The Developmental Psychology Graduate Program aims to understand and support the healthy development of children, youth, and families. Our faculty specialize in the cognitive, cultural, social-emotional, linguistic, and neural factors that promote typical development and learning in infancy through adolescence. Through research training, coursework, and teaching, students gain the professional skills they need for non-clinical academic or professional careers. 

Related Programs

Curriculum

The PhD in Developmental Psychology requires 60 credit hours, a critical review paper, master’s thesis, qualifying examination, and dissertation.

En route to earning the PhD in Developmental Psychology, students complete a master's degree (30 credit hours). An additional 30 credit hours are required beyond the master's degree for the doctoral degree.

Students may choose to complete an optional specialization in "Statistics and Research Methodology" by completing three statistics and/or research methods electives beyond those in the required coursework (i.e., PSYC 420, PSYC 482, and PSYC 491).

Coursework Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Psychology Foundational Courses 1
PSYC 420	Research Methods in Psychology	3
PSYC 482	Advanced Statistics	3
PSYC 435	Seminar in Cognitive Neuroscience	3
or PSYC 552	Neuropsychology
PSYC 491	Multivariate Analysis	3
Development Track Requirements
PSYC 473	Social Development	3
PSYC 475	Cognitive Development	3
Choose Four Developmental Courses		12
PSYC 515	Infancy
PSYC 540	Psychology of Language Development
PSYC 545	Select Topics in Developmental Psychology (Attention Learning and the Media)
PSYC 545	Select Topics in Developmental Psychology (Parenting)
PSYC 545	Select Topics in Developmental Psychology (Child Development and Social Policy)
PSYC 548	Risk and Opportunity in Childhood and Adolescence
Choose One Social or Clinical Course		3
PSYC 438	Principles of Psychological Assessment Child & Adult
PSYC 451	Psychopathology of Childhood & Adolescents
PSYC 460	Social Psychological Theory
PSYC 461	Attitude and Attitude Change
PSYC 462	Cognitive Social Psychology
PSYC 477	The Self and Self-Esteem
PSYC 484	Prejudice and Intergroup Relations
PSYC 489	Political Cognition
PSYC 525	Seminar in Social Psychology
Four Directed Readings		12
PSYC 598	Research
PSYC 597	Integrative Readings in Psychology
PSYC 599	Directed Readings (Taken Twice)
Three Electives 2		9
Two Specialization Courses 3		6
Total Hours		60

¹

All courses in the Psychology Foundational Courses must be completed with a grade of B or better to be applied to the degree.

²

Elective courses may be selected from the Developmental, Social or Clinical Topics courses listed above, or courses in the students’ area of specialization, but each course can count only once toward meeting a requirement (i.e., no double dipping).

³

There is an optional specialization in Statistics and Research Methodology. Courses not listed here might also be acceptable to meet the specialization requirement. An updated list will be provided with the program handbook each year, reflecting a current list of courses. To count coursework beyond the list toward the specialization, the student must confer with the Graduate Program Director. All courses must be taken at the graduate level (400 or above).

Statistics and Research Methodology Specialization

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Statistics and Research Methodology Specialization		9
PSYC 486	Methods of Program Evaluation
PSYC 493	Structural Equation Modeling
CIEP 488	Participatory Action Research (PAR) in Schools and Communities
RMTD 403	Survey Research
RMTD 406	Educational Evaluation
RMTD 412	Needs Assessment
RMTD 422	Single Subject Design
RMTD 430	Psychological Measurement
RMTD 440	Mixed Methods Research
RMTD 470	Case Study Research
RMTD 484	Hierarchical Linear Models
RMTD 488	Meta-Analysis
SOCL 412	Qualitative Methods in Social Research
SOCL 418	Demography
SOCL 510	Research Special Areas
STAT 401	Introduction to Applied Statistics Using R
STAT 403	SAS Program & Applied Statistics
STAT 408	Applied Regression Analysis
STAT 410	Categorical Data Analysis
STAT 411	Applied Survival Analysis
STAT 421	Math Modeling & Simulation
STAT 438	Introduction to Predictive Analytics
STAT 444	Longitudinal Data Analysis and Mixed Modeling
STAT 451	Applied Nonparametric Methods
STAT 460	Bayesian Statistical Methods
Total Hours		9

Comprehensive Examination

The doctoral qualifying exam is taken after the student has completed at least two full years in the graduate program. The qualifying examination is a written exam, completed independently, and is the final step before the student begins dissertation research. At this stage, the student should have acquired considerable knowledge of the field of developmental psychology and of one or more specialty areas. Students will write a grant proposal related to their research area, based on guidelines from the faculty.

Thesis and Dissertation

The Master's thesis is an original research project, supervised by a Psychology Department faculty member, written up as a journal article and orally defended. Students who enter with advanced standing should check with the Graduate Program Director to determine if this requirement is met with previous master's degree.

The Dissertation is the product of a large-scale research endeavor undertaken with guidance and supervision of a faculty committee. A public oral defense of the dissertation is required, and after successful completion the final work will be deposited in a publicly available database in accordance with Graduate School policy.

Suggested Sequence of Courses

Plan of Study Grid

Year 1
Fall		Hours
PSYC 435	Seminar in Cognitive Neuroscience	3
PSYC 475	Cognitive Development	3
PSYC 482	Advanced Statistics	3
	Hours	9
Spring
PSYC 420	Research Methods in Psychology	3
PSYC 491	Multivariate Analysis	3
Developmental Topics Course		3
	Hours	9
Summer
PSYC 599	Directed Readings	3
	Hours	3
Year 2
Fall
Developmental Topics Course		3
Social or Clinical Topics Course		3
Elective		3
	Hours	9
Spring
PSYC 473	Social Development	3
PSYC 598	Research	3
Elective		3
	Hours	9
Summer
PSYC 597	Integrative Readings in Psychology	3
	Hours	3
Year 3
Fall
PSYC 599	Directed Readings	3
Developmental Topics Course		3
Elective		3
	Hours	9
Spring
Developmental Topics Course		3
Elective		3
Elective		3
	Hours	9
Year 4
Fall
PSYC 610	Doctoral Study	0
	Hours	0
Spring
PSYC 610	Doctoral Study	0
	Hours	0
Year 5
Fall
PSYC 600	Dissertation Supervision	0
	Hours	0
Spring
PSYC 600	Dissertation Supervision	0
	Hours	0
	Total Hours	60

Responsible Conduct of Research

All PhD students and students in thesis-based Master's degree programs must successfully complete UNIV 370 Responsible Conduct in Research and Scholarship or other approved coursework in responsible conduct of research as part of the degree requirements. It is strongly recommended that students complete this two-day training before beginning the dissertation/thesis stage of the program.

Graduate & Professional Standards and Regulations

Students in graduate and professional programs can find their Academic Policies in Graduate and Professional Academic Standards and Regulations under their school. Any additional University Policies supersede school policies.

Learning Outcomes

Students who complete the PhD in Developmental Psychology will:
 

• Develop advanced knowledge of the cognitive, cultural, social-emotional, linguistic and neural factors that promote the learning and development of children and youth.
• Understand and conduct research using various data gathering methods, ethical conduct, and sophisticated statistical techniques.
• Conduct original research that contributes new knowledge and can ultimately support the healthy development of children, youth, and families.
• Learn about available research funding opportunities, and obtain experience with grant writing.
• Produce high quality oral and written presentations, including posters at conferences, and publications in peer-reviewed journals.