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Overview of the Program. The developmental psychology program emphasizes fundamental academic training in developmental processes from infancy through late adulthood and provides concentrated research and laboratory training. Active interaction with other psychology areas is encouraged. The graduate program in developmental psychology provides broad training in cognitive development, social cognitive development, social development, and biological influences on development. Current research interests of the faculty address several interrelated themes - click on this link for more information. Facilities include laboratories for research with young infants, school children, adults and the aged. Laboratory equipment is available for assessing a wide variety of behavioral and physiological reactions. At the graduate level, excellence in scholarship and research is emphasized as the student moves toward the Ph.D. The program maintains a small student-faculty ratio to allow individually tailored graduate programs, encourage interaction with faculty, and facilitate a realistic apprenticeship model in the conduct of research and teaching.
Admissions. Students planning to pursue a Ph.D. in developmental psychology are considered for fall admission. Admission decisions are based on a number of factors, including research experience, grades, standardized test scores, undergraduate coursework, match between student and faculty research interests, and letters of recommendation. Prospective students are encouraged to contact individual faculty members regarding their research interests.
The Department of Psychology has an excellent set of information for potential grad students, including information on these topics: Grad Prep Materials, Cost of Living, Financial Support, Campus Services, and the Gainesville Area. For example, in the Grad Prep Materials section, you will find a very useful slide show on preparation for graduate school, enhancing your chances for admission, the characteristics of a good resume or letter of recommendation, and related information. Application materials are available online.
Research training. Most of the current developmental students are planning a career in research or teaching. The core of research training lies, of course, in the actual conducting of research with faculty experienced in research and teaching, and students are required to be involved in research throughout their training. We use a mentorship or apprenticeship model in which students work closely with at least one faculty member. As they progress through the program, students gradually take on more responsibility for their own research. The faculty serve as models of how to conduct, disseminate, and publish research, and help to guide students' research activities, including the presentation of research at national conferences, preparation of empirical publications and reviews, and grant writing. Our students are competitive for national grants and have recently secured National Research Service Awards from the National Institututes of Health. There are also opportunities for students to acquire a wide range of research and training experiences through collaboration with faculty associated with various departments, colleges, and interdisciplinary centers across the university who have developmental interests.
Current Research Interests of Developmental Faculty
Additional Details.
Further information on program details may be found at the following links: [Add links below when current grad page done]
 Graduate student, Erin Hastings, works on her research |
Graduate student, Katherine Clemans, gets moved into her office space |
Frequently Asked Questions. The questions and the answers to these questions were prepared by our current graduate students in developmental psychology and were written from a graduate student's perspective. If you have additional questions you are encouraged to send them to the director of the developmental area, Dr. Julia Graber at jagraber@ufl.edu.
How graduate students feel about the overall resources in the Department of Psychology and the rest of campus?
Overall the University is very well equipped. Our library system is comprehensive and provides extensive access to online research literature databases. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) is always offering workshops for graduate students on various topics. Many of them focus on developing teaching skills, or learning electronic thesis submission procedures. The Psychology department also offers courses in professional development and each research area holds colloquia every semester. The Psychology department, CLAS and the Graduate Student Council also offer a number of competitive travel grants each semester for students planning to attend research conferences.
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What is the learning atmosphere at UF like? Is it intellectually stimulating?
Yes! We have a really great group of faculty that are great to work with and offer interesting courses. The Psychology Department, the Brain Institute, the Aging Training Program and many other campus units have a colloquium series that brings prominent researchers from many disciplines to campus. Students and faculty get exposed to all kinds of research and often have the opportunity to meet with the speakers.
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How's the social life in the department and the campus? Is it friendly and supportive?
The developmental area students are very friendly and supportive. Students work together well, and often provide mentoring for each other. Despite busy schedules, we make time to get together outside of the lab for social activities. We have a good group of students that are a lot of fun to work around.
How's the attrition rate of the program?
The developmental area has a very low attrition rate. Most students stay with the program and end up being competitive on the job market.
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Do students get jobs when they finish? Do you have sufficient publications during your studies to secure a high chance of getting a job?
The professors work with you to help you to meet important career objectives. If you are motivated and you work closely with your advisor, you will have sufficient publications and presentations to be competitive on the job market. Some graduate students go on to post docs and others take assistant professor positions at good universities.
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What is life like in Gainesville compared to other places? I've noticed that it's been rated the number one US city.
If you come from a big city, Gainesville may seem small at first. But most students come to love this area. The cost of living in this area is very reasonable. The University has much to offer. They have a Natural History museum and an Art museum that are both free to students. There are plenty of interesting, independently-owned restaurants and pubs. There are student rates for the local professional theatre, the Hippodrome, and the Performing Arts Center, which brings in shows from all over the country. Other examples of activities are stargazing with the Astronomy group almost every Friday and free gyms for students.
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What impresses new and current graduate students the most about living in Gainesville?
In general, North Florida is beautiful. If you enjoy being outdoors, the weather from November through April is perfect. We have tons of bike and nature trails, and natural springs to swim, canoe or tube in. The beach, either the Gulf or the Atlantic, is only 90 minutes away. And we are only an hour and a half away from Orlando, Jacksonville, and Tampa, so if you want some big city action it's not too far away. The only negative for some people is the heat and humidity in the summer time, and most people adjust to it well. Other than that, no complaints. Here are some links to places noted above:
What about transportation for students? Is it hard to get around?
Transportation is great. In Gainesville, the University has a special arrangement with the city of Gainesville to reduce car traffic on campus and to provide safe transportation around the city and campus. With a student ID you can ride the bus on campus and in the city of Gainesville for free. That includes all routes and all times. Some of the bus routes run until 2am (along with a service called "Later Gator" that runs downtown to the bars and clubs to help prevent drinking and driving.) The bus schedule depends on where you live and what route you take.
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Is the assistantship money sufficient to support the rent, food, books etc?
When you are accepted into the program you will receive some type of assistantship to help you pay your way through. This could be in the form of a teaching assistantship or a (competitive) DepartmentalFellowship. Some students also work as paid Graduate Research Assistants on funded grants with their advisor. All grad student receive a tuition waver that pays all of their tuition every semester. After your first year, it is also a great idea to work with your mentor on obtaining external funding for yourself and your research through a federal or foundation grant of fellowship. Theis provides you with a higher stipend as well as agrant-writing experience! In addition, the university now provides every graduate student on an assistantship with health insurance.
Of course, most grad students are still not millionaires, but there are several things that you can do to cut costs as a grad student at UF. Compared to friends in other states and programs in Indiana, New York, and Boston, we've found it takes a lot less to live here in Gainesville because the cost of living is a lot cheaper than in other places. Also, students have access to free public transportation, free gyms, and lots of cheap entertainment through the university and student union and local clubs and theatres. Graduate student courses tend not to require textbooks, so that’s not an expense. Often times the professor will provide a copy of the journal articles for the class and the students will split the cost of making copies with one another to save money. When a text is needed, we've found reasonable prices on www.half.com. These special student opportunities, and ways of working together with other students, help keep costs down.
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