View our EdD Early Childhood specialization completion requirements
Minimum degree requirements:
60 quarter credits
- Core courses (50 cr.)
- Capstone (10 cr.)
Minimum degree requirements:
60 quarter credits
Courses
In the EdD Early Childhood Education specialization, you’ll build skills and progress toward your final capstone project in every course.
Disclaimers: Walden students have up to 8 years to complete their doctoral program unless they petition for an extension.
In general, students are continuously registered in the dissertation/doctoral study course until they complete their capstone project and it is approved. This usually takes longer than the minimum required terms in the dissertation/doctoral study course shell.
To complete a doctoral dissertation, students must obtain the academic approval of several independent evaluators including their committee, the University Research Reviewer, and the Institutional Review Board; pass the Form and Style Review; gain approval at the oral defense stage; and gain final approval by the Chief Academic Officer. Students must also publish their dissertation on ProQuest before their degree is conferred. Learn more about the dissertation process in the Dissertation Guidebook.
For a personalized estimate of the number of your transfer credits that Walden would accept, call an Enrollment Specialist at 844-937-8785.
Courses
PhD completion program courses help you return to doctoral work, match with an advisor, and stay on track to finishing your dissertation.
Disclaimers: Walden students have up to 8 years to complete their doctoral program unless they petition for an extension.
In general, students are continuously registered in the dissertation/doctoral study course until they complete their capstone project and it is approved. This usually takes longer than the minimum required terms in the dissertation/doctoral study course shell.
To complete a doctoral dissertation, students must obtain the academic approval of several independent evaluators including their committee, the University Research Reviewer, and the Institutional Review Board; pass the Form and Style Review; gain approval at the oral defense stage; and gain final approval by the Chief Academic Officer. Students must also publish their dissertation on ProQuest before their degree is conferred. Learn more about the dissertation process in the Dissertation Guidebook.
For a personalized estimate of the number of your transfer credits that Walden would accept, call an Enrollment Specialist at 844-937-8785.
Courses
Develop the skills and confidence you need to tackle complex managerial challenges, contribute new knowledge, or teach at the graduate level.
Courses
Develop the skills and confidence needed for complex managerial challenges and research with Walden’s ACBSP-accredited PhD program.
Discover career opportunities in your area that match your interests.
Livia L Gilstrap earned a PhD in Developmental Psychology from Cornell University and a BA in Psychology from Western Washington University. Her research in adult-child conversations, children's memory and forensic interviewing of children has been funded by various agencies including the National Institutes of Health. She has published in a variety of scientific journals including Child Development and Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied and presented at scientific meetings around the world. She has worked in training and education settings with lawyers, police officers and social workers. Her teaching interests include research methods, statistics, professional development and developmental psychology.
DPSY 8227/6114 - Language and Cognitive Development
PhD, Cornell University
BA, Western Washington University
Public Defenders of El Paso County, Guest Speaker -
Faculty Excellence Award, Walden University, 2022
SPSSI Louise Kidder Early Career Award, Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, 2004
Graduate Research Fellow in Psychology, American Psychological Foundation and Council of Graduate Departments of Psychology, 2002
American Psychological Association Dissertation Award, American Psychological Association, 1999
Haque, A., Gilstrap, L. L., Ghuloum, S. (2020). Mental Health in Qatar: Challenges and Prospects.
Gilstrap, L. L., Nazeer, A., Ather, M., Azeem, M. W. (2023). Validation of the Arabic strengths and difficulties questionnaire in Qatar. Middle East Current Psychiatry
Melinder, A., Magnusson, M., Gilstrap, L. L. (2020). Is a child appropriate interview always an appropriate one? Dialogue interactions between child and interviewer. International Journal on Child Maltreatment: Research, Policy, and Practice
Gilstrap, L. L. (2004). A missing link in suggestibility research: What is known about the behavior of field interviewers in unstructured interviews with young children?. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied
Gilstrap, L. L., Papierno, P. B. (2004). Is the cart pushing the horse? The effects of child characteristics on children's and adults' interview behaviors. Applied Cognitive Psychology
Gilstrap, L. L., Ceci, S. J. (2005). Reconceptualizing children's suggestibility: Bidirectional and temporal properties. Child Development
Gilstrap, L. L. (2020). Best practice for interviews with children about suspected abuse. International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse & Neglect
Gilstrap, L. L. (2021). Youth emotional attachments to the maid: Relation to negative parenting styles and mental health in a Gulf country. Association for Psychological Science
Melinder, A., Magnusson, M., Gilstrap, L. L. (2019). Is a Friendly Interview always a friendly one? . EADP
Gilstrap, L. L. (2005). Forensic interviews and law enforcement.. American Psychology-Law Society
Walden University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (www.hlcommission.org), an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Walden University is a member of Covista https://www.covista.com/ | Walden University is certified to operate by SCHEV
© 2026 Walden University LLC. All rights reserved.
Legal & Consumer Info | Website Terms and Conditions | Cookie Policy | Cookie settings