Developmental Psychology (PhD)

Graduate School

Program Website

Graduate Field

Psychological Sciences and Human Development

Program Description

Each program within the field of Psychological Sciences and Human Development shares four broadly defined areas of special interest:

  • development
  • cognition
  • neuroscience
  • social and personality psychology

The program prepares students for careers in academic life, primarily in psychology, sociology, or human development; in research programs of governmental agencies at various levels; and in a range of programs in community agencies and private enterprise. It does not prepare students to be clinical psychologists, school psychologists, or family life counselors.

Students develop an individual program of study and research in consultation with their Special Committee, which is chaired by a member of the members Field of Human Development but may include faculty members from other fields. All Ph.D. students are required to complete at least two semesters of graduate-level training in statistics and one semester of teaching. The field also requires that students complete a predoctoral research project or master's degree before taking the Admission to Candidacy examination.

All students are expected to acquire a basic background in the behavioral sciences and to master a broad base of knowledge of human development in the context of family and society. Both the M.A. and the Ph.D. degree programs require a research thesis or dissertation.

For the Ph.D. degree, two semesters of graduate-level training in statistics and some teaching experience are required. The field also requires that candidates complete a predoctoral research project before taking the Admission to Candidacy examination. The Ph.D. program ordinarily takes four years to complete.

Concentrations

  • Aging and health
  • Cognitive development
  • Developmental psychopathology
  • Ecology of human development
  • Law, psychology and human development
  • Social and personality development