2021-2022 Graduate & Professional Studies Catalog [Archived Catalog]
Applied Developmental Psychology, PhD
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Return to: School of Education
The PhD program in Applied Developmental Psychology prepares students for research careers answering meaningful practice and policy questions relevant to improving the lives of children, youth, and families. Students will study the following areas in depth:
- The influence of individual, interpersonal, and contextual factors on learning and well-being outcomes for children and youth in school and out-of-school settings
- How human development and context interact to generate dynamic patterns of child and youth behavior
- The effectiveness of interventions to promote learning and wellbeing outcomes for children and youth
Students complete coursework in a diverse set of topics to learn academic writing skills, real-world applied research design, data analytics tools that match the complexities of the context under study, and authentic assessment strategies.
The PhD degree requires 90 credits distributed as follows: 9 credits in core courses, 12 in development in context course work, 15 credits in area of concentration, 9 credits in a supporting field or study, 1 credit of writing workshop, 3 credits of first year seminar, 30 credits in research methodology, 3 credits in supervised research, 3 credits in teaching practicum, and 18 credits in dissertation coursework. The program also requires two terms of supervised research, a research project, a practicum in college teaching, and a dissertation.
Milestones:
- Preliminary Exam: Proposal for an independent research project and oral examination
- Predissertation Project: Completed manuscript of an independent research project and oral examination
- Comprehensive Exam: Written examination
- Dissertation Overview: Proposal for dissertation research and oral examination
- Dissertation: Completed dissertation and oral defense
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Development in Context
12 Credits - Select at least 4 from the following (other options available with advisor consent):
Area of Concentration
15 Credits
With you advisor, develop a coherent set of courses for your scholarly development.
Courses may be drawn from outside the School of Education or University of Pittsburgh.
Cognate Field
With your advisor, develop a coherent set of courses for your scholarly development in a related area that complements your academic intersts. Courses may be drawn from inside or outside of the School of Educaiton or University of Pittsburgh.
Research, Teaching Practicum, and Dissertation Courses
All courses are 3 credits unless otherwise specified.
PhD Core Curriculum
Methods Courses Credits / Units: 15
Preparing students to tackle problems of practice and policy, and create innovative research agendas, requires intentionality in the mentods coursework that supports students’ development of independent projects, meaningful contributions to advisors’ research, and critical analysis of past research. To help ensure that students develop the necessary analytic competencies, students across the areas of concentration (ARCOs) for the PhD in the School of Education are required to complete a minimum of 5 methods courses: Quantitative 1 (EDUC 2100) and 2 (EDUC 3100); Qualitative 1 (EDUC 3104); and 2 seminars in advanced quantitative or qualitative methods, determined by the student and their advisor.
- EDUC 3100 - INTRODUCTION TO QUAN METHODS: DESCRIPTIVE AND INFERENTIAL STATISTICS
- EDUC 3103 - QUANTITATIVE METHODS 2
- EDUC 3104 - INTRODUCTION TO QUALITATIVE METHODS
First Year Seminar Credits / Units: 3
To further support students’ research competencies, PhD students also participate in a school wide first year seminar (EDUC 3102) and EDUC 3105). This seminar meets every other week (1 credit in fall and 2 credits in spring, taken over and above the typical 9 credit course load) and focuses on familiarizing students with practical and ethical issues in research (e.g., necessary clearances for working in schools, resolving questions of authorship and authorship order, human subjects guidelines), and supporting students work on their pre-dissertation proposal (e.g., developing innovative research questions, conducting a literaature review).
- EDUC 3102 - FIRST YEAR SEMINAR 1
- EDUC 3105 - FIRST YEAR SEMINAR 2
Additionally, PhD students enroll in writing seminar courses taken over and above the typical 9-credit course load beginning in the second year of study. These credits are above and beyond the 90 credits required for graduation.
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