About the graduate program

Overview

Graduate study focuses primarily on training at the Ph.D. level for research in normal human development. Students specialize in an area such as cognitive development, language, learning, perceptual development, social and personality development, or developmental psychobiology and neuroscience. There is a strong focus on research throughout the program, and students who find the best fit with this program are those with a background in research and a strong interest in research at the doctoral level. Most graduates of the program take positions in academic or research settings.

Graduate study in the Institute is full-time with most students completing the program in five years. Components of the program include coursework, a first-year research project, a teaching apprenticeship (optional for clinical students), written and oral preliminary examinations, and a doctoral dissertation.

Admission for a terminal M.A. degree is not granted.

Special training programs

Special training programs are available to supplement the work in developmental psychology and emphasize applications or particular areas of interest. Students may apply to one of the following programs either at the time of application to the Ph.D. program or after admission.

Developmental psychopathology and clinical science program

The Institute of Child Development and the Department of Psychology cooperate in providing a program focused on the study of psychopathology in the context of development. Training draws on the unique strengths of existing programs. This program offers students the opportunity to receive specialized training in developmental psychopathology, the approach that is rapidly emerging as the essential unifying framework for theory, research, assessment, and intervention concerned with the behavioral and emotional problems of children and adolescents. The goal of this program is to train leaders in the science and profession of clinical child psychology.

Students are admitted to the Ph.D. program in child psychology and, by agreement of faculty in both departments, to the joint training program. Approximately four new students are accepted each year.

Students in this joint program complete all requirements for the Ph.D. in child psychology, including coursework, preliminary examinations, research, dissertation, and final examination. In addition, they receive APA-approved clinical training through the clinical psychology program, and complete coursework in clinical psychology, practicums, and a year-long internship. Completion of the joint program usually takes six years (including internship).

Child development and school psychology program

The school psychology program is a cooperative program of the Institute of Child Development, the Department of Psychology, and the Department of Educational Psychology. This program is fully accredited by the APA and the National Association of School Psychologists, and meets licensure requirements of the Minnesota Board of Teaching. The program educates individuals to conduct applied research or to work in the field of school psychology in school or community settings. The focus of the program is on the delivery of psychological services in schools and school communities to promote children’s and adolescents’ academic, social, and behavioral success. Graduates of the child psychology/school psychology program are employed in a number of settings—schools, colleges and universities, hospitals, clinics, and mental health centers.

Students are admitted jointly to one of the cooperating departments and to the school psychology program and must meet the standards and requirements of both. Through coursework and practicum/internship experiences, students develop competencies in assessment, consultation, intervention and program development, research, and evaluation. Completion of the joint program (including internship) generally takes six years.