Developmental Science
| www.ndsu.edu/hdfs/academic_programs_admission/graduate/ds/ |
Department Head: Dr. James Deal
Graduate Coordinator: Dr. Joel Hektner
Department Location: Evelyn Morrow Lebedeff Hall
Telephone Number: (701) 231-8268
Degree Offered: Ph.D.
Application Deadline: February 1
Test Requirements: GRE General
English Proficiency TOEFL ibT 100 (subscores of at least 24 for speaking and 21 for writing)
Requirements: IELTS 7
Program Description
Developmental Science is an emerging approach to the study of human development that combines elements of more traditional approaches from the fields of Developmental Psychology and Human Development. Developmental Science entails the study of human development across the lifespan, integrating the biological, cognitive, and socioemotional underpinnings of development, and incorporating the familial, social, institutional and cultural contexts in which development occurs.
Admission Requirements
- Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
- GRE
- 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 grades of at least a B
- 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
- 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 webpage .
- 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
- 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
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, including the master’s thesis and master’s oral examination.
- All courses 3 credits unless otherwise noted.
| Didactic Core Courses | 24 | |
| Research Methods in Human Development and Family Science | ||
| Quantitative Methods in Developmental Science | ||
| Teaching Developmental Science | ||
| Advanced Human Development: Birth Through Childhood | ||
| Advanced Human Development: Adolescence Through Early Adulthood | ||
| Advanced Human Development III: Middle through Late Adulthood | ||
| Advanced Quantitative Methods in Developmental Science | ||
| Longitudinal Research Methods and Analysis | ||
| Electives | 13 | |
Must include 6 credits in didactic 700 or 800-level courses in HDFS or other departments, including at least one course from: | ||
| Advanced Topics in Socioemotional Development | ||
| Advanced Topics in Cognitive Development | ||
HDFS 826 | ||
| Non-didactic Courses | 10 | |
| Graduate Orientation Seminar (1 credit) | ||
| Professional Development in Developmental Science (1 credit) | ||
| Graduate Seminar (to be taken 8 semesters 1 credit each) | ||
| Independent Research | 43 | |
| Individual Study/Tutorial (22 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.
| Didactic Courses (could substitute other electives with committee approval) | 18 | |
| Teaching Developmental Science | ||
| Advanced Human Development: Birth Through Childhood | ||
| Advanced Human Development: Adolescence Through Early Adulthood | ||
| Advanced Human Development III: Middle through Late Adulthood | ||
| Advanced Quantitative Methods in Developmental Science | ||
| Longitudinal Research Methods and Analysis | ||
Four more didactic 700-level courses; could be outside of HDFS (to be approved by committee) | ||
| Electives--must include at least one course from: | 6 | |
| Advanced Topics in Socioemotional Development | ||
| Advanced Topics in Cognitive Development | ||
HDFS 826 | ||
700-level course in HDFS or other department | ||
| Non-didactic Courses | ||
| HDFS 801 | Graduate Orientation Seminar | 1 |
| HDFS 805 | Professional Development in Developmental Science | 1 |
| HDFS 790 | Graduate Seminar (to be taken 5 semesters (1 credit each)) | 5 |
| Independent Research | ||
| HDFS 793 | Individual Study/Tutorial | 14 |
| HDFS 899 | Doctoral Dissertation | 15 |
| Total Credits | 60 | |
Other Requirements
- Teach one undergraduate course, with supervision (as part of assistantship or for course credit in HDFS 794 Practicum/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 793 Individual Study/Tutorial, and/or HDFS 899 Doctoral Dissertation.
- Qualifying examination
- Dissertation
Core Faculty
James E. Deal, Ph.D.
University of Georgia, 1987
Research Interests: Personality Development in Children; Research Methods
Margaret Fitzgerald, Ph.D.
Iowa State University, 1997
Research Interests: Birth-timing & Economic Outcomes; The Interface Between Family Business & The Family
Heather Fuller-Iglesias, Ph.D.
University of Michigan, 2009
Research Interests: Social Support and Family Dynamics Across the Lifespan; Psychosocial Aging; Cultural Contexts
Joel Hektner, Ph.D.
University of Chicago, 1996
Research Interests: Alcohol/Drug Abuse Prevention; Delinquency; Peer Affiliation Patterns/ Influences on Behavior
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: Prosocial & Moral Development; Relationships; Positive/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
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 with in HDFS
Kristen Benson, Ph.D.
Virginia Polytechnical Institute and State University, 2008
Research Interests: Gender Identity and Family/Partner Relationships, Diversity Issues in Family Therapy, Collaborative Approaches to Family Therapy Education and Training, and Qualitative Methodology
Sean Brotherson, Ph.D.
Oregon State University, 2000
Research Interests: Parenting; Family Life Education
Christie McGeorge, Ph.D.
University of Minnesota, 2005
Research Interests: Family Caregiving; Family Wellness; Premarital Counseling
Sharon Query, Ph.D.
Thomas Stone Carlson, Ph.D.
Iowa State University, 2000
Research Interests: Family Therapy Training & Supervision; Fathering
Affiliated Faculty outside of HDFS
Ben Balas, Ph.D.,
Psychology
Ardith Brunt, Ph.D.,
Health, Nutrition and Exercise Science
Ann Burnett, Ph.D.,
Women’s Studies
Erin Conwell, Ph.D.,
Psychology
Donna Grandbois, Ph.D.,
Nursing
Daniel Klenow, Ph.D.,
Emergency Management
Linda Langley, Ph.D.,
Psychology
Susan Ray-Degges, Ph.D.,
Apparel, Design and Hospitality Management
Larry Reynolds, Ph.D.,
Animal Sciences
Greg Sanders, Ph.D.,
Human Development & Education
Molly Secor-Turner, Ph.D.,
Nursing
Kevin Thompson, Ph.D.,
Criminal Justice and Political Science
Wendy Troop-Gordon, Ph.D.,
Psychology
Kim Vonnahme, Ph.D.,
Animal Sciences
Rachelle Vettern, Ph.D.,
Center for 4-H Youth Development
