What is developmental and educational psychology?
- The scientific study of human development across the lifespan and how people learn and thrive in educational settings.
- Practitioners examine cognitive, social, emotional, and physical changes from infancy through old age, and exploring how environments can be optimised to support learners.
- Researching in this field often explores how development and learning unfolds over time within relationships, environments, and cultural contexts.
- Insights from these fields can help shape policy and practice across education, health, social and community services, government, research, and consultancy, leading to careers that support diverse learners, families, and wider communities.
- Some of the education related jobs below do require a two-year Masters in Educational Psychology and one-year Postgraduate Diploma not currently offered by the University of Auckland. These enable you to apply for registration as an educational psychologist.
Career pathways in the areas of developmental and educational psychology
Undergraduate degree
Example roles
- Early Childhood Education Assistant
- Research Assistant
- Youth Support Worker
- Case Manager
- Educational Support Staff
- Teaching assistant
- Youth mentor
Examples workplaces
- Schools
- Childcare / Early Childhood Education centres
- Community organisations
- Government agencies (entry-level roles)
- Research institutions (assistant roles)
Masters degree
Example roles
- Developer/Adviser
- Child and Youth Support worker/Development Specialist
- Learning Support Coordinator
- Programme Evaluator
- Community Education and Wellbeing Coordinator
- Early intervention specialists
- Roles supporting children, youth, and whānau (across education, health, and community sectors)
- Educational Psychologist
- Educational Consultant
Example workplaces
- Educational organisations (e.g., schools, Kāhui Ako/Community of Learning)
- Ministry of Education / Health
- Hospitals (child development and allied health settings)
- Working for technology companies advising on policies relating to children (e.g., Google, YouTube, Roblox)
- Consulting firms (education or wellbeing-focused)
- Social service organisations
- Disability support organisations
- Local councils / community development units
- Private practice (assessment, tutoring, consultancy)
- Iwi and Māori organisations (education, hauora, whānau support)
- Pacific community organisations and Pacific education providers
- NGOs or the wider health sector
PhD
Example roles
- Research Scientist
- Clinical Child Psychologist
- Educational Policy Researcher
- Assessment Specialist
- Professional Teaching Fellow
Example workplaces
- Universities
- Research institutions
- Hospitals
- Government agencies (policy units, research divisions)
- Educational testing and assessment companies
- Policy organisations
- Working for technology companies advising on policies relating to children (e.g., Google, YouTube, Roblox)
- Consulting for toy companies regarding developmental milestones and toy guidelines and standards