Developmental Program

Core Information

Program Overview

The Developmental Psychology Program trains students at the doctoral level in the major areas of development, including socio-emotional development; cognitive and perceptual development; motor development; language and communicative development; and social perception and social-cognitive development.  Students master the current and historical theoretical issues that drive inquiry in developmental psychology and the research methods needed to address both basic and applied research questions. The goal of the program is to train productive developmental scientists for careers in academic settings, who are also prepared for non-academic careers that require an in-depth knowledge of child development theory and research.

Through close interaction with a faculty mentor, students achieve expertise in a particular area of inquiry within developmental psychology. At the same time, they acquire broad exposure to the multiple psychological processes underlying development through courses, seminars, colloquia, and attendance at national and international meetings. Collaborative research and cross-disciplinary training is strongly encouraged. Students become productive scholars by the time they earn the PhD, with multiple presentations and publications. Graduates of the program typically are hired into academic or research settings, with some students pursuing applied careers in social policy institutes, government, or health agencies.

The program has particular strengths in both early development and adolescence, with emphases in socioemotional, communicative, and cognitive development; family, peer, and romantic relationships; atypical development, including autism spectrum disorder and childhood psychopathology; and prevention/intervention and policy-related research.  Developmental faculty utilize, and graduate students acquire multiple, converging methodological approaches, including experimental, correlational, observational, interview and remote assessments, psychophysiological, and neuroscience research methods in both cross-sectional and longitudinal designs. Advanced quantitative training is encouraged and pursued by most students. 

Current faculty research includes: 

  • motor, communicative, and language abilities and their interrelationships from infancy through preschool age
  • cognitive and perceptual development, especially basic number perception and concepts, early social perception, and mathematical cognition and achievement
  • origins, development, and social-cognitive correlates of prosocial behavior in young children
  • effects of early experience, especially socioemotional deprivation, on children’s cognitive and affective development, including neural development
  • roles of race, ethnicity, culture, and socioeconomic status in social, emotional, and cognitive development, including the development of achievement motivation, academic skills, and school achievement
  • personological, interpersonal, and sociocultural contexts of normative and atypical development in adolescence and emerging adulthood, including emotionality, empathy and callous-unemotional behavior, peer, family and romantic relationships, gender and sexual orientation, social media use, sexual behavior development, and body image
  • family, peer, and neurobiological factors in the development and prevention of childhood and adolescent social and behavior problems, including aggression, antisocial behavior, anxiety, depression, risk-taking, including early or risky sexual behavior and drug/alcohol abuse, as well as the development and promotion of resilience
  • early markers of autism and developmental disorders

Other notable features of the program include the international renown of the faculty, high quality of faculty mentoring, and excellent financial and academic support for graduate students who are treated as junior colleagues in a community of developmental scholars.

Which Graduate Developmental Psychology Program Is Right For Me?

Students interested in pursuing graduate studies in the fields of Developmental Psychology or Child Development have several options to choose from at the University of Pittsburgh. This document guides students in making these choices.

Developmental Psychology or Applied Developmental Psychology?

There are two distinct doctoral programs in developmental psychology at the University of Pittsburgh. The primary distinction between these programs is the extent to which the training is “applied."

The Developmental Psychology Program is located in the Department of Psychology and is for students who seek doctoral training in developmental theory and research, examining typical and atypical developmental processes. Students are accepted only for doctoral training. Research topics range from basic research questions to more applied issues. Examples of topics currently under investigation include the development of communication, prosocial behavior, and social understanding in infants and toddlers; development of emotion production and discrimination in children with autism; relations between family level economic disparities and children’s school readiness and achievement.

The Applied Developmental Psychology Program is located in the School of Education and offers a Masters degree and a Doctoral degree. The doctoral program is for students interested in training in developmental theory and research that is highly contextualized and focuses on questions that are directly meaningful in real-world applied settings. Current research topics include social-emotional learning, motivation, out-of-school time programs, classroom climate, and academic learning at home and school (pre-K – 12). The Masters (MS) program is designed for students interested in working with children, youth, families, and programs in applied settings (e.g. community-based organizations, program evaluation, wraparound service agencies, alternative schools, out-of-school time programs). There are four specializations in the MS program: Child and Youth Work (CYW); Behavioral Health in Schools and Communities (BHSC); Children with Special Health Care Needs (with Child Life option; CSHCN); Applied Research Methods for Child and Youth Serving Organizations (ARMO). 

Clinical/Developmental Joint Training Program

Students interested in research concerning developmental psychopathology may also consider applying to the Joint Clinical/Developmental Program, a doctoral program in the Psychology Department that combines clinical training with developmental training. This unique program is designed for students who seek to become clinically informed researchers on issues pertaining to child development and family functioning in atypical or at-risk populations. Note that students interested in topics related to risk, resilience, atypical development, and/or psychopathology may conduct relevant research and complete their degree in any of the three doctoral programs. However, the joint Clinical/Developmental program is the only one to provide hands-on clinical psychology training. This program typically requires one year of additional study plus a pre-doctoral yearlong internship, potentially leading to licensure as a clinical psychologist. The joint Clinical/Developmental program is accredited by the American Psychological Association.

Choosing the Right Program

The Developmental Psychology Program and the Joint Clinical/Developmental Program are options in the Department of Psychology, which offers full-time doctoral training with an emphasis on research. The Applied Developmental Psychology Program is an option in the School of Education and admits students who wish to pursue either doctoral level training (PhD) or a Masters degree (MS). The PhD program provides full-time training in mixed methods, applied research. Both part-time and full-time study are available for the MS program.

Funding. The Developmental Psychology Program and the Joint Clinical/Developmental Program admit full-time students who are funded with Research, Teaching, or Graduate Student Assistantships for 12 months per year, typically for four to six years. An additional annual research & travel stipend is available for students in good standing. Similarly, the Applied Developmental Psychology Program selects full-time doctoral students for assistantship support, while part-time graduate students and Masters level students do not typically receive financial support.

Applications. Students may apply to one or more of these programs, but they should tailor their applications appropriately. Applicants to programs in the Department of Psychology should indicate whether they are interested in the Developmental Program, the Joint Clinical/Developmental Program or both. Applicants to the Applied Developmental Psychology Program in the School of Education must apply separately to either the Masters or Doctoral Program.

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