Department of Child and Family Studies

W. Jeff Hinton, Ph.D., Chair
118 College Drive #5035
Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001
(601) 266-4679

Adams, A. Blackwell, Burgess, Easterling, Grames, Herring, Hinton, Kimberly, Parker

Unit Description

The Department of Child and Family Studies offers the Master of Science degree in Child and Family Studies, and Marriage and Family Therapy. These graduate programs are designed to meet career objectives in the areas administered by the department and to support the interests and personal goals of the student. All majors offer flexibility so that students can meet specific career goals or specialize in areas of interest to them.

The department participates in the interdisciplinary minor in gerontology and graduate certificate in gerontology. Specific requirements and courses available for the minor and the certificate can be found under the Interdisciplinary Minor and Graduate Certificate in Gerontology headings in the College of Health section of the Bulletin.

Requirements for Admission

Regular admission to the Graduate School for study in the Master of Science degree programs in the Department of Child and Family Studies requires a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.25 (on a 4.0 scale) in the last 64 hours of coursework, a 3.0 GPA in major, submission of test scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), and three letters of recommendation from professionals familiar with the applicant’s work and qualified to assess the applicant’s readiness for graduate study. The letters of recommendation should offer clear support for the applicant’s ability and potential for success in the program. Performance in specific courses related to the desired major will also be evaluated. Graduate work in the major and minor fields of specialization must be preceded by coursework sufficient to satisfy undergraduate requirements or enough related work to indicate the student’s ability to do graduate work in the major and minor fields. Students may correct academic deficiencies by taking or auditing recommended undergraduate courses. Members of all underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply.

Requirements for Graduation

In the Department of Child and Family Studies, the minimum requirement for a master’s degree is 36 semester hours (18 hours of 600 level or higher) for Child and Family Studies and a minimum of 60 hours for Marriage and Family Therapy. Thesis and non-thesis options are offered. All students will take comprehensive examinations. Non-thesis students will take written comprehensive exams. A 3.0 GPA is required for graduation with no grade below a “C” and with no more than one “C” to graduate.

Continuous Enrollment Requirement: Students must meet the requirement specified in the front section of this Bulletin for continuous enrollment.

Responsible Conduct of Research Training

All faculty holding regular or associate graduate faculty status, must complete RCR training modules required by the Graduate School and their departments. All graduate students must complete the RCR training modules required by the Graduate School and their departments the first semester they are enrolled in graduate school. The RCR policy and training information are found on the Graduate School web page – www.usm.edu/graduateschool. Contact the Dean of the Graduate School if you have any questions regarding the policy or training information.

Plan of Study. Students must submit their signed, official Plan of Study form to the Graduate School by the end of the first semester they are enrolled. The Plan of Study forms are available at www.usm.edu/graduateschool/planofstudy.php - click on the “Plans of Study” link.

Programs

Master of Science