Welcome! I’m delighted you have taken the time to visit the Department of Family Social Science website. This is such a great place to work and learn! Why would I make this statement? There are many reasons but some of the most important include:

• our commitment to diversity – not just one form of diversity, but diversity in our dialogue about families, our commitment to multiple theoretical and methodological orientations, and diversity among ourselves and those we seek to teach and serve;
• the world class faculty who are passionate about the work we do with students to create new knowledge about families and to enhance the well-being of all families;
• and the focus of our work around four specific themes – families and economic well-being, families and health, families and diversity, and families across the lifespan.

Our department is made up of about 20 faculty, 60 graduate students, and 250 undergraduate students. We are committed to research and discovery, teaching and learning, and engagement and outreach that enhance the well-being of all families. Our department enriches the lives of students through three programs of study:

• an undergraduate 4-year program in family science
• a Masters’ program in family science
• a doctoral program that provides specialization in two tracks
  family science, and marriage and family therapy

Another advantage is living in the Twin Cities. What a great place to live! The Twin Cities are exciting and accessible all times of the year. FSoS is located on the St. Paul campus – a campus that has ample green space and it only a short drive to both downtown St. Paul and Minneapolis.

We are a terrific department! One that values diversity and one that takes seriously our commitment to the work of family science and to the learning experiences of our students. Graduate and undergraduate students have opportunities for study abroad, experiential learning, and participation in faculty research. I encourage you to take the time to browse our faculty web pages to get an idea of the different kinds of research that we are passionate about in FSoS.

As you explore the information on this website, we hope that you catch our excitement for the work that is accomplished here ~ be sure to catch the streaming video of some of our faculty and graduate students.

If you are thinking about admission, we hope you might see yourself as a student in one of our programs. Regardless of your interest in browsing the FSoS website, we want to thank you for taking the time to get to know us a little better and for your interest in family science. If you have any questions, we are here to answer them for you. Please e-mail us or give us call. We will be glad to discuss aspects of our programs, provide greater detail for you about any of the information provided on the website, or answer specific questions that you might have about any aspect of the work that we do in Family Social Science!

B. Jan McCulloch, Ph.D.
Professor and Department Head