The Developmental Psychology program draws upon a rapidly expanding area of interdisciplinary developmental research linking psychophysiological, social, emotional, and cognitive development.  Because human development encompasses a wide range of psychological processes, and because developing individuals function in a wide range of settings that influence them and which they influence, the full study of development requires an integration of multiple approaches, analyses at multiple levels, and exposure to a wide range of research methodologies and tools of data analysis.

The Developmental Area in the Department of Psychology is part of a large and active community of developmental scientists across the University of Maryland College Park Campus.  Students in our program have access to this community via the Field Committee in Developmental Science (www.devsci.umd.edu). Students affiliated with the committee have access to doctoral courses and seminars across departments, including Human Development, Linguistics, Hearing and Speech Sciences, Kinesiology and Family Studies.

In addition, our faculty are among the members of the Neural and Cognitive Sciences Program (NACS, www.nacs.umd.edu), which is a multi-department, multi-college collaboration. Graduate students who are studying with Developmental faculty have the option of receiving their degree from either the Psychology Department or from the NACS Program.  Students who enter our laboratories via the NACS program will have Psychology as their "home department." Developmental Psychology students also have the option of completing a certificate in NACS.  Interested students should refer to the NACS website for details (www.nacs.umd.edu).