Many students pursuing a degree in Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) plan to apply to nursing school, and this concentration is designed to prepare them for post-baccalaureate nursing programs, including accelerated Bachelor of Nursing programs. The coursework within this concentration covers common nursing school prerequisites and is tailored to equip students with skills relevant to working with individuals of all ages, and their families, who experience a range of physical and mental conditions and disabilities. Students in this concentration are strongly encouraged to consult with their academic advisor and the Health Professions Advising Team to ensure they meet the specific prerequisites for their targeted nursing schools.

This concentration also serves as a pathway to CSU’s 3+2 Dual Degree Direct Entry Nursing Program, offered in partnership with Colorado State University Pueblo School of Nursing on the Fort Collins campus. Students interested in the 3+2 Dual Degree Nursing Program must begin in the Pre-Nursing Concentration and apply to the 3+2 Dual Degree Nursing Program during the fall semester of their second year (third semester). Specific prerequisites are required for eligibility to apply. Students are strongly encouraged to consult with their academic advisor to ensure they meet the requirements to apply to the 3+2 Dual Degree Nursing Program. If admitted, students will transition from this concentration to the Major in HDFS, Nursing Concentration. Students who are not admitted will remain in the Pre-Nursing Concentration to complete the nursing prerequisite coursework and earn their Bachelor of Science degree in HDFS, after which they can apply to accelerated Bachelor of Nursing programs.

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this concentration, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate content knowledge and understanding of theory, research, and practice relevant to optimizing the development, health and well-being of individuals and families across the lifespan in the context of the larger social environment.
2. Access, critically evaluate, and apply multiple forms of information related to individuals and families.
3. Demonstrate effective written and oral communication skills appropriate to the field of human development and family studies.
4. Demonstrate professional and leadership skills with individuals and families, including ethical and culturally sensitive standards of conduct.

Effective Fall 2026

Students must have an cumulative 2.0 GPA in all AUCC courses and a grade of C (2.0) or better in all HDFS Core and concentration courses, as well as any course substitutions fulfilling these requirements. If students would like to apply to the 3+2 Master's of Nursing and the corresponding HDFS Nursing Concentration, all coursework in Semesters 1-4 must be completed with a grade of C or better. Additionally, a maximum of 6 credits of required courses may also count toward department certificates (Youth Mentoring with Campus Connections, Disability & Neurodiversity, and Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health) and the Gerontology Interdisciplinary Minor. Concentration courses may not double count for more than one HDFS concentration or as the required Diversity Equity, Inclusion & Justice Course. Students double majoring must have a minimum of 27 credits that are unique to the second major.

Pre-Nursing Concentration Courses

Of the 15 credits of concentration courses, 3 credits of HDFS 412 and 3 credits of HES 310 are required (as noted above). Of the remaining 9 credits, a minimum of 6 credits must be HDFS courses and a minimum of 6 credits must be upper-division (300- to 400-level). Courses from this list may not double-count for more than one HDFS concentration or as the required Diversity Equity, Inclusion & Justice Course.

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
BC 351	Principles of Biochemistry	4
CHEM 245	Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry	4
FSHN 115	Health Equity (GT-SS3)	3
FSHN 220	Intro to Nutrition for Sports and Fitness	3
FSHN 340	Food as Medicine	3
FSHN 350	Human Nutrition	3
FSHN 361	Global Nutrition	2
FSHN 444	Nutrition and Aging	1
HDFS 201	Current Topics in Healthy Aging	3
HDFS 275	Foundational Helping Skills	3
HDFS 286C	Practicum: Pre-Health Professions	3
HDFS 315	Disability Across the Lifespan and Culture	3
HDFS 317	Disabilities in Early Childhood Education	3
HDFS 332	Death, Dying, and Grief	3
HDFS 372/AGED 372	Inclusive Mentoring for Neurodiverse Peers	2-4
HDFS 404	Child Life Theory and Practice	3
HDFS 445/FSHN 445	Early Childhood Health, Safety, and Nutrition	3
HES 202	Introduction to Exercise Physiology (GT-SC2)	3
HES 207	Anatomical Kinesiology	4
HES 300	Physiology for Clinical Health Professions	4
HES 345	Population Health and Disease Prevention	3
HES 354	Theory of Health Behavior	3
HES 434	Physical Activity Throughout the Lifespan	3
PBHL 200	Introduction to Public Health (GT-SS3)	3
PSY 320	Psychopathology	3
SOC 344	Health, Medicine, and Society	3

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Justice Courses¹

Select 3 upper-division credits from the following list. Selected course may not double-count as a concentration course.

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
ANTH 317	Anthropology of Human Rights	3
ANTH 333	Anthropology of Sex and Reproduction	3
ANTH 338	Gender and Anthropology	3
ANTH 416	Gender, Culture, and Health	3
ANTH 423	Cultural Psychiatry	3
ANTH 472	Human Biology	3
ANTH 479/IE 479	International Development Theory and Practice	3
E 352	Study Abroad: Reading and Writing the Zambia Experience	3
ETST 300	Queer Studies and Women of Color	3
ETST 310	African American Studies	3
ETST 332	Contemporary Chicanx Issues	3
ETST 342	Queer Indigenous Studies	3
ETST 354	Black Cinema and Media	3
ETST 362/WS 362	Indigenous Consciousness and Gender	3
ETST 365	Global Environmental Justice Movements	3
ETST 438/E 438	Native American Literature	3
HDFS 315	Disability Across the Lifespan and Culture	3
HDFS 317	Disabilities in Early Childhood Education	3
IE 470	Women and Development	3
PHIL 350	Social and Political Philosophy	3
PHIL 353	Feminist Philosophies	3
PSY 437	Psychology of Gender	3
SOC 330	Social Inequality	3
SOC 333	Gender and Society	3
SOC 334	Sociology of Intersectionality	3
SOC 357	Women, Crime, and Victimization	3
SPCM 334	Communication Across Difference	3
SPCM 335	Gender and Communication	3
SPCM 357	Film and Social Change	3
SPCM 401	Rhetoric in Social Movements	3
SPCM 434	International and Intercultural Communication	3
WS 340	Race and Sexuality	3
WS 375	Intersectionality--Theory, Method, Practice	3

¹

Other 300 and 400 level courses related to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice are subject to advisor approval.

²

Students with substantial concentration-specific work experience may petition the Director of Undergraduate Advising in HDFS to replace HDFS 488C with additional coursework and complete HDFS 478 instead of HDFS 477A or HDFS 477B.

³

Select enough elective credits to bring the program to a minimum of 120 credits, of which at least 42 must be upper-division (300- to 400-level).

Distinctive Requirements for Degree Program:
Human Development and Family Studies is an open-entry major for freshmen. For sophomores and above, students must complete and/or be enrolled in HDFS 101, PSY 100 or SOC 100 in order to declare HDFS. HDFS subject code courses and concentration courses must be completed with a grade of C (2.000) or higher. Background check required prior to participating in the internship course (HDFS 488C) during the senior year. Students will complete a graduation contract with an HDFS Academic Advisor during the first two weeks of the semester in which they are graduating.