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Family, Consumer, and Human Development (FCHD)

 
If you genuinely enjoy working with people, or want to enhance your own family experience, a degree in Family, Consumer, and Human Development (FCHD) at Utah State University Uintah Basin might just be for you. Take a moment to see what this program has to offer.

The Program: In the Uintah Basin, students may receive a general Associates Degree with an FCHD emphasis, a four year Bachelor of Science or Arts in FCHD, and even a Masters degree in Family and Human Development. Students find the majority of FCHD classes relevant to their professional as well as personal goals, as these classes focus on such meaningful content as parenting, marriage, child guidance and developmental milestones. About half of the classes in this program are offered face to face and rotate between Roosevelt and Vernal, while the other half are offered via Interactive Broadcast. As part of the education experience, students actively participate in a variety of practicum experiences which range from working with young children to the geriatric population. Because the FCHD department has two full-time faculty, students are able to engage in a variety of research activities and well as participate in community outreach programs.

What can FCHD do for you? In addition to the FCHD core courses, students who want to obtain their bachelors degree may choose either the Family and Community Service Emphasis, or the Child Development Emphasis. Students who choose the first emphasis usually are seeking careers in the helping professions and want to work in such settings as the Department of Child and Family Services, residential treatment centers, wilderness programs, independent living centers, juvenile and children’s justice centers, assisted living programs, and counseling centers. In these settings, FCHD students provide a variety of services including case management, placement evaluation, behavioral consultations, and facilitators of family life education groups such as parent education or marital enhancement. This emphasis provides the necessary training for students to be competitive applicants for graduate school in family and human development, marriage and family therapy, clinical social work, and professional counseling.

The Child Develop Emphasis is ideal for students wanting to be involved in early childhood education or agencies that service young children. Students often choose this emphasis if they want to run their own pre-school, be a Head Start teacher, or work with other young children in child- focused agencies such as Prime Time for Kids, Little Blossom, or DDI Vantage. In addition to serving FCHD students, the early childhood courses also serve Elementary and Early Childhood Education Majors.

The Faculty: Two full-time faculty members comprise the FCHD department in the Uintah Basin. David Law Ph.D., is a tenured associate professor in the FCHD department, and Shirlene C. Law, M.S. is the director of the preschool labs, as well as an early childhood lecturer. Dr. Law is actively engaged in research projects that involve current students. Dr. Law’s students have been involved in teaching parenting classes to members of the local community, and researching the impact these classes have on families. Dr. Law’s students have presented their findings at state and local research conferences. Shirlene has worked extensively in creating curriculum for in-home preschools. The students in her college classes have created “teaching kits” that parents can check out and use at home with their young children in parent oriented preschool groups. She is currently working on creating resources for developmentally appropriate art activities for preschool and kindergarten aged children.

Contacting FCHD faculty: If you are interested in the FCHD program, please contact either David Law at 435-722-1716 (david.law@usu.edu), or Shirlene Law at 435-722-1722 (shirlene.law@usu.edu).