The department of psychology offers a concentration in developmental psychology to students who have been admitted to the doctoral program in any of the three primary areas of the Department: Clinical, Social, or Brain-Cognitive.

Core faculty in developmental psychology at Miami include:

Dr. Yvette Harris

Dr. Cecilia Shore (Dr. Shore's research lab)

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Requirements for Graduate-Level Concentration in Developmental Psychology -- Approved by Department of Psychology Faculty (2/3/03)

 

I. Two Core Courses (6 credits):

These courses are taught by core developmental faculty (currently Cecilia Shore and Yvette Harris)

 

II. Three Elective Advanced Developmental Seminars (9 credits):

These seminars are taught by core developmental faculty and by developmentally oriented faculty from other areas  (currently Cecilia Shore, Yvette Harris, Margaret Wright, Julie Rubin, Carl Paternite, Lynn Olzak, and Steve Berry).  Many/most of these seminars double count as in/out of area seminars for all graduate students and as developmental electives for the concentration.  For example, a Psy 620 seminar on development of visual processing counts as a cognitive neuroscience seminar and as a developmental elective.  The menu of elective advanced developmental seminars includes topics such as:

• Development of Visual Processing
• Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
• Empathy and Moral Internalization
• Infant Learning
• Primary Prevention and the Promotion of Well-Being
• From Risk to Resilience
• Developmental Psychopathology

It is recommended that students enrolled in the developmental concentration complete core course #1 before taking elective advanced developmental seminars.

It is possible that these advanced offerings can be modularized, such as in the clinical curriculum, and be offered in varying credit hour configurations.

 

III. Developmental Focus for Comps and Dissertation:

A student completing the developmental concentration is expected to declare a developmental study area as part of the Comprehensive Examination and identify a developmentally oriented research question for the dissertation.

The comps and dissertation committees will, as a minimal expectation, include at least one developmental faculty member defined as a core developmental faculty member or a developmentally oriented faculty member from another area (currently Cecilia Shore, Yvette Harris, Margaret Wright, Julie Rubin, Carl Paternite, Lynn Olzak, and Steve Berry).

 

IV. Monthly Brown Bag Series in Developmental Psychology

Graduate students and faculty participating in the developmental concentration are expected to participate in a monthly developmental brown bag series, similar in format to the other brown bag series in the department.

 

V. Additional Details

1. A member of the core developmental faculty serves as coordinator for the concentration.
2. At least once per year the faculty and graduate students involved with the concentration host a guest colloquium presentation.
3. It is important that the interests of the developmental concentration be represented in discussions and actions of the executive committee (e.g., developmental or developmentally oriented faculty member on the committee, distribution of executive committee minutes to the coordinator of the developmental concentration).