When you choose to study Family Studies & Human Development, you will consider the changing structure of families and various ways family and child relations influence economic and social policies. Tailor your degree to explore theories of family structures in Canada, understand how laws and policies can affect families, or research the complexity of child development – in the Family Studies program, you decide!

You'll graduate prepared for a career in fields such as public health, social work, education (elementary or secondary), family law, food manufacturing, family therapy, and child and youth studies.

Honours Specializations

• Honours Specialization in Families and Communities - BA (Human Ecology)
• Honours Specialization in Family Studies and Human Development - BA (Human Ecology)
• Honours Specialization in Family Studies and Human Development - BSc (Human Ecology)
• Honours Specialization in Nutrition and Families - BA (Human Ecology)

Specializations

• Specialization in Family Studies and Human Development - BA (Human Ecology)
• Specialization in Family Studies and Human Development - BSc (Human Ecology)
• Specialization in Nutrition and Families - BA (Human Ecology)

Majors

• Major in Family Studies and Human Development - BA (Human Ecology)
• Major in Nutrition and Families - BA (Human Ecology)

Minors

• Minor in Family Studies and Human Development

What is a module?

Apply to Family Studies & Human Development:

• OUAC Code = EFS
• Required Courses:
  • English, ENG4U
• Recommended Courses:
  • Grade 11 Math (any)
    • You'll need Grade 11 Math for the BSc in Family Studies and Human Development
  • Biology (SBI4U)
    • You'll need Grade 12 Biology for the BSc in Family Studies and Human Development 
  • Chemistry (SCHU4U)
    • You'll need Grade 12 Chemistry for the BSc in Family Studies and Human Development and Grade 11 or 12 Chemistry for Nutrition & Families modules
  • Mid-Year Average Guideline: Low 80s 
    • Averages reflect Ontario high school students
    • Remember, these are guidelines only
    • Admission to Western is competitive – achieving an average in the suggested range does not guarantee admission.

View all admission requirements for your curriculum

After your first year in Family Studies & Human Development, you apply to your module. Academic advisors will support you to find the right module (for example BA or BSc) for you.

Beyond the Classroom

• Build your resume by receiving the Professional Home Economist designation (PHEc) with the Ontario Home Economics Association
• Join an experiential learning project in the Early Childhood Development course and the Diversity and the Canadian Family course
• Develop your skills and build a professional network by joining the Students' Human Ecology Association (SHEA)

Sample Courses

• 1015 - Close Relationships
• 2220A/B - Immigrant and Refugee Families
• 2235 - Introduction to Counselling
• 2245A/B - Early Childhood Development
• 2260A/B - Middle Childhood and Adolescence
• 2265A/B - Midlife and the Elder Years
• 2300F/G - Understanding Family Research
• 3310A/B - Work/Life Balance: Choices and Challenges
• 3320A/B - Family Practices in a Global World
• 3325A/B - Diversity and the Canadian Family
• 3352A/B - Human Sexuality Across the Life Span

Practicum Experience

Earn a unique real-life experience in FSHD while pursuing your degree by choosing to enrol in a supervised field placement. In your third or fourth year, you can gain experience working in a placement with a community agency, which could include a school or a family-focused organization.

Engage in Research

Under the guidance of your dedicated and academically renowned professors, you will enhance your writing, research and critical thinking skills through a variety of dynamic courses. Engage in research with your professors in areas such as work and family, engaged fatherhood, parenting, youth sexual health, housing and gender-based violence, health and well-being of vulnerable populations, arts-based and arts-informed feminist research, to name a few.

Professional Associations and Networks

• Ontario College of Teachers (OCT)
• Ontario Family Studies and Home Economics Educators’ Association (OFSHEEA)
• Ontario Home Economics Association (OHEA)
• Ontario Public Health Association (OPHA)
• National Council on Family Relations   (NCFR)