Child Development

Programs Offered: M.A., M.A.T. in early childhood education, Ph.D.
http://ase.tufts.edu/epcd/programsGrad.asp
617.627.3355

The Master of Arts (M.A.) program in child development offered through the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development prepares students to pursue careers in a variety of fields related to children and their families.

The program, a ten-credit course of study, has a research-based track and an applied track.

Students in the research-based track focus on an area of interest in child development, and are required to complete a thesis. Current areas of research include families in cultural context; stress, coping, and health; parent-child relationships; social policies; curriculum and cognitive development; children and the arts; innovative learning technologies; giftedness; literacy; dyslexia intervention; adoption; and positive youth development.

Students in the applied track are required to fulfill an intensive, supervised internship in a setting serving children or youth. These locations include the department's two laboratory schools as well as clinics, hospitals, parenting and family programs, day care centers, museums, government agencies, and educational television studios.

Required courses focus on advanced intellectual development, advanced personal-social development, young children's development of language, and qualitative and quantitative research methods. Students also complete several electives, two of which can be taken through another department within the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

The department also offers a joint M.A. program in child and family policy with the school's Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning. Students pursuing this fourteen-credit option fulfill the general requirements of each program, which include courses in developmental psychology, policy planning and analysis, and research methods and statistics. Students in the joint M.A. program are required to write a thesis.

Graduates of the M.A. program in child development typically pursue careers at human services agencies, research organizations, schools and early childhood programs, advocacy groups, or academic institutions. A substantial number of graduates also continue their studies in doctoral programs.

The Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) in early childhood education consists of eleven courses in areas such as sociocultural perspectives on early learning and education; curricula for young children; contemporary perspectives on child development; inclusion in early childhood; and observation and analysis of teaching. In addition, students participate in two semester-long teaching experiences, one of which must take place in a public school setting. The other teaching experience can take place in a preschool or a kindergarten. The program typically takes two years to complete.

The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) program in child development offered through the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development prepares students to pursue careers in academic or applied settings involving children, youth, and families.

The program consists of twenty-two course credits aimed at developing students' competence in research and theory relevant to children's intellectual, emotional, social, and language development. Along with their courses, students participate in supervised field experiences, colloquia, study groups, and other departmental offerings.

During the first two years, students take courses focusing on the major theoretical orientations of the field, as well as research methods and statistics and additional courses consistent with their academic plan. In the required internship, students serve as supervised trainees in service and research functions of a particular setting. These locations can include either of the department's two laboratory schools, as well as clinics, hospitals, day care centers, museums, and advocacy agencies.

After completing their coursework and fulfilling their internship requirement, students undergo a qualifying review during which they submit two major papers on theory and research in child development. Successful completion of this review is a prerequisite for continuing as a doctoral student.

Following the review, students spend the remainder of their time in the program conducting research with the ultimate goal of completing and defending their dissertation. Current areas of research include families in cultural context; stress, coping, and health; parent-child relationships; social policies; curriculum and cognitive development; children and the arts; innovative learning technologies; giftedness; literacy; dyslexia intervention; adoption; and positive youth development.

Graduates of the program typically pursue careers at schools, hospitals, social service agencies, clinical research centers, policy organizations, and colleges and universities.

Child Development: Faculty

Cynthia Ballenger
Ed.D. Harvard University
Issues of diversity and instruction in urban schools, teacher research, literacy, science instruction

Marina Bers
Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Children's understanding of technology

Kathleen A. Camara
Ph.D., Stanford University
Family relationships, social development, research methodology

M. Ann Easterbrooks
Ph.D., University of Michigan
Family development, social and emotional development, infancy

Mary Eisenberg
Ph.D., Tufts University
Early childhood education

David Elkind, Emeritus
Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles
Cognitive development, perceptual development, Piaget

Sylvia G. Feinburg, Emerita
Ed.D., Harvard University
Teacher education, early childhood education, child art

David Henry Feldman
Ph.D., Stanford University
Cognitive development, developmental and educational theory, creativity

Martha Julia Garcia-Sellers
Ph.D., Harvard University
Cross-cultural studies, parent-child interaction, preventive intervention

Calvin Gidney III
Ph.D., Georgetown University
Sociolinguistic development, language of African-American children, children's language attitudes

Francine Jacobs
Ed.D., Harvard University
Child and family policy, program evaluation

Bruce Johnson
Ph.D., Tufts University
Early childhood education; curriculum development; education reform & policy

Deborah LeeKeenan
M.A., University of New Mexico
Multicultural and antibias education, curriculum development, special needs

Richard M. Lerner, Chair
Ph.D., City University of New York
Lifelong development, personality and social development in adolescence

Tama Leventhal
Ph.D., Columbia University
Neighborhood influences on children, youth, and families; social policy

Christine McWayne
Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
Early school success of urban-residing children

Jayanthi J. Mistry
Ph.D., Purdue University
Cultural perspectives, cultural and ethnic identities, early education

Ellen Pinderhughes
Ph.D., Yale University
Child development in diverse family contexts, racial/ethnic minority child development

Martha Pott
Ph.D., Tufts University
Personal-social development

W. George Scarlett
Ph.D., Clark University
Early childhood behavior problems, spiritual development, play

Carlota Schechter
Ed.D. Harvard University
Early childhood education professional development coordinator

Maryanne Wolf
Ed.D., Harvard University
Dyslexia, cognitive neurosciences, developmental psycholinguistics, reading