Doctor of Philosophy in Developmental Sciences

Developmental Sciences faculty and students are brought together by a deep interest in developmental phenomena, throughout the lifespan, in educational contexts.
We conduct research on core problems in development, including: thriving during adolescence and young adulthood, including research on social, emotional, and behavioral skills and positive youth development, setting, striving for, and succeeding at long-term goals, understanding the role of back-up plans,
exploring sociocultural factors (e.g., sense of belonging) that impact the academic performance and psychological development of historically marginalized students,
informing and developing culturally sustaining interventions for historically marginalized college students, specifically those who are first-generation/low-income,
the development of STEM knowledge, for young students, college students, and teachers of STEM content (including development of pedagogical content knowledge for these teachers), understanding how college students, especially those underrepresented in STEM fields, navigate online STEM courses in ways that lead to their success in those courses, in ways that might be surprising given the reported barriers to success in traditional in-person college STEM courses.
Our faculty and students have diverse interests, but we share a commitment to improving lived experiences with education through a creative and rigorous application of psychological theory and research.

The department accepts applications for the Ph.D. degree, from both applicants who have completed their bachelor's degrees and those who have a master's degree. The preferred department standard for grade point average is 3.5 on a 4.0 scale. International applicants must have demonstrated English language competence with IELTS (academic exam) - 7.5, TOEFL iBT -103