Developmental Science
- Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
- Statement of purpose should be 500 words or less and address the following:
- How your interest in this field developed
- Why you chose our program at NDSU
- The experiences you have had (e.g. informal, academic, employment, volunteer) that you see as related to this graduate program or your professional goals
- What your research interests are and how they might fit with the current research emphases in the department. If you have questions about this, the HDFS faculty research interests are described on the HDFS website (http://www.ndsu.edu/hdfs).
- What your professional goals are and how this graduate program will help you accomplish your professional goals
- Curriculum vitae or resume
- Thesis or writing sample
- Submission of GRE Scores is optional. Lack of scores will not affect admissions decision.
- For non-native English speakers, TOEFL ibT score of at least 100 or IELTS score of at least 7
- Subscores on the TOEFL ibT are at least 24 for speaking and 21 for writing
For those entering with a Master’s degree:
- Master’s degree from accredited educational institution in child development, developmental psychology, human development, developmental science, or related area
- At least one course in statistics and one course in research methods, with a grade of B or higher
- Completion of an empirical Master’s thesis
For those entering with a Bachelor’s degree:
- Bachelor’s degree from accredited educational institution in child development, developmental psychology, human development, developmental science, or related area
Financial Assistance
All admitted students are awarded graduate assistantships, which provide a full tuition waiver plus a stipend.
Curriculum for students entering with a Bachelor’s degree (90 credits total)
- Students earn a Master’s degree after completing 30 credits, master’s oral examination and the master’s thesis.
- All courses 3 credits unless otherwise noted.
Curriculum for students entering with a Bachelor's degree (90 credits total)
- Students earn a Master's degree after completing 30 credits, master's oral examination and the master's thesis.
- All courses are 3 credits unless otherwise noted.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Development Core | 12 | |
| Developmental Concepts and Theories | ||
| Social and Emotional Development Across the Lifespan | ||
| Physical and Cognitive Development Across the Lifespan | ||
| Prevention Science | ||
| Teaching Core | 6 | |
| Teaching and Learning in the Human Sciences 1 | ||
| Graduate Teaching Experience | ||
| Methodology and Statistics Core | 12 | |
| Quantitative Methods in Developmental Science | ||
| Research Methods and Scholar Development in Human Sciences | ||
| Advanced Quantitative Methods in Developmental Science 1 | ||
| Longitudinal Research Methods and Analysis 1 | ||
| Electives | 15 | |
Can include, distributed in varying credit amounts across multiple semesters: | ||
| Individual Study/Tutorial (maximum of 6 additional credits (beyond the 17 required) ) | ||
| Practicum/Internship (focus on teaching or non-academic role) | ||
| Non-Didactic Courses | 7 | |
| Graduate Seminar (Orientation/Comps/Career, 7 credits total) | ||
1 credit orientation in first semester; 4 credits to prep and complete comprehensive exam; 2 credits during final year to focus on career development | ||
| Independent Research | 38 | |
| Individual Study/Tutorial (17 credits) | ||
| Master's Thesis (6 credits) | ||
| Doctoral Dissertation (15 credits) | ||
| Total Credits | 90 | |
Curriculum for students entering with a Master’s degree (60 credits total)
- Students may follow this track only if their Master’s degree and thesis was approved by the Developmental Science Committee upon admission.
- Additional coursework may be necessary to compensate for courses not taken.
- All courses 3 credits unless otherwise noted.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Development Core | 12 | |
| Developmental Concepts and Theories | ||
| Social and Emotional Development Across the Lifespan | ||
| Physical and Cognitive Development Across the Lifespan | ||
| Prevention Science | ||
| Teaching Core | 6 | |
| Teaching and Learning in the Human Sciences 1 | ||
| Graduate Teaching Experience | ||
| Methodology and Statistics Core | 9 | |
| Research Methods and Scholar Development in Human Sciences | ||
| Advanced Quantitative Methods in Developmental Science 1 | ||
| Longitudinal Research Methods and Analysis 1 | ||
| Elective | 3 | |
| Non-Didactic Courses | 7 | |
| Graduate Seminar (Orientation/Comps/Career, 7 credits total) | ||
1 credit orientation in first semester; 4 credits to prep and complete comprehensive exam; 2 credits during final year to focus on career development | ||
| Independent Research | 23 | |
| Individual Study/Tutorial (8 credits) | ||
| Doctoral Dissertation (15 credits) | ||
| Total Credits | 60 | |
1. Course can be substituted with another course approved by advisor and committee or program coordinator.
Other Requirements
- Teach one undergraduate course, with supervision (as part of assistantship or for course credit in HDFS 894Practicum/Internship). Must have first taken HDFS 802 Teaching Developmental Science.
- Submit at least four proposal/abstracts for presentations or posters at national conferences, including as a co-presenter (2 submissions if enter with MS)
- Present (in person) at least twice at national conferences (once if enter with MS), unless a waiver is granted by the student’s committee.
- Submit at least two peer-reviewed articles for publication (including as co-author). Note: Although these presentation and publication requirements do not carry course credit per se, they are projects that would be worked on as part of HDFS 893 Individual Study/Tutorial, and/or HDFS 899 Doctoral Dissertation.
- Qualifying examination
- Dissertation
Core Faculty
Sean Brotherson, Ph.D.
Oregon State University, 2000
Research Interests: Parenting and Fatherhood; Healthy Marriages; Family Stress; Rural Families; Grief and Bereavement; Family Life Education; Family Policy
James E. Deal, Ph.D.
University of Georgia, 1987
Research Interests: Personality Development in Children; Relationship Between Individual Development and Family Relationships
Heather Fuller, Ph.D.
University of Michigan, 2009
Research Interests: Social Relationships Across the Lifespan (E.G. Intergenerational Relationships); Psychological Well-Being in Old Age; Culture and Aging; Migration, Transnationalism and Acculturation; Biculturalism
Joel Hektner, Ph.D.
University of Chicago, 1996
Research Interests: Aggressive Children; Research Methods; Prevention Programs For High-Risk Aggressive Children; Peer Affiliation Patterns and Peer Influences on Children's Behaviors; Family and School Conditions That Facilitate Optimal Experiences (Flow) and Optimal Development; The Experience Sampling Method
Melissa Lunsman O'Connor, Ph.D.
University of South Florida, 2010
Research Interests: Cognitive and Functional Aging in Healthy and Clinical Populations; Older Drivers; Research Methods; Attitudes toward Dementia
Brandy A. Randall, Ph.D.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2002
Research Interests: Relational and Contextual Influences on Adolescents' and Young Adults' Positive and Problem Behaviors
Elizabeth Blodgett Salafia, Ph.D.
University of Notre Dame, 2008
Research Interests: Family and Peer Influences on Adolescents' Disordered Eating Attitudes and Behaviors
Gregory F. Sanders, Ph.D.
University of Georgia, 1983
Research Interests: Later Life Families; Family Strengths
Rebecca Woods, Ph.D.
Texas A&M University, 2006
Research Interests: Perception and Cognition In Infancy; Object Processing; Multimodal Processing; Early Gender Differences
Affiliated Faculty within HDFS
Carrie Johnson, Ph.D.
Iowa State University, 2012
Research Interests: Personal Finance for Low-Income and Under-served Populations; Financial Education Impact; Student Loan Debt; Program Delivery Methods and Evaluation; Behavioral Finance across the Lifespan
Christie McGeorge, Ph.D.
University of Minnesota, 2005
Research Interests: Heterosexism and Homophobia; Single Parenting; Women's History; Gender Socialization From a Feminist Perspective
Meagan Scott, Ph.D.
Oklahoma State University, 2016
Research Interests: Understanding How Changing Trends in Society Influence Youth; Afterschool Training; Positive Youth Development; Professional Development Methods to Better Meet the Needs of 4-H Staff
Thomas Stone Carlson, Ph.D.
Iowa State University, 2000
Research Interests: Narrative Pedagogy; Relational Accountability Approach to Couples Therapy, LGBT Affirmative Therapy Competence Among Therapists, and Influence of Spirituality on Clinical Practice and Training
Affiliated Faculty outside of HDFS
Ben Balas, Ph.D.,
Psychology
Sarah Boonstoppel, Ph.D.,
Criminal Justice and Political Science
Erin Conwell, Ph.D.,
Psychology
Donna Grandbois, Ph.D.,
Nursing
Britt Heidinger, Ph.D.,
Biological Sciences
Brent Hill, Ph.D.,
Education
Andrea Huseth-Zosel, Ph.D.,
Public Health
Linda Langley, Ph.D.,
Psychology
Carrie Ann Platt, Ph.D.,
Communication
Susan Ray-Degges, Ph.D.,
Apparel, Design and Hospitality Management
Molly Secor-Turner, Ph.D.,
Nursing
Kevin Thompson, Ph.D.,
Criminal Justice and Political Science
Rachelle Vettern, Ph.D.,
Center for 4-H Youth Development