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
The doctoral and master’s programs serve two distinct purposes. Our doctoral program is typically a 5–6 year commitment focused on developing scholars and researchers in the field. Students complete foundational coursework in content areas, research methods and statistics that are designed to support growth as independent researchers and advance specific research goals. This differs from the master’s program, where coursework plays a more central role and research is optional. Students who are still exploring their interest in research may choose to begin with a master’s program to build experience before applying to a Ph.D.
These differences are also reflected in how applications are reviewed. Master’s applicants apply to the broader program, and admissions decisions are based on overall fit and readiness for graduate study. In contrast, Ph.D. applicants apply to work with specific faculty members, and evaluation is more closely tied to alignment between the applicant’s research interests and those of potential mentors.
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 100 applications each year and admits about 8-12 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 and Labs
Examines sociocultural and family factors that shape children’s social, emotional and neurological development, including both typical trajectories and early risk for mental health challenges. Integrates developmental, behavioral, sociocultural, psychophysiological and neurological methods to study early life.
Learning and Motivational Beliefs Lab
Studies student motivation and how educators, families and peers create equitable, supportive learning environments by using a social-cognitive lens to examine beliefs and perceptions that shape learning and outcomes. Research focuses primarily on adolescent and college students in STEM contexts.
Motivation and Self-regulation Lab
Explores the mindsets and behaviors that make people effective, and to harness this knowledge to help many more people thrive. By enabling people to think more strategically and to use more effective strategies, we empower them to pursue their goals more effectively.
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.
Science of Learning and Metacognition Lab
Explores how to empower learners to become motivated and effectively self-regulated learners, by integrating research from social, cognitive and educational psychology. Research focuses on both the cognitive toolset that deepen learning and the motivational mindsets that support their use.
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...
Accepting new students
Additional Information
