PhD. Curriculum for Developmental Psychology
The Ph.D. program involves general and specialized coursework taken early in the program, supplemented by independent reading and research. For complete curriculum requirements, please see the current Graduate Student Handbook .
All students in developmental psychology program take a required set of core developmental, methodological, and ethics courses. Typically, students complete these requirements during their first two years in the program.
Required Core Developmental Courses (18 credit hours)
- Two developmental pro-seminars (PSYC 902A and PSYC 902B)
- Three advanced topical courses in developmental psychology (PSYC 921, EDPS 961)
- One course on cultural foundations of development (PSYC 979 or equivalent)
Required Methods Courses (9 credit hours)
- Two semester sequence in Psychometric Methods (PSYC 941 and 942)
- An advanced psychometrics or statistics course (or an equivalent number of stats modules)
Additional Course Requirements (2 credit hours)
- One seminar in research ethics (PSYC 925) (1 credit)
- One seminar in teaching methods (PSYC 974) (1 credit) Required of students who will be teaching assistants or teach independently and strongly recommended for all students
Elevtives and Independent Research and Directed Readings Courses
To arrive at the total of 90 credit hours required for the Ph.D., students supplement the required courses and create a program of studies that reflects their interests. Electives may include advanced courses in developmental psychology, pro-seminars in other program areas within the department, and courses offered by other departments.
Many students take advanced courses in quantitative methods (leading to a quantitative minor for some). Students pursuing the Certificate of Specialization in Policy Analysis and Evaluation will take additional coursework in other departments, such as Political Science and Economics.
Independent research is an important aspect of graduate training, and students are expected to take research courses appropriate to their career stage:
- Research Other Than Thesis (Psy. 996; min. 12 hours required)
- Doctoral Dissertation (Psy. 999; min. 18 hours required)
Readings courses provide an opportunity to pursue topics of interest. Students may select from two options:
- Psychological Literature I (Psy. 971)
- Psychological Literature II (Psy. 972)
Representative Graduate Program in Developmental Psychology
Students in the UNL Developmental Psychology program have the option of obtaining an Masters degree enroute to a Ph.D.; students are admitted to the graduate program only if they plan to obtain a Ph.D. The UNL Psychology Department does not offer a terminal Masters degree.