Degree Requirements

The following requirements are in addition to, or further elaborate upon, those requirements outlined in The Graduate School Policy Guide.

Master's

There is no terminal degree in Human Development and Social Policy. Students pursuing the PhD may receive the MA as part of their doctoral course of study at their discretion; those leaving the program prior to the completion through to earning the PhD may receive the MA if they qualify.

Total Units Required: 14

Other MA Degree Requirements

• Examinations: none specified
• Research/Projects: see master's thesis below
• Master's Thesis (HDSP Trial Research): The Trial Research addresses questions that can be answered through empirical, feasible investigations (please note that neither a critical review of the literature on a topic, nor a speculative essay, is acceptable). The final paper should include the student’s particular
  1. research questions
  2. conceptual framework and review of prior literature
  3. methods of data collection
  4. results, and
  5. discussion, conclusions, interpretations, and suggestions for further research.

PhD

HDSP Curriculum Overview To obtain a PhD in Human Development and Social Policy (HDSP), students entering the program without master's degrees must complete 21 credits (14 required courses and 7 electives), including the core curriculum and electives, a trial research and an annotated course outline. Students entering the program with a master's degree are required to complete 18 courses (14 required and 4 electives) including the core curriculum and remaining 4 electives. There are no qualifying examinations. Instead, successful completion of the Trial Research and The Guided Literature Review OR Course Outline admits a student to PhD candidacy. There is a two quarter teaching requirement to serve as a teaching assistant. The last requirement for the degree is completion of a dissertation.

Total Units Required: 14