Hello and Welcome to UC Davis!

Congratulations on your acceptance to UC Davis! We're so excited you chose this school to explore and expand your potential and study Human Development (HDE)! As part of your orientation, the following modules will give you thorough information regarding the HDE major, and hopefully answer any questions you might have. The modules will detail major requirements, how to make a major advising appointment, and how to use advising tools. In total, the seven modules will take you no more than one hour to complete. Keep in mind that you can go at your own pace, and you do not have to watch all in one sitting. As you watch the modules, please take notes, and complete the mandatory quiz at the end. To ensure your completion of the Advising Orientation, you will be provided with a passphrase at the end of the quiz, which you will give to the advisor at your first advising appointment. Before emailing an advisor, please also explore the FAQ page since the ample resources provided may already address your questions and concerns. The resources will help you prepare from your first quarter to the successful continuation to your last quarter in the best way! In addition, we are available at the Advising Center, so please stop by during the year! Once again, congratulations, and we extend a warm welcome to the freshman class of 2027, and the transfer class of 2025! ♦

Please note: Access to the advisors' calendar to self-schedule appointments will open ahead on Thursday, June 29 for first year students, and on Monday, July 24 for transfer students. You will be able to self-schedule a major advising appointment after your completion of the modules and the quiz below. First year advising appointments will occur July 10-July 21, 2023, and transfer advising appointments will be August 3-4 and August 7-14, 2023. Please feel free to call (530-752-1805) or email (hcdadvising@ucdavis.edu) any time if you have questions prior to your advising appointment.
  • Aggie Advising Workshop
  • The OASIS presentation slides are linked here!

Course Planning                                                    

  •  Advising Resources
  • Learn what resources are available to make an academic plan, as well as how to find additional information for advising help.
  • When can I graduate?
  • This module gives a sample graduation plan of a transfer student, and also covers one of the ways you can create a study plan for yourself! It also details how to declare and find the requirements for a minor.

Explanation of Class Requirements

  • Lower Division Classes (Prep Subject Matter)
  • This module details all the required lower division classes for the HDE major and the preparatory subject classes you’ll need for upper division HDE courses!
  • HDE Writing/English Composition Requirement 
  • This module explains the writing requirement for HDE majors, including the Entry Level Writing Requirement (ELWR) and the specific classes that are accepted. All incoming freshmen must complete the ELWR survey before your Aggie Advising appointment. It will help you choose your writing pathway.
  • Upper Division HDE (Depth Subject Matter)
  • This module covers the upper division requirements for the HDE major and their prerequisites, along with explanations of the Practicum requirement, Area of Specialization/Track classes and Restricted Electives!

The Next Steps

  • How to make an advising appointment
  • This module will walk you through the steps to make an appointment with an academic advisor, as well as how to prepare for those appointments.
  •  What can I do with an HDE major?
  • This module gives examples of various careers paths that you can continue into with a background in Human Development, once you’ve graduated from UC Davis. (Please note many careers will require post-bacc training, a graduate degree and/or a license to practice.)