Human Development, Culture, & Learning Sciences
Department of Educational Psychology
The Master’s and Ph.D. programs in Human Development, Culture and Learning Sciences (HDCLS) represent the scientific and theoretical bases for research and practice within the field of Educational Psychology. Our interdisciplinary approach draws from cognitive science, developmental psychology, sociocultural theory, motivation, language and learning sciences to explore the complex processes that shape human behavior and learning across settings.
Graduates of the HDCLS program pursue a wide range of careers in academia, research, education, industry and the public sector. Some master’s students continue into doctoral study, while others apply their training in roles such as research analysts, instructional designers or program specialists. Ph.D. graduates go on to faculty positions, research institutes, nonprofit and government organizations and corporate roles that value deep expertise in learning and development.
Degrees
Area Goals
Goal 1: Develop students’ knowledge and skills in research, theory, and scholarship to allow them to make significant contributions to knowledge in the fields of human development, culture, and learning sciences.
Goal 2: Enhance students’ understanding and appreciation of the effects of different cultures on human development and learning.
Goal 3: Develop students’ knowledge and skills as instructional leaders about ways to enhance learning in a variety of educational contexts.
Goal 4: Prepare students for professional success in a variety or educational settings, including universities and colleges, school districts, and research organizations.
Goal 5: Stimulate discussion, inquiry, and curiosity concerning issues of psychology as applied to education at all levels, in both online and face-to-face contexts, in both formal and informal settings.
Admissions Overview
HDCLS receives approximately 80 applications each year and admits about 6-10 students annually. There is no established minimum GPA, although students with weakness in this or any other area would need to show outstanding performance in other areas in order to be given serious consideration. Selection of students is based on multiple factors including undergraduate grades, letters of recommendation, demonstrated interest and productivity in research, apparent match between student and faculty interests, and evidence from the recommendation letters and personal statement of intellectual curiosity, tenacity, open-mindedness, interpersonal sensitivity, and integrity.
Affiliated Centers
Coping and Stress in Education Research Team
Explores the intersection of health, psychology, and education by researching how to promote wellness and productivity in educational settings.
National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes
Supports postsecondary outcomes for individuals who are deaf, deafblind, deafdisabled, hard of hearing, or late deafened by drawing on evidence-based strategies to educate and engage with stakeholders across the nation.
Faculty
Investigates issues of access and equity for disabled people, with a special focus on systems change, research translation, and assessment.
Studies the mindsets and behaviors that motivate learning, achievement and well-being; develops psychologically precise, scalable interventions to empower people, improving lives and societies.
Student academic motivation; motivational beliefs about ability and effort; growth and fixed mindset; teacher, parent, and peer effects on student motivation; Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) contexts
Accepting new students
Studies predictors of risk for mental health problems in early childhood.
Studies how cultural beliefs and values shape parent-child relationships, parental socialization, and children's and adolescents' development and learning.
Studies the cognitive underpinnings of learning and instruction (memory & metacognition), integrated with social-psychological processes (motivation & mindset), in direct applications to classroom practices, online instruction, and self-regulated lea...
Additional Information
