Family and Community Services Master's Degree

The online master’s degree in family and community services prepares professionals to help families and communities succeed in today’s world.

This degree will prepare you to manage programs and deliver quality services, as well as understand family dynamics and human development across the lifespan. Taken entirely online, you can balance family and work while pursuing your career goals and earning your master’s degree.

This online degree provides the knowledge and skills necessary to strengthen your local community by designing, implementing, evaluating, and sustaining quality programs for individuals and families across the lifespan.

You also will learn to empower individuals and families to build resilience while recognizing the role of diversity in family and community dynamics.

The program culminates with a capstone project allowing you to integrate the knowledge and skills you gained through your coursework with real-world problems that interest you and align with your career goals.

$600 per credit hour*

36 credit hours

100% online

*This estimate is based on the GP IDEA common price and is for illustrative purposes only. Your hours and costs will differ depending on your transfer hours, course choices and your academic progress. See more about tuition and financial aid.

Career Prospect Highlights

Median Salary

Nationwide Median Salary

Jobs 2023

Jobs Nationwide

Job Growth

5-Year Nationwide Job Growth

Admission Requirements

All students are required to meet the general university admission requirements.

Graduate

International

Nondegree

Application Deadline

Applications are accepted year-round. Applicants should plan to apply within two or three months from the start of the semester. The fall semester begins in late August, the spring semester begins in late January and the summer semester begins in late May.

Additional Documentation
Your application must include the following:

Statement of objectives: State academic objectives, including previous education, professional experience and plans after completing the degree
Resume/curriculum vitae
Names and emails of three professional and/or academic references
Unofficial transcripts from each institution attended
- Failure to list any colleges or universities from which the applicant received a degree or enrolled in graduate coursework may result in dismissal from the university.
- If transcripts are not in English, the applicant must furnish a translation by an appropriate authority.
- Applicants will be asked for official transcripts after notification of admission.

Careers

A master’s degree in family and community services can benefit a diverse range of professions and help you advance into leadership positions like executive director, supervisor, program manager or program developer. Graduates of this program work across public, private and nonprofit industries in areas such as:

Curriculum

Required (30 credits)

CNRES 750 - Crises Across the Lifespan (3 credits)
HDFS 714 - Program Design, Evaluation and Implementation (3 credits)
HDFS 719 - Program Administration and Management (3 credits)
HDFS 784 - Foundations and Principles of Family and Community Services (3 credits)
HDFS 785 - Family Dynamics (3 credits)
HDFS 786 - Lifespan Development (3 credits)
HDFS 787 - Resilience in Families (3 credits)
HDFS 791 - Parenting Education (3 credits)
HDFS 825 - Family Resource Management (3 credits)
HDFS 862 - Interpersonal Relationships (3 credits)

Electives (3 credits)

CNRES 759 - Foundations of Trauma and Traumatic Stress (3 credits)
HDFS 700 - Problems in Human Development and Family Science (3 credits)
HDFS 708 - Topics in Human Development and Family Science (3 credits)
HDFS 724 - Working with Military Families (3 credits)
HDFS 871 - Program Development and Administration (3 credits)
HDFS 899 - MS Research in Family Studies and Human Services (1-8 credits)
PFP 765 - Military Personal Finance (3 credits)

Capstone (3 credits)

HDFS 881 - Practicum in Family and Community Services (1-6 credits) OR
PFP 675 - Field Study in Family Economics (1-3 credits)

Great Plains IDEA Overview

This program is offered through the Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance (Great Plains IDEA), which offers you a unique chance to take classes from multiple, high-quality universities. Expand your professional network by collaborating with classmates and expert faculty from across the country who bring diverse perspectives and experiences to the coursework.

You will choose K-State to be your home university. Once admitted to K-State, you will work with the Great Plains IDEA campus coordinator who will help you get started and get enrolled in classes. Your campus coordinator assists you through Great Plains IDEA processes and is your link to distance education resources at your university.

Benefits of Studying through Great Plains IDEA

With Great Plains IDEA, there is one affordable common price per credit hour, and there are no out-of-state fees or distance delivery fees. This common price alleviates confusion around tuition since you’ll be taking courses from partner universities as well as K-State. Being able to take classes from more than one university provides you with greater access to high-quality online programming and ensures you are able to balance your education with your work and home responsibilities.

Learn more about how Great Plains IDEA works.

Amanda Frey, '17

Amanda was able to apply what she was learning immediately into her work as executive director of a nonprofit that works to break the cycle of poverty through education.