The primary focus of the Developmental, Cognitive, and Affective Sciences program is research training with a faculty mentor in preparation for research and/or teaching careers. PhD students focus their investigations within developmental psychology, cognitive psychology, or affective sciences. Given the current composition of the faculty, all possible mentors for PhD students specialize in developmental psychology. Within developmental psychology, faculty research focuses on the connections between language, motor, and social development, neurodevelopmental disorders, mathematical development, and behavioral genetics. Additional faculty members with expertise in human learning and episodic memory and human emotional and motivational processes round out the expertise in the program and provide additional training opportunities. 

In the first year, students take Research Design and Quantitative Analysis I and II, along with content area-relevant courses, and complete the first-year clerkship. In the first-year clerkship, students work on a research project with their primary advisor.

In the second year, students complete their M.A. degree. (For students who already have a M.A., some coursework may transfer, but we generally do not accept the M.A. in place of completing a M.A. thesis within our program.) The master’s thesis represents a substantial research project led by the student. Students typically complete two of their three special examinations (e.g., presenting research at a conference, submitting a research article, applying for a grant) during this year. We do not offer a terminal M.A. degree in the DCAS Program; however, all students must earn a M.A. degree prior to advancement to doctoral candidacy in the Ph.D. program.

The third, fourth and fifth years are devoted to continuing research in the student’s area of specialization by means of submitting a dissertation proposal, conducting research, and taking advanced courses. Students also gain teaching experience during this time. Normally, the doctoral dissertation is completed by the end of the fifth year.

Students attend DCAS research talks and departmental colloquia throughout their time in the program. Students are strongly encouraged to attend and present their research at regional, national, and international conferences. Students are also encouraged to collaborate, in consultation with their primary advisor, with other faculty and students within and outside the DCAS program. Additionally, the Schubert Center for Child Studies provides students with first-rate opportunities to become engaged in the process of applying the knowledge gleaned from child development research to local policy agencies.

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