Twin Cities campus

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Twin Cities Campus

Child Psychology Ph.D.

Institute of Child Development
College of Education and Human Development
Link to a list of faculty for this program.
Contact Information
Institute of Child Development, 154 Child Development Building, 51 East River Parkway, Minneapolis, MN 55455 (612-624-0526; fax: 612-624-6373).
  • Program Type: Doctorate
  • Requirements for this program are current for Fall 2016
  • Length of program in credits: 68
  • This program does not require summer semesters for timely completion.
  • Degree: Doctor of Philosophy
Along with the program-specific requirements listed below, please read the General Information section of this website for requirements that apply to all major fields.
The PhD in child psychology focuses primarily on training for research in normal human development, and most students take positions in academic or research settings. The goal of the program is to train all students for careers in research and college teaching in child psychology, and to prepare students in the collaborative program options for careers in applied areas of child psychology, as well. General program students may choose to specialize in an area such as cognitive neuroscience, language, learning, personality, memory, perception, psychobiology, or social development. Students interested in clinical research may specialize in developmental psychopathology and clinical science through participation in the developmental psychopathology and clinical science (DPCS) training program. DPCS training is a cooperative effort between the Institute of Child Development and the Department of Psychology to instruct leaders in research and teaching. DPCS training draws on the unique strengths of each program.
Program Delivery
  • via classroom (the majority of instruction is face-to-face)
Prerequisites for Admission
Special Application Requirements:
The equivalent of three semester (or four quarter) courses in psychology and one course in statistics are required. New students are normally admitted in fall semester. Application deadline is December 1st of the preceding year. Applicants must submit, via the online application system, a departmental application for graduate work, scores from the General Test of the GRE that are less than five years old, three letters of recommendation from persons familiar with their scholarship and research potential, a complete set of unofficial transcripts, and a clearly written statement of career interests, goals, and objectives. The three letters of recommendation also must be received by the deadline. The TOEFL should be submitted when applicable. Official transcripts are only required if an offer of admission is made. For full application instructions see: http://www.cehd.umn.edu/icd/FutureStudents/CPSY/Graduate/.
International applicants must submit score(s) from one of the following tests:
  • TOEFL
    • Internet Based - Total Score: 79
    • Internet Based - Writing Score: 21
    • Internet Based - Reading Score: 19
    • Paper Based - Total Score: 550
  • IELTS
    • Total Score: 6.5
  • MELAB
    • Final score: 80
Key to test abbreviations (TOEFL, IELTS, MELAB).
For an online application or for more information about graduate education admissions, see the General Information section of this website.
Program Requirements
44 credits are required in the major.
0 credits are required outside the major.
24 thesis credits are required.
This program may be completed with a minor.
Use of 4xxx courses toward program requirements is permitted under certain conditions with adviser approval.
A minimum GPA of 3.00 is required for students to remain in good standing.
The PhD degree usually requires five years of graduate work. Major program components include coursework, research activities, and teaching experience. Coursework requirements are specialization specific, but all students are required to take 44 credits in the major and 24 thesis credits. Each student specializes in an area such as social and personality development, learning, cognitive development, cognitive neuroscience, language development, psychobiology, or perceptual development.
Major Program Coursework
CPSY 8301 - Developmental Psychology: Cognitive Processes (4.0 cr)
CPSY 8302 - Developmental Psychology: Social and Emotional Processes (4.0 cr)
CPSY 8304 - Developmental Research Methods (3.0 cr)
CPSY 8307 - Prelim Seminar (1.0 cr)
CPSY 8321 - Seminar in Teaching Developmental Psychology (1.0 cr)
CPSY 8322 - Apprenticeship in Teaching Developmental Psychology (1.0-3.0 cr)
Special Topics and Advanced Seminars (5 credits minimum)
Take 5 or more credit(s) from the following:
· CPSY 8360 - Special Topics in Developmental Psychology (1.0-3.0 cr)
· CPSY 8606 - Advanced Developmental Psychopathology (3.0 cr)
· CPSY 8660 - Advanced Developmental Psychology (1.0-4.0 cr)
Statistical Analysis
EPSY 8251 - Statistical Methods in Education I (3.0 cr)
EPSY 8252 - Statistical Methods in Education II (3.0 cr)
Research Credits (14 credits minimum)
Take 14 or more credit(s) from the following:
· CPSY 8994 - Research Problems in Child Psychology (1.0-6.0 cr)
Additional Credits as Needed, Selected with Adviser
Thesis Credits
Take exactly 24 credit(s) from the following:
· CPSY 8888 - Thesis Credit: Doctoral (1.0-24.0 cr)
 
More program views..
View college catalog(s):
· College of Education and Human Development

View future requirement(s):
· Fall 2019
· Spring 2019
· Fall 2018
· Fall 2017

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CPSY 8301 - Developmental Psychology: Cognitive Processes
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Every Fall
Perceptual, motor, cognitive, and language development, and biological bases of each. Conceptual framework of research issues. prereq: Doctoral student, instr consent
CPSY 8302 - Developmental Psychology: Social and Emotional Processes
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Every Spring
Normative issues and individual differences in social development from infancy through adolescence. Emphasizes developmental psychopathology, life span considerations. prereq: Doctoral student, instr consent
CPSY 8304 - Developmental Research Methods
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Typically offered: Every Spring
Review of research strategies and designs for conducting research in developmental psychology, as well as strengths and weaknesses of each. Students will learn to (a) communicate about empirical research, (b) critically review methods used in empirical studies, and (c) design research to maximize knowledge gained, while recognizing its limitations.
CPSY 8307 - Prelim Seminar
Credits: 1.0 [max 1.0]
Grading Basis: S-N only
Typically offered: Every Spring
Prepare for written preliminary examination during summer of second year of doctoral study. Critically discuss issues/ themes in field using key readings suggested by faculty/past readings from core child development doctoral courses. prereq: Developmental Psychology PhD student in second year of study
CPSY 8321 - Seminar in Teaching Developmental Psychology
Credits: 1.0 [max 1.0]
Typically offered: Every Fall
Apprentices attend weekly seminar meetings covering all aspects of university teaching. Planning course coverage, teaching techniques, developing learning activities and examinations. Preparation for CPSY 8322. prereq: Developmental psychology doctoral student or instr consent
CPSY 8322 - Apprenticeship in Teaching Developmental Psychology
Credits: 1.0 -3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis: S-N only
Typically offered: Every Spring
Co-instruct a section of a CPSY undergraduate course. Plan syllabus, prepare/deliver lectures, devise active learning activities, prepare exams/assignments, and grade. Meet with apprenticeship supervisor to discuss teaching progress/issues. prereq: Developmental psychology doctoral student, CPSY 8321
CPSY 8360 - Special Topics in Developmental Psychology
Credits: 1.0 -3.0 [max 12.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
Intensive study in specialized areas of developmental psychology. Topics/credits vary. prereq: Doctoral student
CPSY 8606 - Advanced Developmental Psychopathology
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Typically offered: Every Fall
Alternative formulation of childhood disorders, emphasizing competency training rather than medical nosology. prereq: Doctoral student or instr consent
CPSY 8660 - Advanced Developmental Psychology
Credits: 1.0 -4.0 [max 21.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
Intensive study in advanced areas of developmental psychology. Topics/credits vary. prereq: Doctoral student
EPSY 8251 - Statistical Methods in Education I
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: EPsy 8251/EPsy 8261
Prerequisites: [EPSY 5261 or equiv] or undergrad statistics course
Typically offered: Every Fall, Spring & Summer
Statistical Methods in Education I is the first course in an entry-level, doctoral sequence for students in education. This course covers estimation and hypothesis testing with a particular focus on ANOVA and an introduction to multiple linear regression. Prepares students for EPSY 8252/8262. prereq: [EPSY 5261 or equiv] or undergrad statistics course
EPSY 8252 - Statistical Methods in Education II
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: EPsy 8252/EPsy 8262
Prerequisites: [8251, 8261 or equiv]
Typically offered: Every Fall & Spring
Statistical Methods in Education II is the second course in an entry-level, doctoral sequence for students in education. This course focuses on multiple linear regression and provides an introduction to linear mixed models. prereq: [8251, 8261 or equiv]
CPSY 8994 - Research Problems in Child Psychology
Credits: 1.0 -6.0 [max 24.0]
Typically offered: Every Fall & Spring
Individual empirical investigation. prereq: Doctoral student or instr consent
CPSY 8888 - Thesis Credit: Doctoral
Credits: 1.0 -24.0 [max 100.0]
Grading Basis: No Grade
Typically offered: Every Fall & Spring
24 total credits required, preferably 12 cr/semester in the student's fourth of fifth year. Students should enroll in their advisor(s) section(s).