Our interdisciplinary unit studies human development across the lifespan and integrates lab-based and real-world research to enhance development and well-being in diverse environments and populations. Human development majors explore the psychological, social, cultural, and biological development of people from conception to old age, focusing on the processes and mechanisms of growth and change over the life course. An important emphasis is the role that social institutions such as schools, workplaces, and neighborhoods play in human development, as well as the influence that developing people have on their environments. The human development major provides an excellent foundation for many professional careers, such as law, medicine (pediatrics, geriatrics, neurology, and psychiatry), clinical psychology and other mental health professions, education, social work, other health-related professions, business, nonprofit management, and advocacy. Many human development graduates attend graduate school in the fields of human development, psychology, and sociology.
The faculty in the Department of Psychology come from multiple disciplines, including developmental psychology, neuroscience, clinical psychology, education, political science, and sociology. The research of the department’s faculty is extensive and world renowned and addresses issues such as the neurobiological basis of personality, the role of childhood attachments in the development of adult romantic relationships, the acquisition of language in infants, the effects of environmental stressors on children’s cognitive development, interventions to prevent and mitigate the impacts of child maltreatment, risk-taking during adolescence, risk and resilience factors across the life course, the epidemiology of elder mistreatment, memory and the legal system, health care decision making among older people, and strategies to prevent social isolation and promote social integration among older people.
F. Thoemmes, chair; A. Anderson, C. Brainerd, A. Burrow, D. Casasanto, M. Casasola, S. Ceci, A. Dahl, E. DeRosa, G. Evans, M. Gonzalez, C. Hazan, W. Hobbs, A. Hoffman, M. Inniss-Thompson, C. Loeckenhoff, J. Mendle, A. Ong, K. Pillemer, V. Reyna, R. Sternberg, Q. Wang, W. Williams. Lecturers: L. Casasanto, L. Korfine, K. Sternberg, M. Toglia.
Human development is one of the most diverse majors in the College of Human Ecology. The major is flexible enough to give students ample opportunity to meet the requirements for admission to professional degree programs, including medical, dental, law, public health, social work, and business schools. Requirements specified by the College of Human Ecology make up part of each student’s curriculum, and include classes in the social and natural sciences, statistics, humanities, and writing. To fulfill department and college requirements, Human Development majors must take at least one biology course.
Beyond the required formal course work, students in human development have many other opportunities that involve ongoing individual work with Cornell faculty or other professionals. Academic credit can be earned through all of them, up to the limit specified by the college (with some restrictions noted below).
Laboratory courses. Human development students may earn credit toward the major by taking formal courses designed to teach laboratory and other research techniques, including study design, data collection, and data analysis. Students may count one of these courses toward the credits required for the Human Development major. Additional elective credits can be earned toward graduation by enrolling in individual faculty research programs, as described below.
Faculty research. Many human development students work for several semesters as research assistants on faculty projects. On these projects, students get further training in research techniques such as laboratory experiments, surveys, and scientific behavioral observation. Participation in faculty research provides the type of experience that many graduate and professional schools expect from their top applicants. Recent projects involving students have included (1) language acquisition among infants in bilingual households or settings, (2) experimental studies of risky decision making among teens, and (3) the impact of poverty on stress responses in children and teens. Participation in faculty research for credit counts as elective credit toward graduation in the College of Human Ecology (up to the limit specified by the college). By the time they graduate, approximately 80% of human development undergraduates have had lab or community outreach research experience.
Independent research. Under faculty supervision, some advanced students complete an honors thesis. Applications to enter the honors program are due in the second semester of the junior year. Honors theses typically involve a topic related to faculty research, and all applicants must have experience working on research projects and must meet other program requirements for research methods and advanced statistics. Seniors in the honors program register for honors thesis credits. The honors thesis credits count as elective credits toward graduation in the college (up to the limit specified by the college).
Field Placements. Human development majors can arrange internships with Urban Semester in New York City, Cornell in Washington, and Cornell Abroad programs. Students may also arrange internships during the fall and spring semesters in the Ithaca area. All such field placements are required to be under the supervision of a human development faculty member. In recent years, human development students have participated in projects with the Tompkins County Office on Aging, the Tompkins County Human Service Coalition, Kendal of Ithaca, local schools, the Tompkins County Youth Bureau, and the Law Guardian’s Office of Tompkins County. Field Placement credits count as elective credits toward graduation (up to the limit specified by the college).
Undergraduate Teaching Assistantships. Advanced students can serve as undergraduate teaching assistants. The teaching assistantship requires work with the professor teaching the course as well as contact with students. Undergraduate teaching assistantships are for credit only. Teaching assistantship credits count as elective credits toward graduation (up to the limit specified by the college).
All HD majors have the option to complete the Human Development Honors Program, which is a two-year program where students are expected to defend an original research thesis. You must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher and complete your first statistics class before applying in the Spring of your junior year.
Human Development Major
In addition to college requirements , students in the Human Development Major must complete specific requirements listed here.
The requirements listed below pertain to all students matriculating in August 2024 and January 2025.
HD Introductory Course (3 credits)
Take the following:
Developmental Psychology (minimum 6 credits, maximum 7 credits)
Choose two courses from the list:
HD Depth Coursework (minimum 6 credits, maximum 8 credits)
Take one HD 3000-level course and one HD 4000-level course. HD 4000, HD 4010, 4020, 4030, 4980, and 4990 cannot count for this requirement.
Breadth requirement (minimum 2 credits, maximum 4 credits)
Students must take one course from one of the five areas (Translational Research, Social and Environmental Influences, Cross-Cultural Perspectives, The Person in Context, or Engaged Learning)
Note: Courses taken for this area cannot also count in HD 3000/4000 level Electives or Additional HD Electives.
Translational Research
PSYCH 2820 - Community Outreach
HD 3450 - The Nature of Leadership
HD 3460 - Serious Fun! The Role of Play Throughout Development
HD 4440 - The Nature of Human Intelligence
HD 4490 - [Children’s Learning in Social Context]
PSYCH 4500 - [Psychology at the Sciencenter!]
Social and Environmental Influences
PSYCH 2820 - Community Outreach
HD 3460 - Serious Fun! The Role of Play Throughout Development
HD 4210 - Native American Psychology
HD 4340 - Current Topics in Cognitive Development
HD 4440 - The Nature of Human Intelligence
HD 4490 - [Children’s Learning in Social Context]
PSYCH 4500 - [Psychology at the Sciencenter!]
HD 4500 - [Social Networks]
HD 4770 - Psychopathology in Great Works of Literature
PSYCH 4770 - Advanced Developmental Seminar
Cross-Cultural Perspectives
PSYCH 2170 - Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood
PSYCH 2820 - Community Outreach
HD 3450 - The Nature of Leadership
HD 3460 - Serious Fun! The Role of Play Throughout Development
HD 4210 - Native American Psychology
HD 4340 - Current Topics in Cognitive Development
HD 4440 - The Nature of Human Intelligence
HD 4490 - [Children’s Learning in Social Context]
PSYCH 4770 - Advanced Developmental Seminar
The Person in Context
PSYCH 2170 - Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood
PSYCH 2820 - Community Outreach
HD 3450 - The Nature of Leadership
HD 3460 - Serious Fun! The Role of Play Throughout Development
HD 4210 - Native American Psychology
HD 4340 - Current Topics in Cognitive Development
HD 4440 - The Nature of Human Intelligence
HD 4490 - [Children’s Learning in Social Context]
PSYCH 4500 - [Psychology at the Sciencenter!]
HD 4770 - Psychopathology in Great Works of Literature
PSYCH 4770 - Advanced Developmental Seminar
Engaged Learning
PSYCH 2820 - Community Outreach
PSYCH 3270 - Field Practicum I
PSYCH 3280 - Field Practicum II
HD 4490 - [Children’s Learning in Social Context]
PSYCH 4500 - [Psychology at the Sciencenter!]
HD 3000/4000 Electives (18 credits minimum)
6 of these credits must be at the 4000-level.
Note: This may include up to 3 credits of HD 4000, 4010, or 4020. This may also include up to 3 credits of HD 4990.
HD 4030 and HD 4980 cannot be used to fulfill this requirement.
Note: Courses taken for this area cannot also count in Breadth requirement or Additional HD Electives.
Additional HD Coursework (minimum 14 credits, maximum 19 credits)
In addition to completing the abaove required course work, students must complete the remaining credits, totaling up to 36 HD credits. Up to 12 credits from HD 4000, 4010, 4020 and 4990 can count toward this requirement.
Note: HD 1111 cannot count for this requirement. HD coursework used for Area 6 cannot be used here also.
Research Methods/Scientific Literacy (minimum 2 credits, maximum 4 credits)
Note: Students who plan to complete the HD Honors Program must take HD 2830. Biology laboratory courses may not be used to fulfill the Research Methods requirement for the HD Honors program.
Can be fulfilled by one of the following:
Social Science (6 credits)
This fulfills the college distribution social sciences requirement.
Any 2 courses with the Course Distribution SSC-AS, ETM-AS, SBA or KCM
Note: Courses cross-listed with Human Development cannot be used to fulfill this requirement.
Choose any course with the Course Distribution Historical Analysis (HA or HST-AS), Literature adn the Arts (LA or ALC-AS), or Cultural Analysis (CA).
Statistics (3-4 credits)
This fulfills the college distribution quantitative and analytical courses requirement.
* PSYCH 2500 is strongly recommended for HD majors. Students planning to do honors in HD, must take the additional 4th credit in PSYCH 2500.
Natural Science I (3-4 credits)
This fulfills the college distribution natural sciences requirement.
Note: If AP isn’t used to satisfy the requirement, then the course must be taken at Cornell.
Note: No lab is required.
Natural Science II (3-4 credits)
This fulfills the college distribution natural sciences requirement.
Any 3-4 credit course with a Course Distribution PBS, BIO-AS, PHS-AS, BIOLS-AG, or BIONLS-AG
(HD courses with Course Distribution PBS-HE courses cannot be used)
Note: No AP credit allowed, course must be taken at Cornell.
Additional Distribution Coursework (12 credits)
Any course with the Course Distribution PBS, ALC-AS, ETM-AS, HST-AS, SCDAS, SSC-AS, SDS-AS, SMR-AS, BIOLS-AG, BIONLS-AG, SBA, KCM, MQR, LA, CA, or HA. Language courses may count here.