Expanding Human Potential. Improving People’s Lives.

Human scientists enhance nearly every aspect of your daily life. As one of the world’s largest learning communities of human scientists with more than 46,000 living alumni, the Iowa State University College of Human Sciences draws together scholars who advance:

  • Health and wellness
  • Education and human development
  • Science and technology in the human environment
  • Communities and entrepreneurship.

The college elevates the science and technology of living and learning by, for instance, preparing:

  • Teachers to engage young minds in scientific exploration
  • Fashion designers to use sustainable fabrics
  • Wellness professionals to conquer the obesity epidemic
  • Scientists to discover a nutritional breakthroughs
  • Counselors to guide families toward financial security

Warranting National Prominence

The college’s programs are highly respected in national and international circles:

  • “Family Health” lecture series drew 10 world-class guest speakers, including four national academy members
  • Top 30 in science education research productivity, in rankings by the Journal of Education and Learning
  • Top 26 in kinesiology in rankings by the National Academy of Kinesiology
  • Top 15 in hospitality management as ranked by the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research
  • No. 7 in the quality of experiences of education graduate students, in standings calculated by GraduatePrograms.com
  • No. 3 in fashion design among public schools and No. 2 in fashion merchandising, according to Fashion School Career Advice
  • No. 2 in a food product development contest hosted by the National Dairy Council
  • No. 1 in scholarly contributions to fashion marketing, according to Clothing and Textiles Research Journal
  • Largest fully-accredited dietetics internship program, as measured by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics

Heightening the Student Experience

Our programs provide a springboard for students who gain deep understanding of how people live and learn, from the very young to the very old – to help them lead happy, healthy, productive, and meaningful lives.

Nearly 5,000 enrolled students enjoy:

  • $1.3 million in college and departmental scholarships per year
  • 672 internships and 590 student teaching assignments annually
  • Placement rates within their fields of 95 percent for those with bachelor’s degrees, 100 percent for master’s, and 97 percent for doctorates
  • 112,175 student credit hours
  • 15,736 distance and online credit hours
  • 12 cutting-edge student learning communities, with participation by nearly 98 percent of first-year students
  • Exceptional academic advising.

Conducting High-Impact Research

Drawing nearly $21.7 million in sponsored funding annually, our collegial research teams have recently:

  • Discovered that higher levels of the enzyme, autotaxin, significantly predict memory impairment and Type 2 diabetes
  • Found that running 5 to 10 minutes a day can reduce your all-cause mortality rate by 30 percent and cardiovascular mortality rate by 45 percent
  • Shown that a campus emphasis on community engagement and the climate it creates are positively related to mental health
  • Demonstrated that positive parenting produces lasting effects at a biological level
  • Developed a revolutionary fabric that reduces heat transfer to the body to help keep firefighters and other emergency responders stay safe.

Improving the Quality of Life

Scholars who expand human potential include:

  • Professors who were tapped by the U.S. Department of State to help other nations develop higher education programs
  • Student interns who helped Iowa children learn in STEM-related summer camps
  • Extension specialists who developed a social marketing campaign that was proven to increase third graders’ intake of fruits, vegetables, and low-fat milk
  • Students who helped Iowa’s small businesses improve their merchandising.

Building Inclusive Campuses

When diverse minds come to the table, we all benefit. The College of Human Sciences leads the way in promoting welcoming and equitable education:

  • The Connect Four learning community provides an exceptionally supportive environment for students
  • Faculty members are leading the research components of National Science Foundation grants totaling $11.6 million to improve diversity in growing STEM – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – fields, plus a $570,000 National Science Foundation project to increase the number of black men who student engineering
  • Led by a College of Human Sciences faculty member, the Science Bound program has increased the number of underrepresented students succeeding in STEM fields for more than 25 years
  • Other professors are leveraging new technologies and social media to enrich research, reach non-native English speakers, and reduce inequity in education