Ph.D. in Developmental Science

Program Requirements, Curriculum, and Coursework

You may enter the program directly after earning a bachelor’s degree, in which case you will earn a master’s degree along the way to completing your doctoral degree. If you already have a relevant master’s degree and have completed a research-based thesis, you also are eligible for the program.

• Students entering with a bachelor's degree and enrolling full time can expect to complete the program in 5 years.
• Students entering with a master's degree and enrolling full time should be able to finish the program in 3 years.

Research at NDSU

Develop your interests in tandem with engaged and passionate faculty and students. Our faculty’s research covers the lifespan with immediate and meaningful impacts on the well-being of individuals and families.

At NDSU, you’ll find faculty who study both socioemotional and cognitive development across a variety of ages. Rather than focus on how groups of people at different ages vary from one another, we are concerned with how individuals grow and develop over time. In particular, we focus on how this growth and development related to family, social, and cultural contexts.

In addition, you’ll find a strong emphasis on quantitative methodologies and their application to the study of development. To be able to address research questions in developmental science, a high degree of knowledge in advanced quantitative techniques is required. Our program will provide you with those skills.

Gerontology Doctorate Dual-degree Option

At NDSU, you can combine studies in developmental science with a Doctor of Philosophy dual-major option in gerontology. The mission of the option is to promote aging-related research and education that uses a discipline-based perspective that serves to enhance the length and quality of life. It represents an intellectually exciting field of study in which students can integrate information from diverse fields of study.