores the lives and experiences of children, youth, and families across varied social, economic, and cultural contexts. We offer a Master of Science (M.S.) degree. The Master of Science program is research-based, designed to prepare students to work in research settings and doctoral studies. The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) program is designed to train students for an academic or a research career. The doctoral curriculum engages students in the highest level of scholarship within their areas of interest.
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Application
Non-refundable application fee
Official transcripts of earlier academic degrees
GRE scores (may be waived for M.A./ M.S./Ph.D.)
TOEFL and financial statement (if applicable)
Three letters of recommendation (preferably from faculty members)
Personal statement reflective of career goals and objectives (including research and teaching interests).
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Note: Students who received a graduate degree from Syracuse University more than 12 months prior to their application to the Human Development and Family Science graduate program should go to the Syracuse University Admissions webpage for instructions.
Enrollment
Master’s Full and Part-Time Enrollment
Students may pursue their graduate degree on a full or part-time basis. Students must enroll in a minimum of nine credit hours a semester for full-time status. Students enrolled in six credit hours or less a semester are considered part- time.
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Individuals who are not formally admitted into a Human Development and Family Science (H.D.F.S.) graduate degree program , but wish to enroll in H.D.F.S. courses may do so as a non-matriculated student. Non-matriculated students may take up to a maximum of nine credit hours of coursework, beyond which they must apply to be formally admitted into a graduate degree program. Students who have completed coursework on a non-matriculated basis, prior to their admission into the graduate program, may petition to have the courses applied towards their degree requirements.
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In preparation for the review, all graduate students are required to complete the Annual Review for Graduate Students form, and attach your current Curriculum Vitae (C.V).
Note that you will be able to attach your C.V. at the end of the online form. Both of these documents will be forwarded to your advisor.NOTE: The deadline for completion is on or before April 15th.
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Master’s degree — Full-time students must complete all coursework within three years from the time that they register for the first course applied in their master’s degree program. Part-time students must work with their advisor to complete a course timeline that must be approved by the Graduate Committee to become effective. All students must complete their master’s thesis or project within two years of finishing their coursework.
Doctoral degree — The maximum time allowed to reach candidacy status complete the doctoral program (the completion of all required coursework and , comprehensive exam, and successfully defended dissertation) is eight years from the term a student matriculates into the doctoral program. Doctoral candidates Students must complete their dissertations within five years of passing their comprehensive examinationsthe comprehensive exam by the fall semester of their fourth year at the latest.
Program Extensions
In the event that a graduate student cannot complete their degree within the allotted time, they may apply for a one-time 6-month extension. To request an extension, students should consult their advisor and submit a formal request to the graduate director. The request should be in the form of a memorandum stating the reason for the extension and must include a detailed plan with a timeline outlining how the remaining work will be completed within the 6-month extension period. Please note that extensions are granted only under the most extenuating circumstances (e.g., major illness). The department chair in consultation with the graduate committee makes the final decision. Note that students who are granted an extension are required to register for GRD 991 and pay the associated fees (review the following section on Exceeding Time to Degree Requirements).
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If the student exceeds the eight-year degree completion limit, the student must submit a petition for an extension to the Graduate School by the second semester of their eighth year, supported by the department and advisor. This petition must provide evidence of academic progress on the dissertation and include a detailed plan for its completion within one year. Students with an approved petition must register for GRD 991, paying for at least one credit hour per semester; failing to register for GRD 991 in a given term will result in withdrawal from the program. Petitions to extend the eight-year time-to-degree requirement will not be approved for more than one year at a time. Extensions beyond one year are granted only under significant extenuating circumstances and require approval from both the program and the Graduate School. Doctoral students admitted before Fall 2023, who are already in or past their eighth year, must develop a realistic detailed plan for dissertation completion. This plan should be endorsed by both the department and the academic advisor. Upon agreement by the department and advisor, the student should petition the Graduate School Dean for an approval of a formalized timeline for degree completion. Subsequent extension requests are evaluated on a case-by-case basis and necessitate GRD 991 registration. Students beyond their eighth year who do not adhere to these terms will be withdrawn from the program.
Masters
Master's students have 7 years to complete their degree but there are no financial implications if they do not.
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At least 12 credits of elective coursework must be selected from the H.D.F.S. Department or related programs (e.g., Psychology, Education, Policy Studies, Sociology, Anthropology). Graduate courses are indicated by their course number (500 or above). Students should consult with their faculty advisor prior to selecting courses. Elective courses should be consistent with the student’s academic interests and goals , and form a coherent program of study. For a complete list of available courses, please consult the Syracuse University Course Catalog.
Independent Study:
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Culminating Project/Research Options (3 crs.):
Students are required to select one of the following options to fulfill either the Master’s Applied Project/Internship or Thesis requirement.
HFS 996 - Masters Project 3 credit(s)
This practical/applied option requires students to undertake an applied project or internship in real-world settings.
HFS 997 - Masters Thesis 3 credit(s)
This theoretical/research-based option requires students to undertake a scholarly thesis with data analyses and is particularly suitable for those interested in a research career or a Ph.D. program.
Independent Study:
M.S. students may take up to 3 credits as “Independent Study.” An independent study may include research projects, literature reviews, or other scholarly activities beyond those involved in standard coursework. All independent studies are conducted under the supervision of a faculty member. Students must complete the “Independent Study Form.” The independent study must be completed in the semester when it is undertaken.
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In addition to their coursework, M.A. students must complete a “master’s project.” Students are expected to work in service or agency settings on projects approved by their faculty committees. Students must communicate with the HDFS Internship Coordinator 4-6 weeks prior to the start of the semester to secure a placement agency. Applied work can include assisting an agency to plan and/or implement a program for families/children at a human service agency or related program on the local, national, or international level. Projects have been conducted in agencies such as the Children’s Defense Fund, Head Start, and local childcare programs.
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When the project is completed, the student must provide a written report to his/her faculty advisor who will ascertain the quality of the project and provide feedback. After the faculty advisor has given his/her approval of the document, the student should submit a copy of the project to the other members of the committee (3-4 weeks). After all committee members have approved the document, the student can set the final defense date. M.A. students Students are not required to complete a Request for Examination form. Students should follow the American Psychological Association (A.P.A.) guidelines. Students are responsible for properly tracking their practicum hours (90 per semester) via the timesheets provided by the HDFS Internship Coordinator.
Defenses may be scheduled during the fall and spring semesters only.
The final oral defense of a project may be waived if any of the following conditions are met.
Student has written up the specific project for a scientific journal and it has been published or is in press (as primary author)
Student has presented on the specific project at a national conference (as primary author)
Student’s grant proposal based on the project has been funded (as primary investigator)
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At least 15 credit hours of content must be selected from within the H.D.F.S. Department. The remaining 21 credits can be completed in H.D.F.S. or in other programs such as Psychology, Education, Policy Studies, Sociology, Anthropology, or African-American Studies. Students should consult with faculty advisors prior to selecting courses both inside and outside of the department. Courses should be selected that match with the students’ academic interests and goals. Students may choose courses at or above the 600 level. All students must complete a two-semester sequence in statistics and research methods. For a complete list of available graduate courses, please consult the 20232024-2024 2025 Graduate Course Catalog. In addition to the list of courses in the catalog, faculty members regularly offer courses within their areas of specialization and research interests.
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The Comprehensive Exam is designed to assess a student’s knowledge, skills, and ability in conducting research in Human Development and Family Science, in preparation for the dissertation. There are several options for the form this exam can take that are designed to fit with students’ differing interests and career goals. Doctoral students must successfully complete the exam, which represents the successful completion of a qualifying project, before they can advance to candidacy. Students enrolled in the M.S. and who have continued on to the Ph.D. program must have submitted their Master’s thesis prior to sitting for the comprehensive examinations. After completing coursework, students Students should take the comprehensive exam during their third year of full-time study and must complete by the fall semester of their 4th year in the program at the latest. If successful in passing the comprehensive exam, they should defend their dissertation proposals in the spring/summer of that same year (year 4) in the program at the latest. If successful in defending their dissertation proposals, they can proceed to write their dissertations and defend the final dissertation in year 5 at the latest.
By the end of the semester students have completed their coursework, students, in consultation with their advisor, should form their comprehensive exam committee, which will consist of three faculty members including the student’s advisor. It is expected that this committee will continue to serve as the student’s dissertation committee upon successful completion of the comprehensive exam. In consultation with the committee, students will determine the topic and format of their comprehensive exam as well as a timeline for completion. Upon completion of the project, they will submit to their committee for approval and feedback. Projects resulting from the comprehensive exam should not be submitted to external organizations (e.g., journal, IRB, grant agency) before receiving from the committee, unless they have received prior approval (e.g., approval to use a prior paper as the comprehensive exam. All projects can have coauthors or collaborators, but the student must be the primary author and be responsible for the research questions, analysis, writing, etc. The literature review paper and research paper options could become the first paper of a three-paper dissertation, whereas the data collection protocol and grant submission options will inform the topic and methods for the dissertation.
Comprehensive Exam Options:
Literature review paper option - The student will write a publishable quality review paper on a topic relevant to their dissertation topic. It need not be a structured or systematic review, but provide a comprehensive review of the literature, including discussion of relevant theories, research findings, methodologies, and areas for future research
Comprehensive Exam Options:
Literature review paper option - The student will write a publishable quality review paper on a topic relevant to their dissertation topic. It need not be a structured or systematic review, but provide a comprehensive review of the literature, including discussion of relevant theories, research findings, methodologies, and areas for future research. While there is no set page limit, they will generally be expected to be the length of a publishable journal article and approximately 30 pages. The student will submit the final paper to their committee for review.
Research paper option - The student will write a publishable quality research paper (qualitative or quantitative) to be submitted to a journal. The student will be responsible for conceptualizing the research questions, analyzing the data, and drafting all sections of the paper; however, they may have other coauthors who can provide feedback. The student will submit the final paper to their committee for review .Research paper option - The student will write a publishable quality research paper (qualitative or quantitative) to be submitted to a journal. The student will be responsible for conceptualizing the research questions, analyzing the data, and drafting all sections of the paper; however, they may have other coauthors who can provide feedback. The student will submit the final paper to their committee for review prior to journal submission. However, in cases where a student has already published or submitted a paper prior to journal submission. However, in cases where a student has already published or submitted a paper while in the HDFS program, it can be approved for the comprehensive exam by the committee if the advisor and other collaborators attest that the student completed the vast majority of work on the paper. Papers should be written as full-length reports to a target journal and must incorporate relevant theory.
Grant proposal option - The student will write a proposal for an external dissertation grant (e.g., NIH F31, NIH R36 or other comparable foundation grant). Grants may differ in funding amount, etc., but the submission must be of a length and scope that will demonstrate the skills necessary for the dissertation. The students will follow all grant submission guidelines for writing and then submit the manuscript document to their committee for review. Students may then submit their proposal to the funding organization if eligible, though submission is not required to complete the comprehensive exam. Students who For an NIH grant, the document sent to the committee should include the specific aims and research strategy. For grants from other sources, students should submit the comparable documents that demonstrate the significance, background literature and theory, and research methods proposed. Students may then submit their proposal to the funding organization if eligible, though submission is not required to complete the comprehensive exam. Students who are choosing to submit their proposal must submit the draft proposal to their comprehensive exam committee for feedback at least one month prior to the grant submission deadline.The Assessment Committee will evaluate the quality of the student’s review and will render a decision of whether the student’s review satisfactorily met the standards of the Department (i.e., “pass” or “not pass”). The comprehensive examination will be scored using a standard evaluation rubric. The Committee’s evaluation will be completed within one month of the submission of the review. The Committee’s evaluation of the review shall be submitted to the Director of Graduate Studies. The Graduate Director will inform the student of the committee’s decision on the quality of her/his work within 3 weeks of the receipt of the evaluation. Should the committee have concerns about the quality of the student’s work, the student will have one opportunity to improve the quality of her/his work. The resubmission must be completed within a period within a period of 6 months following the committee’s request for revision of the review. Students whose work is deemed not satisfactory on their second attempt will be dismissed from the Program
Comprehensive Exam Process
By the end of the semester prior to when the comprehensive exam is taken (generally when all or nearly all non-thesis coursework is completed), students, in consultation with their advisor, should form their comprehensive exam committee, which will consist of three faculty members, including the student’s advisor. At least two of the committee members must be faculty in HDFS. It is expected that this committee will continue to serve as the student’s dissertation committee upon successful completion of the comprehensive exam.
Once the student has established the committee and decided upon the qualifying project format, they will contact the graduate director and administrative assistant and let them know their qualifying project plans and committee membership.
The student will work with their advisor to create a proposal for their qualifying project and timeline for completion. The proposal will include a description of the importance of their topic, relevant theories, and gaps in the literature, and how their project will fill current gaps in the literature, and their proposed methodologies for the project, with references (about 10-20). The format will look slightly different depending on the proposed type, but should situate the student’s work within the current literature, provide a rationale for the work, and include information about the methods students will use.
a. For the review paper and research paper options, the proposal will be a short document (about 4-6 pages double spaced) that includes sections on theory, literature review, and proposed methodology for the project.
b. For the grant option, the proposal will be an NIH format specific aims page (1 page single-spaced) that includes theory, a very short literature review, specific aims, and a brief discussion of methods used. Along with their aims page, the student should include a document with the link to the specific program announcement and a discussion of their plans for submission (e.g., if they will submit the proposal to the funding source and what deadline they are aiming for). For non-NIH proposals, another short summary document, such as a draft letter of intent, etc., is also acceptable.
Once the proposal and timeline is drafted and approved by the student’s advisor, the advisor will send the proposal to the dissertation committee, cc’ing the graduate director.
The committee will then give feedback on the proposal and discuss the feasibility of the proposed timeline. Committee members will provide their feedback to the advisor within two weeks, and the advisor will summarize this feedback and provide feedback on necessary changes to the student.
The student will then complete their qualifying project by the deadline determined by the committee and submit the final project.
The committee will then meet and discuss whether the project is acceptable or whether revisions are required to pass the comprehensive exam. The comprehensive examination will be scored using a standard evaluation rubric. The Committee’s evaluation will be completed within one month of the submission of the review.
The advisor will communicate the results to the graduate director and administrative assistant.
The Graduate Director will inform the student of the committee’s decision on the quality of their work within 1 week of the receipt of the evaluation.
10. Should the committee have concerns about the quality of the student’s work, the student will have one opportunity to improve the quality of their work. The resubmission must be completed within a period of 6 months following the committee’s request for revision of the review. Students whose work is deemed not satisfactory on their second attempt will be dismissed from the Program.
There are no set dates to complete the comprehensive exams; however, projects should be completed in about one semester/four months from proposal approval and must be completed by the 4th year Fall at the latest (and should generally be completed in the 3rd year). Projects resulting from the comprehensive exam should not be submitted to external organizations (e.g., journal, IRB, grant agency) before receiving feedback from the committee, unless they have received prior approval (e.g., approval to use a prior paper as the comprehensive exam). If a student uses an existing paper for the research paper option, their proposal should situate the project in current theory and literature and discuss why the project is suitable for the comprehensive exam. In this case, the committee will approve the proposal and qualifying project in the same round of feedback (e.g., decide whether the paper is an acceptable qualifying project in step 5) unless there are objections to the use of the paper as the qualifying project. All projects can have coauthors or collaborators, but the student must be the primary author and be responsible for the research questions, analysis, writing, etc. The literature review paper and research paper options could become the first paper of a three-paper dissertation, whereas the data collection protocol and grant submission options will inform the topic and methods for the dissertation.
Upon successful completion of the requirements for the Doctoral Examination students will advance to the status of “doctoral candidate.”
Doctoral Candidacy
Once a doctoral student has completed all coursework and passed the comprehensive examination, they advance to the status of “doctoral candidate.” This indicates that you have completed all the degree requirements with the exception of the dissertation. Doctoral candidates have five years to complete their dissertation from the date they passed the comprehensive examination.
Dissertation
Dissertation Committee:
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Overarching Introduction. The introductory section should provide an introduction to the general topic area. It should state the importance of studying the topic, backed by theoretical or conceptual model(s) and a brief review of relevant literature. After introducing the topic, this section should then summarize the proposed papers, describing how they are important to the study of the general topic area. The student will then include a reference section for the overarching introduction.
Proposed Paper 1. This section will propose a publishable-quality paper 1 in the topic area, written with a target journal in mind. It will typically include the following sections:
Introduction. This section will typically include a) theoretical or conceptual model, b) literature review, c) research aims or hypotheses.
Proposed methods. This section will include information about the participants,
procedures, and methods used in the study. For primary data collection projects, this will include information about how participants will be recruited, target number of participants, and the proposed procedures and measures. For secondary analysis projects, this section will include a description of the data and procedures used to collect it, and descriptive information about the sample and/or analytic sample to be used in the paper. In addition, this section should describe the proposed analyses for the paper.References for Paper 1.
Proposed Paper 2. This section will propose a publishable-quality paper 2 in the topic area, written with a target journal in mind. This should be tailored to the research questions for Paper 2. It will typically include the following sections:
Introduction. This section will typically include a) theoretical or conceptual model, b) literature review, c) research aims or hypotheses.
Proposed methods. This section will include information about the participants,
procedures, and methods used in the study. For primary data collection projects, this will include information about how participants will be recruited, target number of participants, and the proposed procedures and measures. For secondary analysis projects, this section will include a description of the data and procedures used to collect it, and descriptive information about the sample and/or analytic sample to be used in the paper. In addition, this section should describe the proposed analyses for the paper.References for Paper 2.
Proposed Paper 3. This section will propose a publishable-quality paper 3 in the topic area, written with a target journal in mind. This should be tailored to the research questions for Paper 3. It will typically include the following sections:
Introduction. This section will typically include a) theoretical or conceptual model, b) literature review, c) research aims or hypotheses.
Proposed methods. This section will include information about the participants,
procedures, and methods used in the study. For primary data collection projects, this will include information about how participants will be recruited, target number of participants, and the proposed procedures and measures. For secondary analysis projects, this section will include a description of the data and procedures used to collect it, and descriptive information about the sample and/or analytic sample to be used in the paper. In addition, this section should describe the proposed analyses for the paper.References for Paper 3.
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Abstract (for the dissertation as a whole)
Overarching Introduction. The introductory section should provide an introduction to the general topic area. It should state the importance of studying the topic, backed by theoretical or conceptual model(s) and a brief review of relevant literature. After Introducing the topic, this section should then summarize the papers, describing how they are important to the study of the general topic area. The student will then include a reference section for the overarching introduction.
Paper 1. This section will be a publishable-quality paper 1 in the topic area, written with a target journal in mind. This paper 1 should be specifically tailored to address its unique research questions, clearly distinguishing it from other papers in the dissertation. It will typically include the following sections, depending on what is appropriate for the journal:
Introduction. This section will typically include a) theoretical or conceptual model, b) literature review, c) research aims or hypotheses.
Methods. This section will include information about the participants, procedures, and methods used in the study.
Results. This section will discuss the results for paper 1, with appropriate reporting of statistics, tables and figures.
Discussion. This section will contextualize the results of paper 1, linking it to the theoretical models and prior literature, providing potential explanations for findings, and discussing the implications of the findings.
References for Paper 1.
Paper 2. This section will propose a publishable-quality paper 2 in the topic area, written with a target journal in mind. This should be tailored to the research questions for Paper 2. It will typically include the following sections:
Introduction. This section will typically include a) theoretical or conceptual model, b) literature review, c) research aims or hypotheses.
Methods. This section will include information about the participants, procedures, and methods used in the study.
Results. This section will discuss the results for paper 2, with appropriate reporting of statistics, tables and figures.
Discussion. This section will contextualize the results of paper 2, linking it to the theoretical models and prior literature, providing potential explanations for findings, and discussing the implications of the findings.
References for Paper 2.
Paper 3. This section will propose a publishable-quality paper 3 in the topic area, written with a target journal in mind. This should be tailored to the research questions for Paper 3. It will typically include the following sections:
Introduction. This section will typically include a) theoretical or conceptual model, b) literature review, c) research aims or hypotheses.
Methods. This section will include information about the participants, procedures, and methods used in the study.
Results. This section will discuss the results for paper 3, with appropriate reporting of statistics, tables and figures.
Discussion. This section will contextualize the results of paper 3, linking it to the theoretical models and prior literature, providing potential explanations for findings, and discussing the implications of the findings.
References for Paper 3.
Overarching Conclusion. This section will discuss the results across the three papers. It will analyze how the three studies support or do not support the theoretical models or prior literature, discuss notable findings, and discuss the implications of the findings as a whole. The student will then include a reference section for the overarching discussion.
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