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Educational Psychology

Human Development and Cognition

What is Human Development and Cognition?

How do children learn? What makes children want to learn? How can teachers create contexts in which all children benefit from instruction? How can we help children and youth develop into healthy, happy, and productive adults? How does learning happen outside of schools, in workplaces, museums, and other informal settings?

These questions are the province of Human Development and Cognition, a branch of Educational Psychology that draws on insights from a range of fields that deal with learning and development. An educational psychologist is an expert inquirer. He or she conducts careful studies that help us understand the incredible adaptability of the human brain, and how we can more effectively draw on our relationships, our cognitive processes, and our energies to grow and develop in new ways.

Our department is among the leading programs in the nation, a place where cutting-edge research is providing new models of education in all of its forms. Within our department you will find people Students at table who study how to teach reading in ways that are consistent with what we know about the brain; how to teach science in ways that draw on the everyday beliefs and notions that children bring to instruction; how children and adolescents develop their ideas about their minds, their bodies, and their social relationships; how to tailor instruction given the cultural knowledge students from diverse backgrounds contribute to the classroom; how to motivate students and teach them to communicate with each other in more positive ways. Our research projects are funded by the Federal and State governments, as well as a variety of prestigious private foundations. Our students often learn what it means to be an educational psychologist by working directly with faculty mentors on these projects: formulating new research designs, collecting data, and co-authoring research reports. Many of our graduate students present papers at national conferences, among the most of any graduate program in Educational Psychology.

By following the links below, you will learn about our faculty and their diverse interests. We urge you to come to Seattle, to visit with us and talk with our students, and to see with your own eyes why we are an exciting place to pursue graduate study. If such a visit is not possible, then by all means call or email us with your questions. We look forward to talking with you about how the University of Washington can become part of your dreams.

Human Development & Cognition Faculty

Leslie R. Herrenkohl
Ph.D, Clark University - 1995

Brinda Jegatheesan
Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - 2005

Diane Jones
Ph.D, Wayne State University - 1980

Gail Joseph
Ph.D, University of Washington - 2001

Deborah E. McCutchen
Ph.D, Pittsburgh - 1985

Susan B. Nolen
Ph.D, Purdue - 1986

Reed Stevens
PhD, University of California, Berkeley - 1998

Degree Options

The Human Development and Cognition (HDC) program offers both M.Ed. and Ph.D. degrees. Students who are coming to the program post-bachelors, without a relevant masters degree, can apply to either the M.Ed. or Ph.D. programs. Students comng to the program with a relevant masters degree in hand generally apply to the Ph.D. program.

Post-masters admission to the Ph.D. program

Completion of the Ph.D. program requires a minimum of 90 credits hours beyond the bachelor's degree; a master's degree from the UW or another institution may be used as a substitute for 30 of those credit hours. Successful Ph.D. applicants have research experience and/or research potential, as well as research interests that align with faculty expertise. Progress through the Ph.D. program is outlined in the College of Education Ph.D. materials. Click here for more information on the College of Education Ph.D. program.

Post-bachelors admission to the M.Ed. program

Completion of the masters program requires a minimum of 45 credits hours (including 9 thesis/nonthesis credits), as well as a course of study and a masters project that are approved by two members of the graduate faculty.

Post-bachelors admission to prospective Ph.D. work

As noted above, completion of the Ph.D. program requries a minimum of 90 credits beyond the bachelors degree. Post-bachelors applicants to the prospective Ph.D. track are expected to have research experience and/or research potential, as well research interests that align with faculty expertise.

Post-bachelors students working within the prospective Ph.D. track will complete a qualifying paper no later than the quarter in which they complete 45 credits. The qualifying paper is designed to be equivalent to a masters exam or masters thesis in quality and must be evaluated by two members of the graduate faculty.

A qualifying paper of sufficient quality will result in either:

(a) recognition of masters equivalent work and admission to continuing study toward the Ph.D., or;

(b) upon the determination of the student or the HDC faculty at large, a masters degree and exit from the program, provided the student has completed a course of study that fulfills the M.Ed. requirements.

Students granted admission to continuing study toward the Ph.D. may elect to file for the formal M.Ed. degree by meeting program requirements: Click here for more information on the College of Education Ph.D. program.