Degree Requirements

Requirements for completing the Ph.D program with a concentration in Educational Psychology include requirements that are common to all areas of concentration and those that are specific to Educational Psychology (see below).

Requirements Common to All Concentrations

The following courses are required. Specific requirements of the area of concentration in Educational Policy are described later.

Proseminars (6 credits)

• 16:300:501 Proseminar in Educational Theories and Practice
• 16:300:503 Proseminar in Educational Research

*These courses are typically taken in the first year.

• 16:300:509 Qualitative Research Methods in Education I
• 16:300:511 Quantitative Research Methods in Education I, and Either
• 16:300:515 Quantitative Research Methods in Education II
• 16:300:519 Quantitative Research Methods in Education III, Or
• 16:300:513 Qualitative Research Methods in Education II
• 16:300:517 Qualitative Research Methods in Education III

• 16:300:600 Prethesis Research
• 16:300:601 Prethesis Research

Cognate Courses (6 Credits)

Students take 6 credits outside of Education (i.e., outside of courses offered in School 15 and in 16:300). The courses should be in an area related to the students’ primary area of concentration and should be selected in consultation with the student’s advisor.

Specialization (18 credits)

Six graduate courses in the area of concentration must be taken. Specific requirements in the educational psychology concentration are included in the next section.

The Qualifying Examination Committee is composed of four members of the Ph.D. faculty in Education who work in the specific area of the concentration. Each area of concentration in the Ph.D. in Education program has different requirements for the qualifying examination.

Students complete an original piece of research as their dissertation project (24 credits of 300:701, 702). The research is expected to contribute to the knowledge base in the student’s particular area of interest. Students cannot enroll in Research in Education until they have been admitted as a candidate for the Ph.D. program after passing their qualifying examinations.

Specialization

The following two courses are required as part of the specialization in educational psychology:

• 16:300:581 Educational Psychology I: Theories of Development.
• 16:300:582Educational Psychology II: Theories of Cognition and Instruction.

The remaining four courses will be in the students’ area of concentration. The student should consult with her/his advisor to select courses that comprise a coherent area of concentration.

Students in Educational Psychology are required to complete a qualifying examination in quantitative methodology. Thus, students in educational psychology will take one qualitative methods course (16:300:509) and three quantitative courses (16:300:511, 16:300:515, and 16:300:519).