Curry School of Education

•  CONTACTING FACULTY:  Identification of a core faculty member with interests similar to yours is strongly recommended. It is highly encouraged that you find articles describing recent research conducted by one or more faculty members and directly contact them to discuss your research interests.  Please contact faculty via email to set up a time to talk either over the phone or in person.
   
• APPLICATION FORMS: Application for admission is made to the Admissions Office of the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia. Application forms and other information may be obtained from the Curry School of Education Admissions and the University of Virginia prospective student information. (Alumni of our Summer Undergraduate Research Program receive a fee waiver when applying to Curry graduate programs; please contact us for details.)
   
• REQUIRED MATERIALS include the online application (which includes the statement of professional goals), official test scores, official transcripts, and two recommendations. Please also submit a resume.  When submitting a statement of professional goals, identify your specific interests in applied developmental science, your rationale for applying to this program, your long term goals, and the faculty under whom you wish to train.
   
• GRE SCORES:  Please note that GRE scores must be current (within five years of the date of application). The mean GRE score of current students (10-11) is 546 verbal/693 quantitative.
   
• ADMISSIONS DECISIONS:
  • A committee of faculty in EP-ADS, comprising core and associated faculty, makes decisions regarding admission. Preference is given to individuals whose application materials show potential for outstanding performance in a rigorous and interdisciplinary doctoral training program and who are likely to make significant contributions to the study of applied developmental science.
  • A master’s degree is not a prerequisite for admission.
  • The faculty is especially interested in considering applications from persons of traditionally underrepresented groups in higher education.   
  • More information is available from Curry Admissions  and in the FAQs for Prospective Graduate Students.

December 15th.

The Educational Psychology and Applied Developmental Science (formerly Risk and Prevention in Education Sciences) Doctoral Program is designed to require approximately four years of full-time on-Grounds research-intensive training.  The typical program of study involves the following:

• COURSEWORK IN A SUBSTANTIVE AREA (e.g., social development, language and literacy, health, teacher education) for an 18-hour specialization, including 9 credits outside of education in disciplines such as economics, health sciences, psychology, or sociology.
• A set of rigorous METHODS COURSES (including at least five courses in statistics, as well as several courses in research design and grant writing).
• An ongoing, personalized, intensive RESEARCH APPRENTICESHIP during each semester.
• COURSES in community psychology, developmental psychology, and other areas such as family processes and education policy.
• TEACHING EXPERIENCE at the undergraduate or graduate level.
• Completion of a COMPREHENSIVE EXAM and DISSERTATION REQUIREMENTS.  (See sample comprehensive exam questions.)

Please see the EP-ADS Guidelines for Prospective and Current Students for details. 

In May, each student will meet with her/his primary advisor and other faculty.  See the Guidelines above and this link to Annual Review Meetings

The program faculty aims to provide financial support to all of its trainees so that they may focus their attention fully on their training experiences.  Although the faculty cannot guarantee financial support, we work closely with students to identify means for funding that match their interests and goals.  All applicants are automatically considered for funding. Possible sources include:

1. Research Assistantships

Applicants are automatically considered for research assistantships funded through faculty grants or the EDLF Department.  A typical package through the Curry School provides tuition, health insurance, and a monthly stipend in return for 20 hours of weekly work. 

2. IES-VEST Fellowships

In 2009 Curry was awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences to fund the Virginia Education Science Training (VEST) program to train future leaders in education research. A limited number of fellowships are available each year and application is very competitive.  All applicants to the Education Policy PhD program are automatically considered for VEST Fellowships. 

3. Federal Need-Based Financial Aid

To apply for need-based financial aid, applicants should submit:1.  Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form to the U.S. Department of Education by February 1 and University of Virginia Financial Aid Application (UFAA) form to the UVA Office of Student Financial Services by February 1. Please also see Curry’s Financial Aid page .

4. Additional Sources

Students are encouraged to apply for funding from other sources.  A few options are listed below.  If you are already receiving IES-VEST or UVA support, please contact Jen Mashburn to discuss the specifics of the grant you are applying for and how that would work with your current funding.

• Jacob K. Javits Fellowships Program (stipend of up to $30K/year)
• American Educational Research Association Minority Fellowship Program in Education Research ($25K for dissertation research)
• Spencer Foundation Fellowships ($25K for dissertation research)
• Curry Foundation Scholarships (ranging from a few hundred dollars to 10K)

5. Optional Monthly Payment Plan

If you will be paying for your tuition or part of your tuition yourself, please see information about billing and setting up monthly tuition payments on the Student Accounts website and contact Student Financial Services to discuss your payment options.  Also see the Tuition and Fee Schedules.

The typical length of study for this degree is 4 years.

Semester of Entry:

Fall semester only.

Full or Part Time:

Students are full-time.

Below is a sample program of study.  Please see the EP-ADS Guidelines for Prospective and Current Students for details about course requirements.

Year 1

Fall:

Graduates are prepared for careers in the educational sciences in academic, policy, and research organizations.  Recent alumni hold positions as faculty in psychology and education departments (Western Michigan University, University of Louisville, University of Michigan, George Mason University), while others are educational researchers in research organizations (Edvance Research Inc.) and university research centers (SUNY-Buffalo, Johns Hopkins University, New York University, and UVA).

Please read about some of our alumni here. Information on other alumni coming soon!

Educational Psychology: Applied Developmental Science Alumni

Sara Rimm-Kaufman 

serk@virginia.edu

350 Old Ivy Road, Suite 300

434-982-2863