Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology - Developmental Psychology

Our graduate program's greatest strengths are its flexibility in meeting the intellectual needs of individual students, the high level of cooperation and collaboration that exists within the graduate student community, and interdisciplinary approaches to scholarship. Our annual departmental research conference provides an opportunity for graduate students to present their research to faculty and other students. Psychology and many other programs bring eminent scholars to campus, giving graduate students an opportunity to hear and meet with leading psychologists and figures in related disciplines. Graduate students in psychology can choose from a wide array of intellectual and research opportunities. Enrollment is limited to ensure that we can maintain a flexible, research-oriented program and close faculty-student contact. It is desirable for applicants to have a good general background in at least one area of psychology.

Developmental Psychology is a research-oriented graduate program focused on development throughout life and its applications. Faculty are prominent in their fields, skilled at mentoring students and professionally active, involving their students in exciting and cutting-edge research programs. Research topics include issues in developmental neuroscience in typical and atypical populations, symbolic representation in infants and children, children's psychological understanding and theory of mind, memory development (e.g., trauma and memory development, eyewitness testimony, metamemory), language development, emotional processes (e.g., emotion regulation, emotion understanding), social development (e.g., parent-child attachment, self esteem, conscience and moral development, prosocial behavior), public policy and child development (e.g., divorce, child maltreatment, welfare), and more.

Overview: New graduate students are admitted directly into faculty laboratories, so it is essential for prospective students to contact faculty directly about openings and research interests (see below for advice). After the December 1st deadline, applications are reviewed by individual faculty, who then nominate prospective students to the admissions committee for interviews, which occurs in January. The majority of students selected for interviews have at least some email contact with potential faculty mentors before applications are submitted.
Note: We DO NOT offer a stand-alone Master's program or a Clinical/Counseling Psychology program. Applications are only accepted for the Ph.D., but it is possible to earn a Master's along the way.
We do not have any course pre-requisites. An MA is not required for admission to the Ph.D. program. Students must have a bachelor's degree before enrolling in the Ph.D. and the University requires a 3.0 GPA. In exceptional cases where the applicant has additional skills this requirement can be waived.
International Students May need to take the TOEFL or IELTS exam and request results to be sent to UC Davis.
We do not require official paper transcripts, however we will need to see unofficial transcripts from all academic institutions you have attended and listed on your application. You can upload the unofficial transcripts directly into your application.
Three letters of recommendation are required.
Statement of Purpose
Personal History and Diversity Statement
A minimum 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale (or equivalent) from the institution where you have earned or will earn your bachelor's degree.
TOEFL iBT - Minimum Score: 80
IELTS - Minimum Score 7.0 on a 9-point scale