Program Description
The College of Human Development and Education offers a doctoral degree program in Human Development. The purpose of the program is to train doctoral students in three areas of human development: Applied Gerontology, Wellness, and Counselor Education.
The program is intended to produce professionals with strong skills in research,
teaching, and service. These professionals will have a strong interdisciplinary
understanding of human development and the needs of a changing society.
With the Applied Gerontology track, graduates can work directly with older
persons in such areas as health promotion programs, intergenerational activities
for older persons, senior centers, or retirement communities. Gerontologists can
also work in education and research, including conducting research on the aging
process and social and developmental aspects of aging; teaching students,
professionals, and older adults and their families about aging; aging policy
development; and program planning and administration.
The purpose of the Wellness track is to prepare researchers/scholars,
leaders, and
teachers in the health and wellness promotion area. The continued growth of exercise
and wellness in a variety of settings, including corporate, educational, governmental,
medical, and private programs, has created a demand for scholars in this area.
Ph.D. graduates in the Counselor Education Track will have many career areas open to them. The major areas of emphasis are higher education faculty positions, supervision, research, multicultural practice and related areas.
Admissions Requirements
- Students could enter with an approved master's degree or with a bachelor's
degree. The candidate's master's degree should include a research thesis.
A student without a completed thesis could be accepted if the faculty
determined that he/she had appropriate research skills or could recommend
an appropriate research experience. In addition, a student may be required to
complete prerequisite courses. Candidates must have adequate preparation in an appropriate field of study
for the chosen track and show potential to undertake advanced study and
research as evidenced by academic performance and experience.
- At the baccalaureate level, students must have earned a cumulative grade
point average of at least 3.0 or equivalent. Students with a previous graduate degree with a GPA of 3.0 or equivalent may be admitted in full standing.
- The Graduate Record Exam is recommended.
The following materials should be received by The Graduate School no later than
February 1 to be considered for the next fall semester admission. Applications
received after this date will be considered on a space available basis:
Official transcripts, having appropriate seal or stamp, of all previous undergraduate
and graduate records.
Forms: Application for Admission to Graduate School and Application for the doctoral
program in Human Development.
Three letters of recommendation. Personal reference report forms are available from
the NDSU Graduate School.
Financial Assistance
The student must be accepted in full or conditional status before he/she is eligible for
a teaching or research assistantship in the College of Human Development and
Education. To be considered for an assistantship, the student must submit a
letter to the college indicating interest and special skills/experiences that would
qualify him/her for an assistantship.
Degree Requirements
Doctor of Philosophy in Human Development:
I. Human Development Core (34 credit minimum)
| Courses |
Credits |
| HDE 720 Interdisciplinary Approaches to Human Development |
3 |
| HDE 790 Doctoral Seminar Orientation |
1 |
| Two Additional Seminar Credits |
2 |
| |
|
| Research Courses |
|
| Three additional credits in research methods (beyond the equivalent of CDFS 702/EDUC 703) |
3 |
| Three additional credits in statistics (beyond the equivalent of STAT 725) are required as approved by the students' committee. |
3 |
| 794 Teaching Internship |
3 |
| 799 Doctoral Dissertation |
10 |
(794 and 799 credits are available from each department)
The following courses are required prerequisites to the Doctoral program in Human Development. Students who have not had these courses or equivalents as part of a masters program are required to complete them as part of this core.
Students who have completed any of the courses below will take an additional equivalent number of elective credits to complete the total number of program credits required.
| CDFS 782 Advanced Human Development: Birth Through Childhood |
3 |
| CDFS 784 Advanced Human Development: Adolescence Through Adulthood |
3 |
| CNED 712 Dynamics of Self; OR EQUIVALENT |
3 |
| |
|
|
| CDFS 703 Research Methods in Child Development and Family Science |
3 |
| EDUC 703 Research, Measurement and Program Evaluation |
3 |
| OR EQUIVALENT AND |
|
| STAT 725 Applied Statistics |
3 |
| OR EQUIVALENT |
|
TOTAL CORE |
34 Credits Minimum |
Track I: Applied Gerontology
Gerontology Foundation Courses (15 cr.)
| CDFS 760 Aging Policy |
3 |
| CDFS 761 Applied Gerontology Programs |
3 |
| ATID 696 Aging and the Environment |
3 |
| HPER 719 Wellness and Leisure in Adulthood |
3 |
| CDFS 722 Applied Research in Gerontology |
3 |
Elective Courses (15 credits minimum)
Students must take a minimum of 9 credits of didactic courses. It is also recommended that students take some credits of CDFS or HNES 793 Individual Study:
Research in Gerontology or 794 Practicum. Students should confer with their advisor regarding elective course selection.
| CDFS 660 Adult Development and Aging |
3 |
| CDFS 682 Family Dynamics of Aging |
3 |
| CDFS 678 Financial and Consumer Issues of Aging |
3 |
| CNED 737 The Helping Relationship and the Elderly |
3 |
| SOC 641 Sociology of Death |
3 |
| SOC 640 Sociology of Aging |
3 |
| CDFS 681Women and Aging |
3 |
| HNES 652 Nutrition, Health and Aging |
3 |
NOTE: Doctoral students must have a minimum of 15 didactic credits at the 700 level.
Total Credits required = 64 minimum following the master's degree; 94 minimum following the bachelor's degree.
Track II: Wellness
Wellness Foundation Courses (12 credits)
| HNES 793 IS/Research in Wellness (may take 1 credit at a time) |
1-3 |
| HNES 726 Nutrition in Wellness |
3 |
| HNES 727 Physical Activity in Wellness |
3 |
| CDFS 782 or CDFS 784 |
3 |
| (One course will meet the HDE Core requirement and the other course will meet the Wellness Track Foundation Course Requirement) |
|
| |
Total 12 |
Wellness Elective Courses (18 credits minimum)
Elective courses as determined by the student's committee. Twelve of the 18 credits must be didactic courses.
Total 18 |
Total Credits 64 |
NOTE: Doctoral students must have a minimum of 15 didactic credits at the 700 level.
Total credits required = 64 minimum following the master's degree and 94 credits minimum following the bachelor's degree.
Track III: Counselor Education
Candidates for the Counselor Education track are required to have earned an approved Masters degree which would include the following prerequisite courses, or courses with documented content expected in these prerequisite areas.
Candidates entering with a Bachelors degree or with Masters degrees not including these prerequisite areas would need to take courses in the deficient areas (in addition to the required credits necessary for the Doctoral degree).
Examples of "prerequisite" courses using NDSU Counselor Education courses:
| CNED 755 Career Counseling and Testing |
|
| CNED 757 Professional Orientation and Ethics |
|
| CNED 758 Social and Cultural Foundations in Counseling |
|
| CNED 760 Counseling Techniques |
|
| CNED 761 Counseling Theory |
|
| CNED 762 Group Counseling |
|
| CNED 765 Advanced Group Counseling |
|
| CNED 766 Dynamics of Self (Human Growth and Development) |
|
| CNED 794A Practicum |
|
| CNED 794B Internship |
|
Counselor Education Foundation Courses (34 credits)
| CNED 763 Advanced Testing and Appraisal |
3 |
| CNED 767 Advanced Group Counseling |
3 |
| CNED 769 Theory and Practice for Counselor Education |
3 |
| CNED 770 Counselor Supervision |
3 |
| CNED 771 Counselor Education and Supervision in a Multicultural Society |
3 |
| CNED 772 Advanced Counseling Theories |
3 |
| CNED 776 Qualitative Research and Program Evaluation |
3 |
| CNED 779 Quantitative and Survey Research |
3 |
| CNED 780 Ethical and Legal Issues in Counselor Education |
3 |
| CNED 787 Professional Issues: Professional Development, Consultation, and Publishing |
3 |
| CNED 790 Doctoral Seminar |
4 |
| |
Total 34 |
Total credits required: 71 minimum following the master's degree; 101 minimum following the bachelor's degree.
Courses Offered
- ADFH 696 Aging and the Environment
3
- Lecture-discussion course on the analysis
of the built environment and how it impacts the aging population.
Note: Other courses in the Human Development doctoral program
are listed under the Department of Child Development and Family
Science; Department of Health, Nutrition, and Exercise Science;
and School of Education.
HDE 720 Interdisciplinary Approaches to Human Development 3- An interdisciplinary approach to issues
in development across the lifespan. The course will provide
an overview of wellness, counseling, and
aging approaches to
human development issues.
