Undergraduate Major and Minor

The Family Social Science undergraduate program offers a multidisiplinary major and minor, which are great matches for students interested in helping people, developing counseling skills, and understanding human relationships across the lifespan.

Graduates from the program are well-prepared to work with families in professional environments. Many continue their educations through graduate study in family science or related family programs such as social work or marriage and family therapy.

Our students follow career paths that take them all over the world, but are committed to one vision: a better future.

Undergraduate Major

Graduating with a bachelor of science (B.S.) degree in Family Social Science requires the completion of 55-58 credits in the major, as well as Liberal Education requirements and electives, totaling 120 University credits. Courses in economics, verbal communication, and statistics are required as a preparatory foundation, and coursework is capped with a four-credit internship in research or field study requiring 180 hours of participation. Students can fulfill their internship requirements on campus, in the Twin Cities, or even through sponsored learning abroad programs.

Major Coursework

The National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) requires content instruction in ten areas, all of which are met in the undergraduate major coursework:

NCFR Content Area FSoS Major Approved Coursework
1. Families in Society FSOS 3102: Family Systems and Diversity or
FSOS 3104: Global and Diverse Families
2. Internal Family Dynamics FSOS 3102: Family Systems and Diversity or
FSOS 4104: Family Psychology
3. Human Growth and Development FSOS 2101: Human Development in Families
4. Human Sexuality FSOS 4101: Sexuality and Gender in Families and Close Relationships
5. Interpersonal Relationships FSOS 1101: Intimate Relationships
6. Family Resource Management FSOS 4106: Family Resource Management
7. Parent Education and Guidance FSOS 4155: Parent-Child Relationships
8. Family Law and Public Policy FSOS 2103: Family Policy
9. Professional Ethics FSOS 4156: Legal-Economic Controversies in Families
10. Family Life Education Methodology CI 5906: Program Planning in Family Education

View all program requirements for the B.S. in Family Social Science at the University Catalogs

Undergraduate Minor

The Family Social Science minor allows students to gain an understanding of families from several social science perspectives. Couple relationships, family systems, and diversity are included in the basic course requirements. Other themes can be selected from the elective courses to create a minor that will enhance your major either in the College of Education and Human Development or another college at the University of Minnesota.

FSoS Minor: Required Courses

These courses must be taken with an A-F grade base, with a minimum of a C- to count toward the minor.

FSoS Minor: Elective Courses

Students must complete 9 credits selected from the courses below. These courses must be taken with an A-F grade base, with a minimum of a C- to count toward the minor.

Apply

Information for future and current undergraduates about declaring a major in Family Social Science.

Undergraduate minor application form