Graduate Research Opportunities

Employment, Workshops, Fellowships, Research Opportunities

HDFS Graduate students are encouraged to participate in extracurricular activities to expand on their learning at UD, and to make them a well-rounded candidate for employment after graduation.

Examples include funding opportunities, conference presentations, service with nonprofits, research submissions and more.

Research

Research Areas

HDFS faculty work on a variety of scholarly areas related to child, youth, and adult development, health issues, and programs and policies that support families and the educational needs of young children. Many of our Ph.D. in HDFS students have research assistantships, working closely with faculty on their research in the above areas.

Research and Public Service Centers

Research and Public Service Centers in HDFS provide students with the opportunity to gain “real world” experience in human development and family studies through hands-on research and service-learning. Here, students of all majors can participate in classroom observations, mentoring and volunteering. These placements sometimes lead to employment.

Professional Development

Steele Symposium

The Steele Symposium is coordinated by the College of Education and Human Development and includes presentations by undergraduate and graduate students from the School of Education and the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences. The Symposium is a great opportunity for students to showcase the research they are engaged in as part of their coursework, assistantship, or dissertation.

Graduate Student Brown Bag Series

The HDFS Graduate Student Brown Bag series is a monthly professional development series organized by graduate students in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences. Monthly topics are carefully chosen based on graduate student interests and have included subjects such as writing grants, presenting at professional conferences, navigating sensitive academic conversations, instructing undergraduate courses, and securing non-academic positions post-graduation.

Education Grad Association

The Education and HDFS Graduate Association (EGA) is the official student organization of full- and part-time graduate students at the University of Delaware’s School of Education and Department of Human Development and Family Sciences. The EGA serves as a link to news, information, and events within the school that affects graduate students.

Scholarships, Awards & Grants

Professional Development Awards

Awards of up to $500 (provided a $300 department match) are available for travel to significant professional meetings. These continue to be competitive awards, with a deadline of one month prior to travel. Students are limited to receiving two awards during their graduate career.

Financial Aid and Competitive Awards

Full-time graduate students are eligible to be nominated for competitive merit-based financial awards. These awards are granted to students in good academic standing with regular status.

Research Scholars Grants

The Administration for Children and Families, Office of Policy, Research and Evaluation makes grants to support research in areas such as child care, Head Start and Early Head Start, child welfare, home visiting, welfare and employment, strengthening families and healthy marriage, and family and youth services.