PhD in Child Development | Erikson Institute

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PhD in Child Development
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CHILD DEVELOPMENT DOCTORAL PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Advance Yourself In Leadership and Career Roles
Study how factors such as culture, social class, and social relationships influence human development from infancy through early and middle childhood. Among others, PhD graduates can consider careers in research, applied child development research, program design and evaluation, college teaching, program administration, and policy analysis.
This PhD program is offered by Erikson in conjunction with Loyola University Chicago, and the PhD is conferred by Loyola. The program has both full-time (4 years) and flex-time (6 years) options.
Erikson’s PhD Child in Development Builds Your Expertise
Start in the Fall and earn your PhD on campus.
 
4-6 Year Average Program Length
Full- and Flex-Time Options
Start in the Fall of odd-numbered years
Why Erikson
Earn Your PhD in Child Development in a Unique Program Made For You 
Deepen your expertise with one of the only applied research PhD programs on child development.
Advanced Career Skills
Extend the range of roles and careers you can consider.
Internship Experience
Participate in two semesters of required doctoral internship; one in research and one in assistant teaching at a master’s level college course.
Final Dissertation
Guided by a committee of faculty members, you’ll execute a substantial original piece of research to advance knowledge in the field of child development. It will require a public oral defense.
Small, Personal Classes
Be seen and heard working closely with your professors and peers.
Self-Reflective Supervision Seminars
Learn resilience and healthy professional practices from experienced practitioners.
Child-focused Research and Teaching Internships
PhD candidates are required to complete two semesters of an internship supervised by your Erikson advisor. At least one semester must be a research internship.
Research Internship (3 semester hours)
You’ll work with an Erikson faculty member, research scientist, or associate, or on a research project at another institution.
Teaching Internship (3 semester hours)
You will teach or assist in teaching a master’s-level college course in child development or related topic.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT & SCHOLARSHIP OPTIONS
Look Into Erikson’s Robust Financial Support & Scholarship Options
With dozens of scholarships and financial aid opportunities, our team is here to help you make your graduate education more affordable.
Flex-time students are not eligible for assistantships and the associated full scholarship to Erikson classes, but they are still eligible for standard scholarship opportunities and financial aid packages.
TALK TO A FINANCIAL ADVISOR 
Apply By February 1st
You’ll need to submit one application to Erikson. Accepted students are then admitted concurrently to Erikson and Loyola University Chicago. GRE not required.
The advantages of the Erikson-Loyola partnership include a broader exposure to faculty and courses, support from a larger institution while maintaining the community feel of a smaller program, and additional options for student engagement and networking.
Bilge Cerezci
MS 2009, PhD 2016
“ What made me most marketable during my job search was the knowledge I’d gained in the classroom combined with the applied research I’d done with Erikson’s Early Math Collaborative. Just a month after earning my PhD, I accepted a tenure-track position at St. John’s University. ”
Career Services
Erikson Institute Supports You Every Step of the Way
Our Career Services team is there for you in both the preparation and search for a job.
Career counseling and workshops
Annual job fair and networking events
Interview prep and resume reviews
Career placement program
Student and graduate resume book
With hundreds of partnerships and robust networks of alumni and field experts, the Career Services team is here to help you put your education into practice.
Tonya Bibbs
PhD 2014
“ So much of the work being done on children of color is about deviance or risk — how children are not fitting some particular model. I really wanted to look at normative development. ”
Sabrina Mendez
PhD Candidate
“ There are so many different cultures that make up the American experience, and Erikson’s focus on diversity reflects that. We all learn from each other’s experience. ”
Amanda Moreno
PhD Program Director
“ We take applied developmental research seriously. Our doctoral program is focused on how scholarship can be used to make a meaningful difference in the lives of children and their families. ”
Careers Opportunities With a PhD In Child Development
95% of our PhD graduates from the last ten years hold current positions as higher education faculty, researchers, or program directors in child and family-focused organizations.
 
Our graduates have built careers in:
Applied child development research
Our graduates are employed by:
Chapin Hall, University of Chicago
National Institute for Early Education Research
Early Learning Coalition of Orange County, Fla.
University of Colorado Denver
Explore a Few of the PhD Program Courses
Check out a few examples of the courses you’ll take in our program.
In addition to your Erikson courses, you’ll take three Loyola courses in research design and statistics, and two additional elective Loyola courses.
This course examines the concept of risk and how it impacts child development.
E477
Learning and Teaching: Linking Theory and Research to Practice
This course examines these issues through investigating and analyzing exemplary models of recent and influential theory and research.
E479
Designing, Developing, and Evaluating Early Childhood Intervention Programs
This course examines the variety of early childhood supports and interventions that have evolved to serve low income children and their families.
E482
E477
Children at Risk
This course examines the concept of risk and how it impacts child development. We will use multiple frameworks to examine risk, including public health, developmental psychopathology, and education.
Attention will be focused on biological/genetic (such as prematurity and temperament), family (such as parent mental health and child maltreatment), and environmental (such as poverty and neighborhood violence) factors. The consequences of growing up in the context of chronic adversity will be explored, as well as the factors that lead some children to cope with and show resilience in these circumstances.
The challenges of understanding risk in current research, as well as the implications of this research for programs and policy will also be discussed.
E479
Learning and Teaching: Linking Theory and Research to Practice
An understanding of the two domains of learning and teaching is fundamental to the field of child development and education.
This course examines these issues through investigating and analyzing exemplary models of recent and influential theory and research.
A dialogue-based approach to learning will be used throughout the course to encourage personal involvement in exploring and explaining the science of learning and teaching. Students will also engage in fieldwork, such as on-site observations, conversations with practitioners, and a research project, to gain first-hand experience of these issues.
E482
Designing, Developing, and Evaluating Early Childhood Intervention Programs
This course examines the variety of early childhood supports and interventions that have evolved to serve low income children and their families. These include: parenting and family support interventions, preschool, child care, kindergarten (and other supports around the transition to school), and more broadly, public aid (welfare), parental leave, and maternal and child health.
Erikson Professors are Leaders in the Field
Gain expert perspectives working closely with leaders in the field.
Erikson’s PhD program faculty are nationally recognized. With specific research interests and decades of experience, each of our faculty enriches your academic experience, connecting you to new networks and the latest data.
Find answers to the biggest questions students ask about the PhD program.
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Who is eligible for this program?
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Required degree: A Master’s degree in a related field to child development (education, social work, or psychology) from a regionally accredited school.
If you have your bachelor’s degree and would like to apply for doctoral study at Erikson, you can apply under a special combined Master of Science in Child Development (MSCD)/Ph.D. track, which guarantees admission to the doctoral program with maintenance of an A- average in the MSCD program. In addition, students who complete their MSCD at Erikson will receive automatic credit transfer. Students interested in this option should contact Dr. Amanda Moreno and review the MSCD application process .
International students must demonstrate English language proficiency.
What are the application requirements beyond completing the online application form?
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Research paper or academic writing sample
Two short essays in response to questions
A third short essay if you select the flex-time track
Three letters of recommendation
Academic transcripts from colleges/universities where you completed 30 or more credit hours. Please note: Unofficial transcripts may be uploaded into the application system for application review. Official transcripts will be required following admission.
Select applicants will be invited for required interviews after initial application review.
Does this degree lead to licensure?
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This degree does not lead to licensure. For clinical licensure, please review our MSW program.
Is this program APA accredited?
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We are not a clinical psychology program and do not seek accreditation from the American Psychological Association.
What kind of financial aid can I qualify for?
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Every effort is made to match full-time students with an appropriate (up to) 20-hr./week assistantship which provides a stipend of $25,000 per year and comes with a full scholarship to Erikson classes (the credit hours taken at Loyola are self-paid).
Due to their existing work commitments, flex-time students are not eligible for assistantships and the associated full scholarship to Erikson classes, but they are still eligible for standard scholarship opportunities and financial aid packages.
Admitted students will be aware of their funding package prior to being required to accept or decline.
Can I work either part-time or full-time during the PhD program?
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Full-time students are not permitted to maintain external full-time employment. Instead, most are matched with an Erikson-based 20 hr/week assistantship.
Applicants who are situated in a field-related full-time job that they wish to maintain (e.g., principal, center director, non-profit leader, school counselor, etc.) are now eligible for the “flex-time” track. This option allows us to meet the demands of working professionals who want to obtain their PhD, while working in positions that may be connected in advantageous ways to their doctoral studies.
Does Erikson help students find jobs, before and after graduation?
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The staff in our Field Education and  Career Services Office  will work with you to prepare you for seeking positions while you’re enrolled at Erikson and upon graduating from the program. You’ll receive feedback on your resume and cover letters, and we also maintain a job board on our campus portal where employers list part-time and full-time positions for which they’re hiring.
The Career Services team also plans an annual social work, early education, and child development job fair for Erikson students and alumni. In concert with the job fair, you can submit your resume to be included in an annual Resume Book that we distribute to organizations and managers who are interested in hiring Erikson students and alumni.
Where do students live?
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Erikson students live in a wide range of neighborhoods in Chicago and in the suburbs. We do not offer campus housing. While we can’t make specific recommendations about where you should live, we encourage you to find a neighborhood that suits your style, taste, and budget. To help you in your housing search, we work closely with  StudentSpace , a free apartment-finding service that specializes in helping graduate students find housing in Chicago.
What kind of student support services do you offer?
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Because of Erikson’s small size, you’ll have access to a wide range of both informal and formal  student support services . These include:
The Field Education and Career Services team will help you identify and apply for your internship placement. Erikson has hundreds of pre-approved internship sites, so you don’t have to worry about finding a placement site on your own.
Advising about your financial aid options, including personal financial education, is coordinated through the Financial Aid Office.
Academic advising is facilitated through your faculty advisor and program director.
The Academic Success Center provides services to help you with the academic reading and writing expectations of your program. The Center also sponsors discussion groups for selected master’s program courses.
The Director of Disability Services provides advising and support for students with disabilities and students who need accommodations for their academic work.
WorkLifeMatters is a confidential student assistance program offered to all Erikson students through Guardian and Integrated Behavioral Health (IBH). You have unlimited access to consult with a professional counselor via telephone. Face-to-face counseling sessions are available, if needed, with an IBH network provider — and up to eight sessions are free of charge as part of WorkLifeMatters.
Validated parking at a reduced rate is provided to Erikson students in three nearby parking garages. You will also have access to deeply discounted public transportation through the CTA U-Pass program.
Your Professional Growth Starts Here with a PhD in Child Development
Erikson’s PhD Child Development program will help you make a positive impact on children, families and communities. Ready to get started?