Family, Youth and Community Sciences

Courses and Curriculum

On this page you will find a breakdown of the requirements needed to earn a doctoral degree in Youth Development and Family Sciences. Students will need a total of 90 credit hours to earn their doctoral degree.

Core Courses (15 credits)

Course Number	Course Title	Hours
FYC 6234	Theoretical Approaches to Youth Development	3
FYC 6235	Prevention Science in YDFS	3
FYC 6931	Current Topics in YDFS	3
FYC 6931	Professional Development in YDFS	3
FYC 6230 FYC 6330	Select one: Theories of Family Development, Systems and Change Theories of Community Development	3

Research and Statistics (18 credits)

Course Number	Course Title	Hours
FYC 6800	Scientific Reasoning and Research Design	3
FYC 6802	Advanced Research Methods in FYCS	3
	Additional credits as determined by the doctoral supervisory committee. For a current list of courses offered on campus: https://ufstatscourses.shinyapps.io/shiny_tutorial/	12

Electives (42 credit hours)
1. All transfer credits not used to satisfy the requirements above will be applied as elective credits; and
2. Transfer credits may not exceed 30 credit
3. Approved elective courses will be drawn both from within the department as well as existing UF areas of expertise in relevant social sciences, including social and behavioral sciences, psychology, sociology, and education.

Dissertation Research (15 credit hours)

May be FYC 7979 (Advanced Research) or FYC 7980 (Research for Doctoral Dissertation).

Plan of Study

This is a sample plan of study for the program. Students will work with their committee to fill out their plan of study, which will then be signed and approved.

Qualifying Exam

All Ph.D. candidates must take the qualifying examination, which is both written and oral. The written and oral examinations must cover three primary areas: (1) Youth Development OR Family Sciences Theoretical Perspectives; (2) Methodology/Analysis; and (3) Primary Area of Specialization. A fourth question is optional and could include an additional specialization or paper or dissertation proposal, at the discretion of the committee.

Dissertation

A doctoral dissertation must demonstrate the ability of the author to conceive, design, conduct, and interpret independent, original and creative research. It must describe significant original contributions to the advancement of knowledge and must demonstrate ability to organize, analyze and interpret data. A dissertation in its final form includes a statement of purpose, a review of pertinent literature, a presentation of methods and results obtained and a critical interpretation of conclusions in relation to the findings of others as well as implications for how the study findings can inform research, policy and/or practice.

Course Descriptions

Please see the UF Graduate Catalog for a list of our courses. https://gradcatalog.ufl.edu/graduate/courses-az/family_youth_and_community_sciences/