Human Development and Family Studies

Master’s Degree or Graduate Certificate in Youth Development or Gerontology

Preparing professionals to work in applied careers with an understanding of the diversity of human development across the lifespan, the University of Missouri master's of arts in human development and family studies, with either an emphasis in gerontology or youth development, centers intensively on a specific period of the life span.

Youth and the elderly are age groups that face many unique challenges. These are periods of significant physical, cognitive, and social changes, and helping professions have been created to assist both age groups handle these developmental shifts.

Both of these emphasis areas are designed for working professionals who wish to update their knowledge and learn new skills in working with either youth or older adults. These degrees are only available online, as part of the Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance (IDEA).

The Great Plains IDEA is a consortium of 11 universities offering fully online graduate programs. Each university brings a unique strength to the multi-institution academic programs. In the Great Plains IDEA students apply to and are admitted by one university, enroll in all of their courses from that university and graduate from that university. However, the online courses are taught by faculty in the discipline from several universities. The Great Plains Universities are: Colorado State University, Iowa State University, Kansas State University, Texas Tech University, Michigan State University, University of Missouri-Columbia, Montana State University, University of Nebraska, North Dakota State University, Oklahoma State University and South Dakota State University.

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