The major elements of the developmental program include research training, teaching experience, and two sets of requirements that apply to nearly all types of graduate study. These requirements pertain to the master's degree and the Ph.D. degree. Supervised Research Training Graduate students should be involved in research activities from the beginning of their graduate careers. Students learn about the research of the developmental faculty through a weekly colloquium series, through personal contacts, and through experiences as a research assistant for their major professor or other faculty members. Students often find that these ways of learning about research are the most meaningful and valuable parts of their graduate years.
Most graduate students do some undergraduate teaching during each semester of graduate school.
They may be teaching assistants for the undergraduate course in child psychology or other courses. They may instead serve as advisers for undergraduates who are psychology majors. Faculty members supervise students in these positions. The supervision is designed to help students become talented teachers and scholars. In addition, students can learn more about undergraduate teaching from specific courses and workshops offered regularly at Purdue.