A History of The Department of Human Development and Family Studies
What we now call the Department of Human Development and Family Studies went through many and various changes through its history, since the time when it was only the Department of Domestic Art. This was one of the first departments established at Utah State University. As the role of women changed over the 20th century, so too did this department in order to better suit the educational needs of its students.
The courses offered within the department in its earliest days emphasized “women’s work,” that is, cooking and sewing. [1] Over the following years, however, the department expanded its course offerings, to the point where Domestic Art and Sewing split into separate entities, and Domestic Art became Household Economy. This renamed portion of the university offered education in “laundering, fruit work, cooking, the science of nutrition, hygiene, household management, and aesthetics.” [2] The offerings were diverse even in Sewing, with different courses looking at different scale projects. The skills expected of women at the time were increasingly refined and given an almost scientific precision. Subsequently, in 1903, the department became the School of Domestic Science and Art, though its time with this name was short lived. [3]
We are Utah's State University's First Department.
1888
USU Founded
1890
![Jeremiah Sanborn](/hdfs/images/about/jeremiah-1890.png)
1903
USU Split Into 5 Colleges
1913
College Created 3 Departments
1. Food and Dietetics
2. Home Construction and Sanitation
3. Domestic Art
1918
Mothercraft
![This is a photo of two instructors giving a lecture in a home economics class in the 1950's.](/hdfs/images/about/instructors-giving-lessons.jpg)
1927
Home Management Home
Home Management Home finished, which was used as a practice cottage until 1963.
1931
Department Created
1935
![Family Life Building from 1935](/hdfs/images/about/family-life.jpg)
1958-1959
College Renamed Family Life
![The 1965 yearbook describes some of the purposes of the College of Family Life.](/hdfs/images/about/college-of-family-life.jpg)
1961
First Faculty with PhD
1972
Faculty Hired as Specialist
1975
Department Renamed
1986
First Doctoral Students
1992-1993
Program Creation and Lab Remodeling
![Courses focusing on child development became an increasingly important component of the curriculum.](/hdfs/images/about/child-development.png)