Psychological Sciences and Human Development
Field Description
Human Development and Psychology are distinct disciplines yet there is clear interplay among the topics. Psychology is often thought of as a “hub science” that connects many areas of scholarship (including human development, neuroscience, and cognitive science) while human development is interdisciplinary, with scholarship that blends psychology, neuroscience, cognitive science, and sociology. Overlap in the academic disciplines means the two fields have always had similar training approaches and degree requirements for their students. In order to facilitate greater cohesiveness among our students, the graduate fields of Human Development and Psychology have merged into one field. The dominant strengths of the department lie in the four broadly defined areas of development, cognition, neuroscience, and social and personality psychology. This exciting new field is housed in Martha Van Rensselaer and Uris Halls and offers three PHD degrees and two MA degrees.
Research facilities in Martha Van Rensselaer Hall feature fully equipped labs directed by individual faculty members who are conducting observational and experimental studies in memory and neuroscience, affect and cognition, law and child witnesses, language acquisition and spatial cognition, human mating, risky and rational decision-making, non-traditional learning styles, quantitative methods and AI technology; the Cornell fMRI facility; a shared EEG Lab, and other specialized facilities on campus. In the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research, students become involved in translational research projects aimed at enhancing human development, health and well-being at every stage of the human experience.
Research facilities in Uris Hall feature special labs for research in problems of perception and cognition; a social-psychology laboratory equipped for experimental and observational studies; electrophysiological, histological, and chemical laboratories; surgery facilities; facilities for the maintenance and behavioral study of vertebrate and invertebrate laboratory animals; an audiovisual studio equipped for the study of teaching; laboratory computers and interacting terminals with the capacity to control equipment in experiments and to do online processing and complex data analyses; and other specialized facilities, both on campus and at various off-campus locations.
All students develop an independent program of study in consultation with their Special Committee. The Special Committee oversees requirements that are established by the field. PHD students must choose three primary members of the Special Committee by the end of the first year; students are encouraged but not required to select at least one member (not the chairperson) from a field other than psychology. The Director of Graduate Studies appoints a fourth member, whose function is to ensure that the student obtains adequate breadth of training. MA students are accepted with a two-member special committee already in place.
Requirements for PHD students include a first-year review and annual meetings of the Special Committee to review the student's progress; a research paper completed by the end of the first year and an oral report of the research presented to a meeting of students and faculty members; a one-year course in statistics and experimental design; at least ten hours a week of supervised teaching experience for at least two semesters; grant writing seminar, the Admission to Candidacy examination, which should be taken by the end of the third year (a Graduate School requirement); a written dissertation proposal, which must be accepted at a meeting of the Special Committee called for that purpose; and the doctoral dissertation itself with a final examination on the dissertation (Graduate School requirements).
Requirements for MA students include a total of 30 graded credit hours (15 per semester); a thesis proposal; a funding proposal when applicable; analysis and writing of the master’s thesis; successful completion of the required oral thesis defense (M Exam); and submission of the master’s thesis to the Cornell Graduate School.
Contact Information
Website: https://psychology.cornell.edu/graduateEmail: [email protected] or [email protected]
Phone: Uris Hall: 607 255-3834; MVR 607-255-4661
211 Uris Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853
G201B Martha Van Rensselaer Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853
Data and Statistics
Subject and Degrees
Developmental Psychology
Human Development and Family Studies
- Human Development and Family Studies (M.A.) (Ithaca)
- Human Development and Family Studies (Ph.D.) (Ithaca)
Psychology
Concentrations by Subject
Developmental Psychology
- aging and health
- cognitive development
- developmental psychopathology
- ecology of human development
- law, psychology and human development
- social and personality development
Human Development and Family Studies
- aging and health
- ecology of human development
- family studies and the life course
Psychology
- behavioral and evolutionary neuroscience
- perception cognition and development
- social and personality psychology