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Highlights For:
Interdisciplinary Studies in Human Development (ISHD)
M.S.Ed. Ph.D.
The Interdisciplinary Studies in Human Development (ISHD) program combines the study of social, emotional, cognitive, and physical aspects of human development that are focused on urban populations, considered within eco-cultural contexts, and relevant to social policies. The Penn Graduate School of Education's commitment to urban education and its West Philadelphia setting offer students the opportunity to create a specialized program of study that leads to an enriched understanding of the diverse perspectives of human development across the lifespan.
Specialized options may represent one of the following career interests: traditional academic appointment; youth programming and services; urban and ethnic studies; adult development and learning; corporate human resources development; international programming (e.g., work with NGOs); foundation administration and program development; and collaborative efforts in health care facilities.
Conceptually and methodologically, ISHD students are expected to integrate established psychological approaches with perspectives from other social and biological sciences. Students are encouraged to select courses from such disciplines as anthropology, psychology, sociology, philosophy, linguistics, communications, nursing, medicine, social work, and business. Visiting scholars and researchers share their perspectives and experiences in the ISHD Proseminar. The focus of the Proseminar, which every ISHD student attends, is to demonstrate how research is conceptualized, designed, and implemented. The collection, analysis, and communication of developmental data are also stressed.
Working with faculty, students have many options to generate and conduct their own scientific research using state-of-the-art facilities. There are three ISHD faculty affiliated research centers: CHANGES (Center for Health, Achievement, Neighborhood Growth, and Ethnic Studies), The W.E.B. DuBois Collective Research Institute, and The Literacy Research Center.
Master of Science in Education (M.S.Ed.)
The one-calendar-year M.S.Ed. in ISHD requires 10 course units in lifespan human development, cultural studies, and research methodologies. The program is designed for pre-professional training and to prepare students to advance within their careers by gaining a better understanding of human development issues. The M.S.Ed. in ISHD prepares graduates for careers as writers, researchers, community youth workers, Child Life Specialists, and consultants to corporations, foundations, governmental agencies, community colleges, and school districts. Students are required either to pass a comprehensive examination or to write a master's thesis as their capstone experience. Many students choose to continue their studies in a doctoral degree program.
Courses include:
EDUC 514 Education in Developing Countries EDUC 522 Psychology of the African-American EDUC 560 Human Development
EDUC 561 Adolescent Development EDUC 562 Personality and Social Development EDUC 568 Cognitive Development EDUC 574 Race/Ethnicity in Human Development EDUC 610 Cultural Perspectives on Human Development EDUC 614 Child Development and Social Policy EDUC 860 Proseminar in ISHD
To view GSE course offerings, click here.
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
The Ph.D. in ISHD requires 20 course units. The program prepares graduates for careers as university professors, researchers, writers, consultants, and program officers for foundations or governmental agencies. Significant graduate-level preparation in human development or a master's degree is recommended but not required for admission. Core areas of study include cultural, developmental, biological, and research design and analysis courses. In addition, students are encouraged to choose appropriate courses with affiliated faculty in departments such as sociology, psychology, pediatrics, or others, in accordance with the student's own emerging research interests and suggestions from faculty advisors.
Courses include:
EDUC 610 Cultural Perspectives on Human Development
EDUC 667 Introductory Statistics for Educational Research EDUC 672 Introduction to Ethnographic and Qualitative Research in Education EDUC 677 Information Technologies in Global Perspective
EDUC 680 Evaluation of Policies, Programs, and Projects EDUC 747 Biological Psychology EDUC 764 Cognitive Processes EDUC 767 Regression and Analysis of Variance EDUC 860 Proseminar in ISHD EDUC 880 Complex, Multilevel, and Longitudinal Research Models EDUC 881 Applied Multivariate Statistics EDUC 960 Advanced Research in Human Learning and Development
To view GSE course offerings, click here.
Program Faculty
Davido Dupree, Ph.D., Emory University Suzanne Fegley, Ph.D., Temple University Douglas A. Frye, Ph.D., Yale University Michael Nakkula, Ed.D., Harvard Graduate School of Education Diana Slaughter-Defoe, Ph.D., University of Chicago Howard C. Stevenson, Ph.D., Fuller Graduate School of Psychology Duane E. Thomas, Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University Daniel A. Wagner, Ph.D., University of Michigan Caroline Watts, Ed.D., Harvard Graduate School of Education
Program Contact
Evelyn A. Jordan, Division Coordinator University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education Applied Psychology-Human Development Programs 3700 Walnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19104-6216 evelynj@gse.upenn.edu
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