Milicent Shinn

Milicent Washburn Shinn (April 15, 1858 – August 13, 1940) was an American writer, journalist and developmental psychologist. She was the first woman to receive a doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley. She was the first in the U.S. to comprehensively detail the process of a child’s intellectual and physical maturation.

She entered the State University in 1874 and finished her undergraduate degree in 1880. She was one of three student speakers at the commencement. After graduation, she worked at the Overland Monthly from 1882 to 1894. Her mobilization of a network of educated women to observe children made it possible to compare children and establish average estimates of development over time. Although she advocated for more research to be conducted before her findings could be applied in educational programs, Shinn’s research furthered the field of psychology's overall understanding of development and paved the way for pedagogical advances. She received her Ph.D. in Education in 1898 at the age of 40.