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This practical/applied option requires students to undertake an applied project or internship in real-world settings.

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. 

Master’s Project Committee and Proposal: All projects must be approved by the student’s Master’s project committee. The committee is comprised of your advisor (who will serve as committee chair) and one other faculty member from the Department of Human Development and Family Science. Only H.D.F.S. tenured and tenure track faculty, and Professors of Practice may chair a Master’s project committee. H.D.F.S. Internship Coordinators may serve as a committee member, but they may not serve as committee chair. Students are required to schedule three (3) meetings per semester with the HDFS Internship Coordinator to discuss progress, issues and other matters related to their practicum placement.

The proposal must be submitted to the committee for evaluation. The committee will determine if the proposal is of sufficient quality to progress to the proposal defense. At the time of the proposal defense, the student will present the proposed project and address any questions or concerns raised by the committee. The committee will determine whether the proposal is coherent, well developed, of sufficient importance, and feasible within a given timeframe. Students whose project proposals are deemed “unsatisfactory” will be required to re-defend their proposal. 

Students must submit their proposal to their committee members no less than 4 weeks prior to the date of the proposal defense. The proposal should include: 

• A description of the project 
• Importance of the project 
• Procedures to be used to conduct the project
• Letter from the site supervisor agreeing for the student to complete the project at the site
• Timeline for completion 

Master’s Project Defense:

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 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) 

Following successful completion of the Master’s defense, the faculty advisor will send a memo of completion to the Graduate School. A final copy of the project must be provided to the H.D.F.S. Department. 

Master’s Thesis (3 credits, HFS 997):

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