This specialty is broadly concerned with the areas of learning, instruction and evaluation of different aged populations. Educational psychology graduates can be prepared to assume positions as college and university professors, educational researchers, researchers for government and industry, statistics and research methodology consultants, instructional designers and developers, program evaluators, and directors of  research for school systems. An emphasis is placed on preparing competent researchers.

Students in Educational Psychology take 30 to 36 semester hours of specialty coursework. The design of this sequence can be individualized based on the interests and background of the student. The types of sequences that are often selected include courses in the areas of cognition and instruction, research and evaluation, and human development. To illustrate, a student interested in cognition and instruction would take a series of courses in cognitive psychology, computing, instructional design and development, and independent study/directed research. Some of these would be taken within the department and others would come from relevant disciplines. Similarly, a student interested in human development might take courses that cover the psychological, sociological and educational aspects of development, as well as independent study/directed research.

Instructions for Admission to Doctoral Study

The following documents are required before the Admissions Committee will review your application:

A completed Graduate Application Form.

Scores from the general Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT).

Transcripts from all previous undergraduate and graduate work.

One professional letter of recommendation.

Two academic letters of recommendation.

A one to two page statement of goals.

After credentials have been reviewed, the Department Chair may request an interview.

The doctoral program consists of a minimum of 61 semester hours of post-baccalaureate coursework plus the successful completion of a comprehensive examination and a dissertation and the satisfaction of the University residency requirement. All doctoral students are required to complete 15 hours of study in general education courses and an additional 15 hours of study in research/statistics. The remaining hours consist of educational psychology and educational administration/policy studies courses.

The department's approach to doctoral training is mentor oriented. Typically, a student identifies a faculty member from one of the specialties with whom the student will work. Together, the mentor and the student plan a program of studies. These programs are individualized, and sometimes interdisciplinary but remain within the broad areas of educational psychology and educational administration/policy studies. Generally, the completion of all degree requirements takes three to four years for full time students and longer for part-time students. Students who already have a master's degree often enter the doctoral program.  For these students, transfer credits and/or waivers of requirements are decided in consultation with the student's advisor and the department chair.

CUA students specialize in one of two general areas, educational psychology or educational administration/policy studies.

This is not a state-accredited licensure program. Further coursework may be required to meet licensure requirements in your state.

Required courses fall into two categories: Core and Statistics/Research Methodology.

Core Requirements

Required courses fall into two categories, core and statistics/research methodology. Five of the following courses are required of all students enrolled in the doctoral program.

The following three are required:

EDUC 652      Psychology of Learning: Implications for Instruction (3)

EDUC 699      Introduction to Educational Research (3)

EDUC 701      Philosophical Foundations of Education (3)

or

EDUC 702      Advanced Foundations of Education (3)

TWO of the following are required:

EDUC 639     Human Development (3)

EDUC 536     Human Relations & Interpersonal Communication Skills (3)

EDUC 713     Administration & Organization Theory (3)

EDUC 765     Principles of Curriculum (3)

EDUC 637     Curriculum and Program Evaluation (3)

Statistics/Research Methodology Courses

The following courses are also required:

EDUC 633     Introduction to Statistics and Data Processing (4)

EDUC 733     Experimental Design (3)

EDUC 792     Qualitative Research Methods (3)

ONE of the following is required:

EDUC 737     Applied Regression Analysis (3)

or

SOC 604       Intermediate Social Statistics (3)

Other Requirements

In addition to the core courses, students must satisfy additional requirements.  First, students complete a Program of Studies in one of the two specialty areas.  A Program of Studies is a projection of the student's series of courses. It must be approved by the student's academic adviser and the department chair, and it must be filed in the student's departmental records before the end of the first year of study.  Approval of a projected program does not obligate the university to offer all the courses listed.

The second requirement is the successful completion of a written comprehensive examination.  This exam is typically taken after course work is completed and the language requirement is satisfied.

Third, students are required to complete and defend a written dissertation. The dissertation is viewed as a major research project and is expected  to be of publishable quality. The approval process for a dissertation topic is described in the University's Dissertation Thesis Handbook.