We train developmental psychologists, practitioners, research scientists, and faculty who advance meaningful research on development among children, adolescents, and adults from underserved communities. Our students are exposed to different phases of the lifespan from infancy through childhood and adolescence to adulthood and aging.
The APA-accredited Ph.D. program in Psychology (specialization in Developmental Psychology) at Howard's Graduate School provides rigorous training in the empirical study of the processes and mechanisms of developmental change across the lifespan from infancy through childhood and adolescence to adulthood and aging, including the biological, behavioral, cognitive, social, and affective bases of human development. Our Ph.D. program prepares graduates for careers as developmental psychologists, clinical practitioners, research scientists, administrators, and university and college faculty who produce and advance meaningful social science research with a particular emphasis on development among children and adolescents from historically underserved communities. You'll gain a solid foundation in contemporary theoretical frameworks in developmental psychology and methodological approaches, including direct observation, behavioral assessment, longitudinal analyses, and psychometrics. You'll also be part of an active research culture at Howard and collaborate with faculty on research projects across a range of knowledge domains in the developmental psychology field. You'll benefit from numerous opportunities your present your research findings at key meetings in Washington, D.C., and benefit from the close mentorship of faculty with wide-ranging research interests that span cognitive, emotional, and social development areas, including investigations of children's cognitive and affective development as shaped by psychosocial environments, language-learning patterns, and emotion regulation and risk-taking behavior among adolescents.
