We invite motivated people interested in measuring and improving human potential and well-being in our society using advanced technologies and scientific methods. 

We offer an interdisciplinary program at the intersection of psychology, cognitive and brain sciences, test and measurement theory and practice. By combining disciplines, the student creates an individual track to suit his or her goals, using a full range of evidence-based approaches to thinking, learning, and personal development. 

All courses offered by our program will be in English. Student will have the opportunity to select some elective courses from any program at HSE (English or Russian).

Developmental Science builds on psychology, neuroscience, biology, and data science to understand phenomena across the lifespan. Graduates will learn how to relate theoretical frameworks, to concepts in psychology, genetics and education from a developmental perspective. Research results obtained by the student’s research project can inform knowledge and practice in these fields. 

Measurement and assessment builds on psychometric methods, including complex models, big data and digital traces, and applying different programming languages for this purpose.  Applied psychometrics will provide skills needed to create, adapt, gamify tests and other instruments. Students will learn how to measure psychological characteristics and knowledge/skills, including complex constructs such as 21st-century skills, analyze and interpret measurement results and data from customers. Computational psychometrics combines development of models with data science techniques. Research results obtained by the student’s research project can generate tools for use in academia, educational practice, and companies. 

In addition to student driven research project, all students will be invited to complete internships and practical training in Centers and Laboratories at HSE as well as outside partners.

– Master various research approaches in psychology and neuroscience focusing on developmental perspectives. Methods can include magnetic resonance imaging, electroencephalography, eye-tracking.

– Learn how to create tests, polling tools and assessment instruments for education, human resources, psychology, scientific research in various fields.

– Gain experience with methods needed in computational psychometrics: analyze behavior by digital traces, use multivariate models, R and Python programming languages, use artificial intelligence intelligently, search for data driven and evidence-based solutions.

– Train on project management. Much of the knowledge is acquired through project work: each student completes two projects over two years and undergoes two research internships - this is possible not only at HSE, but also at partner organizations, including FIPI, FIOCO, ICCO, ECOPSY, Skyeng, Formatta, Algorithmica, Humanitarian Technologies, Yandex and others.

– Participate in master classes by international colleagues: the program attracts researchers, consultants, and teachers from world leading research centers.

– Core courses include: theory and methodology of modern psychology, quantitative and qualitative research methods in psychology, developmental science, psychometrics, test development, statistics I, machine learning I.

– Elective courses include: Advance Methods in Developmental Science, Advanced Methods in Psychometrics, Test Development II, Machine learning II, Cognitive development, Social and Emotional Development, Typical and Atypical Development.

– Build a research skill: through participation in projects, master classes from international colleagues, completing an individualized research project and completing internships, which can lead to an academic career. 

– Build academic communication skills: though seminars and course work gain oral and written skills to communicate scientific findings to academics and the public, which can lead to scientific journalism and are useful for academic careers.

– Build analysist skills: become a sought-after consultant and data-analyst, ready to assess the quality of training projects and predict their development, work as a data-scientist in state and commercial organizations of any profile.

– Build measurement skills: become a developer of modern measurement tools for social science, human resources and educational projects with in-depth knowledge of psychometrics.

– Build skills in psychological assessment: become a school psychologist with in-depth knowledge that combines neuroscience and psychometrics.

– Advanced English: 6.5 IELTS or equivalent (TOEFL, Cambridge level certificates). 

– Full-time course load (we advise against full-time work and full-time study at the same time, you will need at least 25 hours per week for studying). 

– High motivation: ⅔ of classes will be self-paced. 

– Understanding of the sphere of interests of the leading lecturers of the program, centers and laboratories. We advise students to identify the range of topics you would like to work with beforehand. 

– Creative competition as a part of the portfolio competition - a one-minute video on a topic of your choice: "how I would explain a difficult concept to a five-year-old (psychometrics, MRI)" / "how I would explain my perspectives on the program to my grandmother".

– Please find the requirements for the portfolio structure in a list of official program documents.

Application deadlines for foreign citizens: November 1, 2022 - August 13, 2023

Application to the programme, in addition to general documents, includes a portfolio.

More information about international admissions is available here