Developmental Science
- Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
- Statement of purpose should be 500 words or less and address the following:
- 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. In addition to the stipend, graduate assistants receive a graduate tuition waiver. Tuition waivers cover base tuition for NDSU graduate credits only. Students are responsible for differential tuition, student fees, and tuition for non-graduate level credits taken or Cooperative Education credits.
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 | |
| Graduate Teaching Experience | ||
| Teaching and Learning in the Human Sciences 1 | ||
| 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 Orientation Seminar (1 credit) | ||
| Graduate Seminar (Qualifying Exam/Career, 6 credits total) | ||
2 credits during spring before doing qualifying exam; 2 credits in summer during qualifying 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 | |
| Graduate Teaching Experience | ||
| Teaching and Learning in the Human Sciences 1 | ||
| 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 | ||
| Didactic Electives | 3 | |
| Non-Didactic Courses | 7 | |
| Graduate Orientation Seminar (1 credit) | ||
| Graduate Seminar (Qualifying Exam/Career, 6 credits total) | ||
2 credits during spring before doing qualifying exam; 2 credits in summer during qualifying 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, for course credit in HDFS 892 Graduate Teaching Experience. Must have first taken a teaching pedagogy course HDFS 802 Teaching and Learning in the Human Sciences, COMM 702 Introduction to College Teaching in the Humanities and Social Sciences, or STEM 810 Teaching College Science, as well as two courses out of HDFS 811 Developmental Concepts and Theories, HDFS 813 Social and Emotional Development Across the Lifespan, HDFS 815 Physical and Cognitive Development Across the Lifespan, and HDFS 817 Prevention 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 798 Master's Thesis, HDFS 893 Individual Study/Tutorial , and/or HDFS 899 Doctoral Dissertation.
- Successful qualifying examination.
- Successful comprehensive/preliminary examination (dissertation proposal) and successful final examination (dissertation defense). If entering without MS degree, successful thesis defense.
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); Successful Aging and Health Promotion; Aging in Rural and Cross-cultural Contexts; Aging Families and Caregiving; Aging-in-Place, Survey Research and Program Evaluation
Joel Hektner, Ph.D.
University of Chicago, 1996
Research Interests: Prevention Programs For Children with Adjustment Problems; Peer Affiliation Patterns and Peer Influences on Children's Behaviors; Family and School Conditions That Facilitate Optimal Experiences (Flow) and Optimal Development; Social Emotional Learning; Program Evaluation; The Experience Sampling Method
Carmen Kho, Ph.D.
University of California Merced, 2020
Research Interests: How cultural, family, and other contextual influences intersect with socio-emotional development of children, adolescents, and emerging adults.
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
Leanna McWood, PhD.
Auburn University, 2020
Research Interests: Extracurricular Involvement; Social Relationships; Contextual Influences; Sleep; Adolescent Development
Natira Mullet, Ph.D.
Texas Tech University, 2020
Research Interests: Intergenerational, cultural and familial protective factors to reduce interpersonal trauma and resulting substance use and mental health outcomes among marginalized communities.
Wen Wang, Ph.D.
Michigan State University, 2018
Research Interests: How culture and ethnicity shape parenting; Socialization of children's mastery motivation in at-risk families
Affiliated Faculty within HDFS
Margaret Fitzgerald, Ph.D.
Iowa State University, 1997
Research Interests: Family owned businesses--copreneurial couples, women and minority-owned businesses, the interface between the business, family, and community, and managerial adjustment strategies.
Christi 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 Hoffman, 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
Affiliated Faculty outside of HDFS
Ben Balas, Ph.D.,
Psychology
Sarah Boonstoppel, Ph.D.,
Political Science
Erin Conwell, Ph.D.,
Psychology
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
Kevin Thompson, Ph.D.,
Criminal Justice and Political Science
Rachelle Vettern, Ph.D.,
Center for 4-H Youth Development