Applied Developmental Psychology

Overview

The Applied Developmental Psychology PhD program from University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) graduates will have the knowledge and skill to conduct research and work in jobs focused on child, family, and school well-being, particularly in inner-city, lower-income, and cultural minority and cross-cultural contexts. Graduates have taken positions teaching and conducting research at universities, analyzing public policy, working in hospital settings conducting evaluations of infants, toddlers and children as well as designing interventions for children and their families.

In consultation with their mentor, students enrolled in the program develop a program of course work, research and practicum experiences tailored to the demands of their particular career aspirations.

Concentrations:

The program has three concentrations, with flexibility within and across concentrations to construct a program experience that combines broad exposure to foundational courses and to specialized courses and experiences tailored to individual students’ career goals and interests:

• The Early Development/Early Intervention concentration focuses on genetic, biological and environmental factors that impede or promote development in the early years and on established and innovative intervention approaches for infants and young children at risk.

• The Socioemotional Development of Children concentration focuses on the interactions between individual, peer, and parenting/family factors in the social-emotional development of children in different socio-cultural contexts.

• The Educational Contexts of Development concentration focuses on the cognitive, social, and motivational factors that affect children’s learning within the contexts of schools, families, cultures, and neighborhoods.