Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology - Developmental Psychology

The Developmental Program provides a rich environment for scientific inquiry, mentorship, and training. Our faculty pursue a wide range of topics that span cognitive, emotional and social development. In cognitive development, our work focuses on infants and children's mathematical, spatial, and language development along with interventions to improve educational outcomes. In terms of social and emotional development, we examine infants and children's affective, intentional, and moral understanding. Other research examines how interacting with their environment affects children's cognition and social behavior, and how their bodies can shape learning and thinking. Not only do our faculty, post-docs, and students investigate multiple exciting questions with behavioral methods, but they also supplement this approach with other methods including behavioral economics, gestural analyses, functional MRI, eye tracking, EEG/ERPs, and computational models. Moreover, the faculty interact with faculty from other disciplines, bringing rich interdisciplinary expertise to bear on their research questions. The faculty are also involved with the Science of Learning Center, Center for Gesture Sign and Language, Committee on Education, Spatial Intelligence and Learning Center, Child Neurosuite and the Language Development Project. These diverse perspectives and methodologies provide a comprehensive picture of how the mind works and is shaped throughout development.

Applicants will be considered for admission only if they have earned an accredited bachelor's degree or its equivalent. Admission depends upon the strength of the general undergraduate record, scores on the Graduate Record Examination, letters of recommendation, candidate statement and interests, and relevant laboratory or field research experience. Candidates for admission are expected to have some background in psychology as well as mathematics and statistics. We do not have minimum GPA or GRE scores. International applicants and U.S. applicants who have never studied in the U.S. must show proof of English proficiency. Please upload copies of your transcripts for all post-secondary schools that you have attended. We require three letters of recommendation in support of each application. These letters will be submitted electronically through the online application. A candidate statement of academic purpose should discuss your academic and career objectives in a concise, sharply focused, and well-crafted essay. In order to matriculate, your TOEFL or IELTS scores need to meet our requirements in all subsections: TOEFL - The minimum required score for the TOEFL is 104 overall, with 4 sub scores of 26 each. IELTS - Minimum required scores in the IELTS are an overall score of 7, with sub scores of 7 each. (Note: students are required to take the Academic Reading/Writing test within IELTS, not the General Training Reading/Writing test).