Applied Developmental Psychology

To obtain specific instructions for how to apply to the graduate programs in Applied Developmental Psychology, prospective students should visit this page: https://www.uab.edu/cas/psychology/graduate/developmental

Each student in the Applied Developmental Psychology program is encouraged to develop a systematic line of research that complements that of his or her advisor. With intense exposure to an important aspect of developmental research, the student acquires skills that can be generalized to a variety of problems. Students are required to complete a core curriculum which includes 21 hours of Applied Developmental Psychology classes, 15 hours of research design and statistics, 9 hours of general psychology and related discipline classes; 6 hours of teaching practicum and teaching; and at least 48 credit hours of research.

Applied Developmental Psychology students must complete a master's thesis. Admission to candidacy for the doctoral degree is based on satisfactory completion of coursework and completion of an area review in the form of a Psychological Bulletin or Psychological Review article. The doctoral degree is awarded upon successful defense of the dissertation.

M.S. in Applied Developmental Psychology

Requirements		Hours
Required Coursework ¹		25
PY 619	Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Research and the Workplace
PY 708	Developmental Psychology
PY 710	Seminar in Lifespan Developmental Psychology
PY 716 & 716L	Introduction to Statistics and Measurement and Lab for Introduction to Statistics and Measurement
PY 717 & 717L	Applied Statistical Methods and Lab for Applied Statistical Methods
PY 719 & 719L	Multivariate Statistical Methods and Lab for Multivariate Statistical Methods
Thesis Research		6
PY 699	Master's Level Thesis Research
Elective Options in Developmental Psychology ²
Select three from the list below
PY 683	Developmental Disabilities
PY 711	Seminar in Cognitive Development
PY 712	Seminar in Social Development
PY 713	Seminar in Language Development
PY 734	Applied Developmental Psychology
PY 764	Cognitive Assessment: Child and Adult
Total Hours		31

¹

Individual course requirements may be waived based on evaluation of coursework completed prior to matriculation, either at UAB or elsewhere. If a course requirement is waived, then the credit hours must be replaced by approved electives or by coursework required for the doctoral degree in Developmental Psychology. Course waivers may not exceed half of the required credit hours across the master’s and doctoral degrees in Developmental Psychology; research and practicum hours are not included in this computation. No course may satisfy requirements for both the master’s in Developmental Psychology and another degree, whether completed at UAB or elsewhere.

²

Other courses may be considered with Program Director approval.

Ph.D. in Applied Developmental Psychology

Requirements		Hours
Required Coursework ^1,2
PY 708	Developmental Psychology	3
PY 718	Advanced Research Design	3
PY 729	Seminar in Adolescent Development	3
PY 785	Psychology of Aging	3
PY 796	Practicum in the Teaching of Psychology	6
GRD 717	Principles of Scientific Integrity	3
Doctoral Research ³		24
PY 798	Predoctoral Degree Graduate Research
PY 799	Doctoral Dissertation Research
Select one from the following		3
PY 746	Structural Equation Modeling
PY 727	Longitudinal Data Analysis Laboratory
Select two courses from the following		6
PY 704	Social Psychology
PY 720	Human Neuropsychology
PY 731	Health Psychology
PY 742	Sport Psychology
PY 788	Pediatric Psychology
PY 795	Community Practicum in Psychology
Total Hours		54

¹

Individual course requirements may be waived based on evaluation of coursework completed prior to matriculation, either at UAB or elsewhere. If a course requirement is waived, then the credit hours must be replaced by approved electives. Course waivers may not exceed half of the required credit hours across the master’s and doctoral degrees; research and teaching practicum hours are not included in this computation. No course may satisfy requirements for both the doctorate and another degree, whether completed at UAB or elsewhere.

²

At least 24 hours must be completed prior to admission to candidacy. Remaining hours must include at least 15 hours of graduate-level Psychology coursework. PY 798 does not count towards this 15 hour coursework minimum.

³

Students who do not meet the 24-hour minimum in this category due to course waivers can make up the deficit with any combination of the following:
- Other elective courses approved by the program for this purpose.
- Up to 3 additional hours of non-dissertation research credits (PY 698, 699, and 798) that were not used to satisfy requirements for the master’s degree.