Graduate Program in Human Development
and
Early Childhood Disorders
Faculty
Professors:
Thomas G.R. Bower, Duane Buhrmester, Bert S. Moore, Margaret Tresch Owen, John W. Santrock,
Melanie J. Spence, Robert D. Stillman, Marion K. Underwood, Deborah Wiebe
Associate Professors: Pamela Rollins
Assistant Professors: Shayla Holub, Mandy Maguire, Candice Mills
Clinical Faculty: Cherryl Bryant
Senior Lecturers: Toosje Van Beveren
Objectives
The Master of Science program in Human Development and
Early Childhood Disorders is designed for students with professional interests
in early child development and disorders. The curriculum offers a strong
foundation in the normative path of physical, cognitive and social development
with specialized training in diagnostic and intervention techniques needed to
work with developmental disorders of early childhood. The program is designed
for students interested in a career in the delivery of services to young children
who show developmental delays and disorders and their families. This program provides
training to those who desire to work with infants and young children and their
families in early childhood intervention programs and other professional
settings, including schools, hospitals, and medical/therapy clinics. Classroom
training is combined with practical experience in a variety of clinical and
educational settings, both on campus and in the community. Students graduating
from the program qualify to work as Early Intervention Specialists and
Developmental Specialists. They also qualify for Level 2 Infant Mental Health
Endorsement by the Texas Association for Infant Mental Health.
Facilities
The principal sites for the academic and research
activities of the The Human
Development and Early Childhood Disorders program are located at UTD and the Callier Center for Communication
Disorders on the main campus in Richardson, and on the campus of the UT
Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. Facilities at the main campus include
research and observational laboratories, and laboratories dedicated to infant
assessment. On-campus fieldwork opportunities with preschool-age children with
special needs are available in the Preschool Language Development Program held
at Callier-Richardson. The Callier
Center on the UT Southwestern Medical Center campus operates a laboratory
preschool, and the Callier Center on both the main campus in Richardson and the
medical center campus offer a number of other educational and clinical programs
serving young children. These facilities, and various community programs
and settings throughout the Metroplex, provide essential
educational, clinical, and research environments for training in Human
Development and Early Childhood Disorders. Practicum and Internship placements
provide supervised on-site and community based fieldwork experiences with young
children with special needs
and their families.
Admission
Requirements
The
University’s general admission requirements are discussed here.
The Human Development and Early Childhood Disorders
program is designed for students with backgrounds in psychology, special
education, early childhood education, social work, and communication disorders.
Students from other disciplines are also encouraged to apply. Those from other
fields are generally not required to take leveling courses.
Admission to the Human Development and Early Childhood
Disorders program is based on a review of the applicant’s GPA, GRE scores,
letters of recommendation, and narrative description of interests, relevant
experiences, and career goals. In general, a combined Verbal and Quantitative
score on the GRE of at least 1000 is advisable based on our experience with
student success in the program. However, there is no minimum cut-off score for
admission nor does a score of at least 1000 assure admission to the program.
Degree
Requirements
The
University’s general degree requirements are discussed here.
The plan of study includes a set of required foundational
courses, elective course options, and supervised practical experience in
applied settings designed to prepare students to work with children and their
families.
Students are advised that participation in off-campus
practicum and internship requires a criminal background check. Students
excluded from off-campus sites for any reason may be unable to complete all
degree requirements.
The Master of Science program requires a minimum of 48
semester hours. Specific degree requirements follow.
Required
Core Courses (24 hours)
HDCD 6319 The Developing Child: Infants and Toddlers
HDCD 6312 Atypical Development
HDCD 6315 Assessment Theory
HDCD 6316 Developmental Assessment
HDCD 6335 Intervention Paradigms
HDCD 6310 Parent Education
HDCD 6320 The Developing Child: Preschool Years
HDCD 6370 Intervention with Young Children
Practicum
(3 hours)
HDCD 7V20 Practicum in Disorders of Young Children
Internship
(6 hours)
HDCD 7V20 Internship in Disorders of Young Children
Electives
(15 hours)
HDCD 6325 Service Coordination of Community Resources
HDCD 6395 Medical and Biobehavioral Factors in ECD
HDCD 6330 Families and Culture
HDCD 6385 Child Psychopathology
HDCD 6355 Family Outreach and Assessment
HDCD 6390 Infant Mental Health
HDCD 6V81 Special Topics in Early Childhood Disorders
HDCD 6360 Behavior Management
HCS 6350 Social Development
HCS 6331 Cognitive Development
HCS 7382 Health Psychology
COMD 6307 Language Acquisition or HCS 6368 Language Development
COMD 7V62 Seminar in Autism
HDCD 7V98 Independent Study
HDCD 7V80 Independent Research