Child and Adolescent Development Concentration
M.S. to Ph.D., Ph.D. in Human Development
M.S. to Ph.D., Ph.D. in Human Development
Campus: Virginia Tech Blacksburg Campus, Instructions: Residential/On Campus
Concentration Overview
The Child and Adolescent (CAD) content area focuses on understanding how to support optimal development for children and adolescents and their families. Students complete coursework that includes developmental theories, research methods and advanced statistical analysis, socio-emotional development, cognitive development, and parent-child interactions. The doctoral program in CAD focuses primarily on theory and research training for graduates interested in pursuing academic and research careers.
Why choose this program?
- Our faculty members in the Child and Adolescent Development (CAD) area conduct innovative and interdisciplinary research linking theory and methodology. The research currently being conducted draws from theories on attachment, ecological systems, cognitive development, socioemotional, sociocultural, and family systems.
- The department provides students with a plethora of research opportunities, including experimental and observational research in laboratory settings, field research in the surrounding communities, and secondary data analysis.
- Our students are also encouraged to lead research projects and publish in scholarly journals.
- Our small program enables students to get individualized attention with award-winning and research active faculty.
- Numerous rewarding career opportunities are available for graduates of the CAD focus in the Human Development program. In academe, career options for graduates include teaching, research, and extension service. A wide range of career options also exists outside academe: program development and evaluation, policy analysis and advocacy work, and administration and supervision in private and public human services agencies are just a few examples.
What You'll Study
Students in the CAD focus take courses taught by CAD faculty, as well as faculty in other Human Development content areas, psychology faculty, and other faculty with expertise in research methods and statistical analysis. Students who complete the Ph.D. in the CAD area acquire a breadth of research training, equipping them to conduct independent research using a range of methodological and analytical expertise. Student programs of study typically include courses in:
- Theories of Human Development and Family Science
- Parent-Child Interaction
- Socio-emotional Development
- Cognitive Development
- Sequence of statistics classes
- Minimum GPA 3.0 (4 Scale)
- TOEFL/ IELTS score Required (If Applicable)
We are currently able to provide assistantship funding to all graduate students who make timely and satisfactory progress. All Ph.D. students that maintain full-time status and maintain a 3.0 GPA will be offered an assistantship (20 hours of work per week). Assistantships may include research obligations, teaching undergraduate level courses, or other administrative tasks. Students on assistantships receive a monthly stipend, tuition waivers/remission, and health benefits.
Find out what loans are available as a graduate student and other opportunities.
Domestic Application
*Fall: December 1
International Application
*Fall: December 1
*Deadline for admission with full consideration for funding: December 1
Erika L. Grafsky, Director of Graduate Studies
840 University City Blvd Suite 1
Blacksburg, VA 24060
540-231-6782
egrafsky@vt.edu
TBD
Questions?
Erika L. Grafsky, Director of Graduate Studies
840 University City Blvd Suite 1
Blacksburg, VA 24060
540-231-6782
egrafsky@vt.edu
Faculty Experts In Child and Adolescent Development
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Our Graduate Students
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Centers and Labs
Child Development Center for Learning and Research
Children’s Emotions Lab
CoDeS Lab
Learning and Development Lab
Child and Adolescent Development Research Focus
The theoretically captivating research questions examined by the Child and Adolescent Development faculty have employed rigorous analytic techniques that have resulted in publications in top-tier academic journals including Child Development, Developmental Psychology, Journal of Adolescent Psychology, and Social Development. Human Development and Family Science faculty across the focus areas of Adult Development and Aging, Child and Adolescent Development, Family Studies, and Marriage and Family Therapy often collaborate on research and service projects. Graduate students are often a part of research projects and subsequent publications through collaborations with HDFS faculty and faculty in other departments such as Psychology.