PhD in Human Development in College Park United States | University of Maryland, College Park

The Human Development graduate programs aim to advance fundamental understanding of human growth and learning while applying these insights across diverse environments. Coursework and research explore broad developmental stages including infancy, early childhood, childhood, and adolescence. Faculty specialize in numerous areas such as motivation for achievement, cognitive growth, developmental brain science, early childhood policy, language acquisition, reading development, peer interactions, classroom dynamics, ethical development, social growth, personality traits, child-rearing practices, bias and inequality, and cultural influences on development. These graduate offerings culminate in Master of Education, Master of Arts, or Doctor of Philosophy degrees. The research-focused M.A. (with thesis) and Ph.D. programs cultivate students' scholarly expertise in human development and their capacity to conduct innovative research. The non-thesis M.Ed. and M.A. programs focus on applying scientific knowledge of human development to practical settings, especially in K-12 educational environments.