Human Development and Social Policy Program PhD

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

Course Title
HDSP Proseminar (1 unit)
HDSP 401-0Proseminar in Human Development and Social Policy I
Foundations of Human Development (4 units)
HDSP 413-0Theories of Human Development
Three of the four following courses:
Child Development and Social Policy
Adolescent Development
Adult Development and Aging
Nature vs. Nurture Revisited
Foundations in Empirical Research Methods (5 units)
HDSP 410-0Quantitative Methods I: Probability and Statistics
HDSP 411-0Quantitative Methods II: Regression Analysis
HDSP 412-0Quantitative Methods III: Empirical Tools for Causal Quantitative Analysis
HDSP 432-0Field Methods
HDSP 435-0Advanced Qualitative Methods
Foundations of Social Policy (4 units)
Students must take 4 courses from among the following:
Economics of Social Policy
Social-Community Interventions
Topics in Human Development & Soc Policy (Organizations, Institutions and Society: Persistence and Change Among Public, Private and Non-Profit Sectors)
Education Policy: Design, Implementation and Effects
Sociology of Education
Modern Theories of the State and Social Policy
Social Policymaking and Policy Implementation

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

Course Title
HDSP Proseminar (1 unit)
HDSP 401-0Proseminar in Human Development and Social Policy I
Foundations of Human Development (4 units)
HDSP 413-0Theories of Human Development
Three of the four following courses:
Child Development and Social Policy
Adolescent Development
Adult Development and Aging
Nature vs. Nurture Revisited
Foundations in Empirical Research Methods (5 units)
HDSP 410-0Quantitative Methods I: Probability and Statistics
HDSP 411-0Quantitative Methods II: Regression Analysis
HDSP 412-0Quantitative Methods III: Empirical Tools for Causal Quantitative Analysis
HDSP 432-0Field Methods
HDSP 435-0Advanced Qualitative Methods
Foundations of Social Policy (4 units)
Students must take 4 courses from among the following:
Economics of Social Policy
Social-Community Interventions
Topics in Human Development & Soc Policy (Organizations, Institutions and Society: Persistence and Change Among Public, Private and Non-Profit Sectors)
Education Policy: Design, Implementation and Effects
Sociology of Education
Modern Theories of the State and Social Policy
The Politics of Public Policy