Human Development and Social Policy

Overview

The Human Development and Social Policy (HDSP) doctoral program, founded in 1981 under the leadership of Dr. Bernice Neugarten, prepares students to conduct research to understand and to address the very human problems that pose the greatest challenges to society in this new century. This research will inform decisions about policies, programs and interventions.

Over the life course, human beings learn, develop and interact within families, communities, schools, workplaces and the particular political and economic order within which their lives are embedded and defined.

The overarching aim of HDSP scholarship is to improve human lives by examining and understanding how policies affect the lives of people through the life course and how people can analyze and affect policy. It does so by promoting an interdisciplinary understanding of how people develop, how various experiences and contexts affect human lives, the underlying logic of program design and evaluation, the ways in which political agendas are set and how political forces distribute opportunities in a democracy.

Uniquely combining training in human development and training in public policy, HDSP furthers both scientific discovery and effective practice in understanding and enhancing human lives.

The core curriculum in HDSP provides training in human development, qualitative and quantitative methods, as well as policy development, implementation and evaluation. More specialized training is offered in child development and social policy, adult development and social policy and in human development and education policy.

The goals of the program include

to understand the ways people develop
to examine the effects of multiple contexts on development
to design and evaluate programs and policies that enhance development
to study the politics of developing and implementing such policies and programs

The HDSP doctoral program is highly selective and admits four to seven graduate students each year. Successful applicants have diverse disciplinary backgrounds, including psychology, sociology, political science, economics and demography. Many have worked for a number of years after graduating from college. All share an interest in interdisciplinary approaches to public policy issues.

Within the HDSP program, students may choose to focus on one of three concentrations: Child Development and Social Policy; Adult Development and Social Policy; or Human Development and Educational Policy. The study of health disparities is an emerging area of interest in the program.

Graduates are trained to bridge the social sciences and social policy-making arenas, to teach and carry out research in academic and nonacademic settings and to occupy strategic positions in government and non-government agencies where policies are created.

Request a Human Development and Social Policy Program e-brochure.