Why would one choose a Ph.D. in HDFS over one in a traditional discipline, like Developmental Psychology?
Our program draws from multiple disciplines to give students the skills and perspectives needed to understand and to tackle complex social problems. Multidisciplinary research is the wave of the future, and our students are well equipped to thrive in such research environments. No matter what their substantive interest, Penn State’s HDFS students have the advantage of strong methodological training. Some take their training and go the “academic route,” combining teaching and research at a college or university. Others take a more applied route and move into program evaluation or policy-oriented research, sometimes in university settings but often in community programs, consulting firms, think tanks, or state and federal agencies. Our program has developed an excellent reputation which is a plus when our students go on the job market.
