This is a one-year program offered within the Developmental Division of the Department of Psychology at the University of Waterloo. This program is designed to provide an intensive, applied research experience for serious students who have already built a strong background in Developmental Psychology or related field and desire to deepen their understanding of how children learn to communicate and the role of social and cognitive factors.
This one-year MASc in Developmental Communicative Science (DCS) program offers advanced applied training with a specialization in social and/or cognitive development relevant to communicative development. This program will provide students with fundamental skills and knowledge related to the empirical analysis of communicative development of both a qualitative and quantitative nature. The program will also provide students with in-depth opportunities to observe communicative interactions between children in naturalistic settings and to develop skills related to the empirical measurement of communication such as transcription, development of coding strategies and statistical analysis.
The program aims to augment a student's preparation for admission into postgraduate programs or to increase employment opportunities in professional fields.
Students with sufficient background to meet admission requirements will find opportunities for flexibility in their course of study. Students can tailor the 1-year course program to fit individual needs and interests. Indeed, each student's program should be structured to accommodate previous coursework and career interests.
Full-time students with the appropriate background knowledge can complete the program in one year. At present, there is no part-time option.
The MASc DCS students will include those seeking careers in early childhood education, teaching, speech-language pathology or careers in which a more intensive background of methodologies of study with children and an understanding of their cognitive, social, and communicative development will be an asset, such as social work, policy work, the law, journalism, and marketing. MASc DCS students will also include those who have not yet decided on a specific career or postgraduate doctoral studies, but who want to deepen their understanding of research and children's developing communicative ability as it interacts with social and cognitive development.
Academic Requirements of Program
The academic requirements are 7.5 units of credit to be composed of the following combination of coursework, internships, and research project(s):
Coursework
All courses for a numerical grade unless they are only offered CR/NCR. Of the courses, required courses are:
- Developmental Seminar in Fall and Winter term (PSYCH 710 - CR/NCR) (1.0 unit)
- One or, if available, two graduate level courses offered by the Developmental Division (such as PSYCH 703: Language Development, PSYCH 705: Cognitive Development, PSYCH 680: Special Topics in Child Behaviour and Development). If only one course is available in the Developmental division, the other course must be a course offered in the Psychology Department (1.0 unit).
- One statistics course offered by Psychology such as PSYCH 632 (0.5 unit)
- Two elective courses (see further details below) (1.0 units)
Internships
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Early Childhood Education Centre
One morning/afternoon observational internship/practicum per week from September to June at the Early Childhood Education Centre located in the Psychology Department. In special cases, this internship/practicum can be arranged in an outside community or clinic setting if a comparable amount of time is possible. Permission for this would need to be obtained from Dr. Daniela O'Neill (1.5 units - CR/NCR).
There is no final written report attached to this internship, although small written reports may be required of the student during the internship depending on the tasks assigned to the student by the ECEC director, Val Rozon.
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Research Lab Internship
Three-term research internship in one of the research labs of one of the faculty members in the Developmental Division or a faculty member affiliated with the program (see list of affiliated faculty members at end of this document). This research internship consists of a minimum of 15 hrs/week (completion of these hours is worth 1.5 units of credit - CR/NCR).
Research Project(s)
Depending on the faculty member in whose lab a student is working, the nature of research project(s) will differ. In some cases, a student may be working on a single study with a more traditional final write-up of the study. In other cases, the student may be working on several projects related to one or more studies where, for each, the outcome may not be a final written paper but rather a series of products (e.g., set of transcriptions, a coding scheme, a data set, a computer program). Prior to accepting entry into the program if granted, a student should confirm the nature of the research lab internship with the faculty member he or she is working with to avoid misunderstandings and clarify what the written and/or other requirements will be (completion of the research project(s) is worth 1.0 unit of credit).
Seminars and Colloquia
Students are expected to participate fully in other academic seminars and colloquia as department members (no credit).
Two Elective Courses
Students are encouraged to take ownership of their program of study depending on their own interests. When applying, students are asked to provide a draft outline of the courses they wish to pursue over the year (this is part of the Statement of Proposed Program of Study to be prepared as part of the application by the student). A student's proposed program of study should reflect a specialty he or she wishes to pursue. For example, a student might decide to build a program of courses around an interest in language acquisition and linguistics, or language acquisition and cognitive and/or social development, or test theory, or the intersection between language development and the use/creation of technology to impact communication or aspects of language development.
It is understood that, at the time of preparing an application, students will not be able to fully confirm the courses to be offered the following academic year as these are not normally confirmed by the university until late summer of each year. However, students should provide the best outline possible of the courses they wish to pursue. Information about the availability of courses may be obtained by contacting the department's Graduate Programs Assistant, Rita Cherkewski.
The following courses are currently approved by the Developmental Division as possible elective courses. Courses with a similar focus in a given area of specialty have been grouped together; however, a student is free to choose from among all courses listed. Students are also encouraged to explore other possible graduate level courses not listed here but available upon their year of entry in departments across the university and can include such courses in their program of study if accompanied by a written justification (in their Statement of Proposed Program of Study at the time of application) of why they wish to pursue this course.
Language and Linguistics Related Courses
- GER 601: Approaches in Linguistics
- GER 603: Approaches in Language Didactics
- GER 611: Topics in Second Language Acquisition and Computer-Assisted Language Learning
- GER 612: Topics in Sociolinguistics
- GER 614: Topics in Linguistic Theory
Social and Cognitive Development Related Courses
- PSYCH 731: Special Topics in Family and Relationships
- PSYCH 712: Social Development
- PSYCH 777: Human Memory
Research Methods and Statistics Related Courses
- PSYCH 632: Experimental Design
- PSYCH 887: Research Methods in I/O Psych
- PSYCH 611: Ethics and Professional Issues
- SOC 697: Practicum in Survey Administration
Cognitive Science and Computer Science Related Courses
- COGSCI 600: Seminar in Cognitive Science
- CS 684: Computational Linguistics
- CS 686: Introduction to Artificial Intelligence
- PHIL 673: Simulating Neurobiological Systems
- PSYCH 677A: Fundamentals of Behavioural Neuroscience
Other Possible Courses
- ENGL 790's E.g., Professional Writing (Topics change each year - consult Department)
- PSYCH 605: Special Topics in Clinical Psychology: Topic 1 - Psychopathology
- PSYCH 629: Psychopathology: Across the Lifespan
Students should note that the majority of Clinical courses are only open to students in the Clinical PhD program. Check the course catalogue for further information.
The required courses are offered each year. However, not all remaining courses may be offered each year. Students should attempt to contact the relevant department to ensure that the courses they wish to take are being offered the year of their admission. Students should be aware that the courses in the German department listed, although taught in English, may have primary readings with examples from German. Students should consult the department/individual instructors to confirm this.
Who Can Apply?
Applications for admission are open to individuals who will have completed an Honours Bachelor's degree in Psychology or related, approved equivalent (e.g., Linguistics, Computer Science) by the time of entrance to the program.
The program is limited in size and admissions are highly selective. Students must have a minimum average in their major course of studies of 85% and a minimum overall of 80% (Students within 1-2% of the 85% requirement may contact Dr. O'Neill for possible exception to this requirement if extenuating circumstances apply).
Students can apply up to a maximum of 2 years in advance. Thus, students in their 3rd year of undergraduate studies can apply to enter the program following completion of their 4th year of studies and the receipt of their B.A. degree. Such admissions would be contingent on students maintaining an average in their major course of studies of 85% and a minimum overall of 80% in their final 2 years.
Who Should Not Apply?
Applicants whose ultimate goal is a Ph.D. (i.e., Developmental and Clinical) should directly apply to the Ph.D. program.
Students accepted to the MASc DCS program cannot transfer to the Ph.D. program in any of the divisions of the Psychology Department; they must reapply on the same basis as other Ph.D. applicants and in competition with each other. Graduate Record Examination results are required when applying to the Ph.D. program.
Application Requirements
Note: Applicants do NOT need to submit Graduate Record Examination results.
- A completed application for Admission to Graduate Studies form and Application Fee.
- A completed copy of the Departmental Application for Graduate Studies.
- On Page 2 of the Psychology Departmental Application, in the Section entitled Relevant Background, item (d) Areas of Interests, you would indicate the faculty member(s) in the Developmental Division or affiliated with the program in whose laboratory you would like to pursue your research internship and your reasons for your choice(s).
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A Statement of Proposed Program of Study specifying the courses you would like to enroll in to fulfill degree requirements and a short description of the reason for choosing this particular set of courses. It is understood that you will not be able to confirm the availability of all courses at the time of study.
Please also indicate in this statement whether you would like to take on a paid Teaching Assistantship during one or two (maximum) of your terms and whether you would like a half-time or full-time position (see Financial Information section).
- Three letters of reference from faculty members familiar with your academic work in sealed envelopes which have been signed across the flap to ensure confidentiality.
- An official, current transcript.
- Test of English as a foreign language (TOEFL) score is required of any applicant who has not completed three or more years of post-secondary study at a Canadian institution, or at an institution where English was the language of instruction.
Application Deadline
The deadline for receipt of applications is January 15th but applications will be considered beyond this date. Contact Rita Cherkewski, Graduate Programs Assistant, if you would like to submit a late application.
Police Check and TB Test
In order for students to be able to complete the internship in the Early Childhood Education Centre in the Department of Psychology, it is required by law that students undergo a police check and Tuberculosis (TB) test. This must be completed prior to admittance in September. As each of these requirements can take 4-6 weeks, students must set up appointments with their local Police Department and doctor or health centre during the summer prior to admittance.
Financial Information
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OGS/SSHRC/NSERC
As undergraduates, students can apply in their final year for an Ontario Graduate Scholarship, NSERC PGS-M or SSHRC Master's scholarship tenable for graduate study in the MASc DCS program at the University of Waterloo. For more information, students should contact the graduate programs officer in the institution they are currently attending.
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UW Fellowship
Financial support in the form of a $3000 UW Fellowship is available to entering students with an overall average, in the last two years, of over 80%.
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Teaching Assistantship
Teaching assistantships are available at both half-time (approximately 5 hours a week) and full-time (approximately 10 hours a week) level. A half-time teaching assistantship pays a student $2500 per term and a full-time teaching assistant pays a student $5000 per term. Note that teaching assistantships available vary from year to year in the department and cannot be guaranteed. However, every effort will be made to accommodate the requests of students.
Core and Affiliated Faculty
In the Department of Psychology:
Developmental Division
Dr. Jeremy Anglin (jmanglin@uwaterloo.ca)
Dr. Ori Friedman (friedman@uwaterloo.ca)
Dr. Daniela O'Neill (doneill@uwaterloo.ca)
Dr. Hildy Ross (hross@uwaterloo.ca)
Behavioural Neuroscience Division
Dr. Myra Fernandes (mafernan@uwaterloo.ca)
Social Division
Dr. Michael Ross (mross@uwaterloo.ca)
St. Jerome's University
Dr. Maureen Drysdale (mdrysdal@uwaterloo.ca)
If a student is interested in working with a faculty member not listed here, please contact the Director of the MASc DCS program, Dr. Daniela O'Neill.
More information
For more information about the Developmental Psychology Division faculty, developmental research labs, and the Early Childhood Education Centre, visit the Psychology Department's Website at www.psychology.uwaterloo.ca.