Psychology and Human Development

The Department of Psychology and Human Development is a group of scholars who work to increase understanding of basic psychological functioning in family, school, and other social contexts that influence development.

Our graduate programs, which are included in the Psychological Sciences major offered jointly with the Department of Psychology in the College of Arts and Science, include clinical science, cognitive and cognitive neuroscience, developmental science, neuroscience, and quantitative methods and evaluation. For information about our graduate programs, click here.

The department also is the home of Master of Education programs in Child Studies and Quantitative Methods and a Master of Science in Cognitive Psychology in Context, as well as undergraduate majors in Child Development, Cognitive Studies, and Child Studies. The research efforts of our department are focused on increasing understanding of basic psychological processes and applying this knowledge of infant, adolescent, and adult functioning, emphasizing the family, school, and other social contexts that influence development.

Department faculty are accomplished and nationally known. Many serve as editors of psychological journals, members of national review panels, and leaders in national organizations. All are authors of numerous scientific articles and chapters. While faculty members in Psychology share a common interest in psychological processes and their development, our specific interests and expertise are diverse. Some are committed to increasing understanding of basic psychological processes, while others emphasize implications for clinical, social, and educational issues. We are all committed to building a diverse and inclusive department. See  Departmental Diversity Statement .

In addition to our close relationship with the Department of Psychology in the College of Arts and Science, our department maintains strong collaborative ties with other Peabody departments: Special Education, with emphases on children with disabilities and their development; Teaching and Learning, with emphases on learning processes in young school age and adolescent children; and Human and Organizational Development, with emphases on group processes, community issues and organizational development.

Note that only faculty who have room for new students in their laboratories will accept new graduate students for the upcoming admission year. It is advised that prospective students look on faculty profile pages and contact directly the faculty in whose research they are interested to learn more about whether they may be admitting new students.

For further information, contact the department:

Department of Psychology and Human Development
Peabody College #552
230 Appleton Place
Nashville, TN 37203-5721
Telephone: (615) 322-8141
Fax: (615) 343-9494