The Erikson Institute is one of the nation's top graduate programs in child development. Founded in 1966, the Erikson Institute is located in Chicago, Illinois, and works closely with the graduate school at University of Loyola (Chicago) in the development of its graduate programs. As the Erikson Institute's website indicates, the "program focuses on applied child development research and emphasizes the impact of culture, social class, and social relationships on young children’s learning and development."
In particular, studies focus on the relationship between child development and institutions such as schools, along with how other external factors like poverty can also affect a child's development. While the program does not offer an online Ph.d., it does offer an online master's degree program, which can be a necessary stepping stone to the Ph.D. Faculty members are actively engaged in areas of research that include topics like literacy, infancy and foster care.
Erikson Institute
451 North LaSalle Street
Chicago, Illinois 60654
(312) 755-2250
erikson.edu/default.aspx
Stanford University is world-renown for its interdisciplinary research programs, and its Ph.D. program in child development is no different. As the School of Education's website indicates, the program is "broadly conceived" and involves the study of "social, emotional, and cognitive development from early childhood through adolescence." Students are given license to take their studies in different directions and pursue research within a number of different contexts and involving a number of different external factors that can positively or adversely affect the development of the child. Although interdisciplinary research tends to be the norm at Stanford, students do have the option of specializing in only one aspect of psychology if they so choose.
Stanford University School of Education
485 Lasuen Mall
Stanford, CA 94305-3096
(650) 723-2109
ed.stanford.edu/suse
The Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, currently offers Ph.D. programs and joint M.A./Ph.D. programs in the field of child development. According to the department's website, the doctoral program in Applied Child Development is a nationally recognized program. The department works closely with the university's childcare facility and many local institutions like hospitals. The department also sponsors or operates several important research organizations and facilities such as the Tufts Adoption and Development Project, the Developmental Technologies Research Group and the Center for Reading and Language Research.
Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development
105 College Avenue
Tufts University
Medford, MA 02155
(617) 627-3355
ase.tufts.edu/epcd/default.asp