Prepare to be Immersed in a range of applied child development research.
CHILD DEVELOPMENT DOCTORAL PROGRAM OVERVIEW
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 post-master’s program is offered by Erikson in conjunction with Loyola University Chicago, and the PhD is conferred by Loyola. You’ll have up to six years from your admission to finish the program’s requirements, including your final dissertation.
Start in the Fall and earn your PhD on campus.
Why Erikson
Deepen your expertise with one of the only applied research PhD programs on child development.
Extend the range of roles and careers you can consider.
Participate in two semesters of required doctoral internship; one in research and one in assistant teaching at a master’s level college course.
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.
Be seen and heard working closely with your professors and peers.
Learn resilience and healthy professional practices from experienced practitioners.
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.
You’ll work with an Erikson faculty member, research scientist, or associate, or on a research project at another institution.
You will teach or assist in teaching a master’s-level college course in child development or related topic.
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.
Based on your unique professional goals, we can help you understand tuition and expenses, and identify possible financial support opportunities.
You’ll need to submit separate applications to both Erikson and Loyola University Chicago and be accepted by both.
Erikson awards a limited number of competitive doctoral scholarships and assistantships each year. Get started today with your application to receive priority consideration for awards.
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.
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.
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:
Our graduates are employed by:
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.
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.
Required degree: A Master’s degree in a related field to child development (education, social work, or psychology) from a regionally accredited school, with a minimum GPA of 3.0.
Application requirement: Submit separate applications to both Erikson and Loyola University Chicago, and be accepted by both.
International students must demonstrate English language proficiency.
This degree does not lead to licensure. For clinical licensure, please review our MSW program.
We are not a clinical psychology program and do not seek accreditation from the American Psychological Association.
Erikson awards a limited number of competitive doctoral scholarships and assistantships each year. These are awarded to new doctoral students at the time of admission to the program on the basis of academic promise, experience, and research interest.
Other types of financial assistance for doctoral students, such as federal or private student loans, are handled through Loyola University Chicago. Learn more about your eligibility for, and availability of, student loans from Loyola University of Chicago.
Yes. Most of our students work part-time as assistants on faculty projects or teach as adjuncts.
Some continue to work full-time in their positions as they complete coursework. Students should consider carefully their own organizational and time-management skills when making decisions about employment, given the demands of doctoral coursework.
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.
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.
Because of Erikson’s small size, you’ll have access to a wide range of both informal and formal student support services. These include: