The requirements listed below pertain to all students matriculating in August 2021 and January 2022.

All of the following sections are required to be completed to graduate.

Courses in areas 1-12 must be taken for a letter grade.

Overall Required Credits (120 credits)

  • Total 120 credits
  • Human Ecology: 43 credits
  • Human Ecology, outside the major: 9 credits (from DEA, FSAD, NS, PAM at any level or HE at the 3000/4000 level)

1. HD Introductory Courses (6 credits)

Take both of the following:

  • HD 1150 Intro to Human Development: Infancy and Childhood
  • HD 1170 Intro to Human Development: Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood

2. Breadth requirement (6 credits)

Students must take two courses to fulfill this requirement, one course from Mind, Health and Emotion AND one course from Cognition, Brain and Behavior

Information on Breadth courses

Note: Courses taken for this area cannot also count in HD 3000/4000 level Electives or Additional HD Electives.

3. HD 3000/4000 Electives (18 credits minimum)

6 of these credits must be at the 4000-level.

Note: This may include up to 3 credits of HD 4000, 4010, or 4020. This may also include up to 3 credits of HD 4990. HD 4030 and HD 4980 cannot be used to fulfill this requirement.

Note: Courses taken for this area cannot also count in Breadth requirement or Additional HD Electives.

4. Additional HD Electives (6 credits minimum)

Minimum of 6 additional HD credits (any level) not used for any above requirement. HD 1111 and HD 2830 cannot be used to fulfill this requirement.

Note: HD 4000, 4010, or 4020 cannot be used for this requirement if 3 credits are used for HD 3000/4000 Electives.

5. Scientific Research Methods (Variable)

Can be fulfilled by one of the following:

  • HD 2830 Research Methods in Human Development
  • BIOG 1500 Investigative Biology Laboratory
  • Score of 5 on AP Biology

Note: This requirement must be fulfilled before the senior year.

Note: Students who plan to complete the HD Honors Program requirements must take HD 2830. Biology laboratory courses may not be used to fulfill the Research Methods requirement for the HD Honors program.

6. First Year Writing Seminars (6 credits)

Note: The 2 required first year writing seminar courses must be completed during the first two semesters at Cornell.

7. Social Science (6 credits)

Any 2 courses with the Course Distribution SBA or KCM

Note: Courses cross-listed with Human Development cannot be used to fulfill this requirement.

8. Humanities (3-4 credits)

Choose any course with the Course Distribution Historical Analysis (HA), Literature and the Arts (LA), or Cultural Analysis (CA).

9. Statistics (3-4 credits)

Must be taken at Cornell. AP Statistics is not accepted.

Choose one of the following:

  • AEM 2100 Introductory Statistics
  • BTRY 3010 Biological Statistics I
  • ILRST/STSCI 2100 Introductory Statistics
  • MATH 1710 Statistical Theory and Application in the Real World
  • PAM 2100 Introduction to Statistics
  • PSYCH 2500 Statistics and Research Design*

*PSYCH 2500 is strongly recommended for HD majors. Students planning to do honors in HD, must take the additional 4th credit in PSYCH 2500.

10. Natural Science I (3-4 credits)

Choose one of the following:

  • BIOG 1140 Foundations of Biology
  • BIOMG 1350 Introductory Biology: Cell and Developmental Biology
  • BIOG 1440 Introductory Biology: Comparative Physiology OR BIOG 1445 Introduction to Comparative Anatomy and Physiology, Individualized Instruction
  • AP Biology score of 5

Note: If AP isn’t used to satisfy the requirement, then the course must be taken at Cornell.

Note: No lab is required.

11. Natural Science II (3-4 credits)

Any 3-4 credit course with a Course Distribution PBS, BIOLS-AG, or BIONLS-AG (HD courses with Course Distribution PBS-HE courses cannot be used)

Note: No AP credit allowed, course must be taken at Cornell.

12. Additional Requirements (12 credits)

Any course with the Course Distribution PBS, BIOLS-AG, BIONLS-AG, SBA, KCM, MQR, LA, CA, or HA. Language courses may count here.

13. Electives (Variable)

Any courses that are not taken in Areas 1-12 above, count as Electives.

14. Physical Education Requirement (2 courses)

Physical Education must be completed in order to graduate. However, physical education does not count toward college and university minimum credit requirements for full-time status, nor does it count towards the 120 credits required for graduation.

15. Swim Test Requirement

A successful swim test must be completed in order to graduate.

Honors Program (optional)

HD majors have the option to complete the Human Development Honors Program, a two-year program where students are expected to defend an original research thesis. You must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher and complete your first statistics class before applying in the fall of your junior year.

 

College Polices

120 Overall Credits 

  • Students must complete 120 credits toward graduation.
  • A maximum of 15 credits of AP credit and in absentia credit can count toward the 120 total credits.
  • 15 credits of study abroad/exchange or Cornell in Washington, or 12 credits of Capital Semester, can count toward total electives. 

43 HE Credits 

  • Students must complete a minimum of 43 HE credits.
  • HE non-departmental courses at the 2000 level and below do not count toward the 43 HE credits.
  • Students must complete 5 HE credits by the end of the first year and 12 HE credits by the end of the sophomore year. 

9 HE Credits Outside the Major 

Students must complete a minimum of 9 HE credits outside of the major. These credits are given for any Human Ecology course outside your major (except 4030). These can be taken S/U only if course is not used to fulfill a curriculum requirement. 

Pass/Fail Courses (S/U)

  • S/U grading option may not be used for any required course unless it is the only grade option offered for that course.
  • S/U may be used for the 9 HE credits outside the major and for electives.
  • Students may apply no more than 12 credits of S/U toward graduation requirements. If a required course is only offered S/U, it will not count toward this limit. Students may take more S/U courses if they choose, but the additional credit will not be applied toward graduation.
  • The deadline for changing grade options is the 57th calendar day of the semester, the same as the “drop” deadline. 

Special Study Courses (4000, 4010, 4020, 4030)

  • A maximum of 12 credits of special study course work from Human Ecology or other colleges will count toward the 120 overall credits. Courses will be indicated on the class roster with a Component of either IND or RSC. (Additional credits can be taken but will not be applied.)
  • A maximum of 12 credits of 4000-4030 may count toward the 43 HE credit requirement.
  • A maximum of 3 credits of 4000-4020 (not including 4030) may count toward the 9 credits outside the major requirement as long as the special study is in a department outside the student’s major.
  • Students cannot TA (4030) the same course for credit more than once or take and TA the same course simultaneously. 4030 does not fulfill any requirements toward the major. Registration for 4030 may not exceed 5 credit hours per semester. 
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