Ph.D. in Educational Psychology: Emphasis in Developmental Sciences
Our Ph.D. in Educational Psychology with an emphasis in Developmental Sciences encompasses the study of Developmental Sciences and adheres to the belief that psychological theory and empirical research can inform and improve education and human development by increasing our understanding of how people learn, develop, think, and solve problems.
Developmental Sciences scholars intertwine theory, teaching, and research methods to study and assess:
- How people learn, adapt, and develop within their environmental contexts as they progress from infancy to adulthood.
- How to identify the learning processes of the knowledge and skills needed to improve learning and social-emotional
development. - The implementation of emerging research-based techniques into application within classrooms and outside school walls.
- Learning and development outcomes, the effectiveness of instruction, and conduct and analyze research that extends our
knowledge base of these processes. - The connection between cognition, social, and biological processes throughout development.
Our program focuses on mentoring scholars who develop theory, study new approaches, and use quantitative and qualitative methods to conduct research, all with the goal of developing innovative real-world applications.
Curriculum
This program curriculum will build:
- Understanding of how research impacts one’s area of interest.
- Awareness of ways creative thinking can provide a competitive advantage in problem-solving.
- Deeper understanding of learning and instruction.
Admissions
Admissions deadline: December 1 for the following fall semester
Students select committee members and develop a degree plan, which must be submitted for approval. Applicants must follow all departmental admission requirements.
How to applyProgram Details
The Ph.D. Program in Educational Psychology with an emphasis in Developmental Sciences is a part of the Learning Sciences Division (LS), which operates within the Department of Educational Psychology (EPSY) and the School of Education and Human Development (SEHD) at Texas A&M University.
Degree: Ph.D. in Educational Psychology
Emphasis: Developmental Sciences
Degrees Offered: Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Credit Hours: minimum 64 hours
Select School of Education and update credit hours.
Program Faculty
Dr. Joyce Juntune
Instructional Professor
Dr. Jeffrey Liew
Professor and Interim Department Head
Dr. Steven Woltering
Associate Professor and Division Chair
Dr. Robert “Jay” Woodward
Associate Clinical Professor
Dr. Jeffrey Gagne
Associate Professor and Associate Department Head
Dr. Idean Ettekal
Assistant Professor
Dr. Connie Barroso (Garcia)
Assistant Professor
Zhe Wang
Assistant Professor
Dr. Joyce Alexander
Professor
Frequently Asked Questions
Doctoral
List of Bachelor Degree Equivalencies
Please view a brief List of Bachelor Degree Equivalencies by Country. If you do not find your country listed and are unsure of your degree equivalency, please contact the Office of Admissions at admissions@tamu.edu.
Can my Application fee be waived?
Yes. This fee may be waived only in exceptional cases for low-income applicants and McNair Scholars. To receive the waiver, you must submit an awards letter from your current school’s financial aid office showing the award of a Pell Grant. Your Student Aid Report (SAR) from a current FAFSA can also be submitted to show financial need. McNair Scholars must submit a letter from their McNair Program Director verifying their status as a McNair Scholar in good standing to receive the fee waiver. Submit this information to d-nichols@tamu.edu and include your major of interest and term of application. Waiver of the $90 international application fee is not available.
Statement of Purpose Essay
All applicants must complete the Essay, Statement of Purpose and explain the following:
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- Why you applied to this program
- Academic background and training
- Potential for graduate study
- Research experience
- Other relevant professional experiences
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I want/need a Graduate Assistantship/Fellowship – how do I apply?
Please note that we cannot guarantee any financial assistance to any student. We will contact all admitted students about the process for applying for all available assistantships. This is a separate process from applying for admission. The department and programs will choose students to be nominated for Graduate Diversity or Graduate Merit fellowships. These fellowships are only open to U.S. citizens. Please do not ask to be nominated for one of these fellowships as the program will determine which students are competitive for these awards.
How do is submit my letters of Recommendation?
The GraduateCAS online application includes a Recommendations section where you must add your recommenders’ information. Once you have saved the recommendation requests, GraduateCAS will contact each recommender via email to request the completion of the recommendation form and letter of recommendation. We require three letters of recommendations and they must be submitted directly by recommenders through the electronic system.
Is there an admissions cycle for Spring semester?
No. For our Ph.D. programs we only have admissions in fall semesters.
What are the typical program costs?
Check out the cost of attendance estimator.
Please note, you must update the program hours.
Can you guide me through the application process?
How to Apply: Master’s Application Information | Doctoral Application Information
I live out of state. Do you accept out-of-state applicants?
Yes, we accept in-state and out-of-state applicants.
Is there any opportunity for financial assistance?
Yes, there are opportunities for financial assistance through the following departments: Office of Graduate Studies Financial Aid