Return to: 4160 Department of Learning Sciences
Study in educational psychology involves the application of the principles of psychology to the systematic study of education. A major in educational psychology allows students to emphasize such content areas as learning, instruction, life-span development, applied behavior analysis, cognition, and socialization. The Educational Psychology program prepares students to pursue a variety of career paths, including research, evaluation, and the applied practice of a number of disciplines. Those students who are currently certified or licensed in such fields as teaching, nursing, speech pathology, and physical therapy can further develop their expertise in these fields by studying the psychological principles of development and learning.
Advisory Committee
A committee of three faculty members guides study for the M.S. major in Educational Psychology. After completing nine semester hours of work, the students must select two faculty members to be on their advisory committee. These two faculty members must approve the students’ planned program of study. A third faculty member must be added before the students begin working on their thesis, project, or examination. Two of the three committee members (including the chair) must be from the Educational Psychology faculty.
Program Academic Regulations
Students in Educational Psychology fulfill the college’s Comprehensive Examination requirement by completing (1) a thesis, (2) project, or (3) a master’s examination
- The master’s thesis is either a basic or applied research project conducted by the students under the supervision of the chair of his or her advisory committee.
- The project generally consists of a comprehensive review of literature on a selected topic. A written prospectus describing in detail the proposed thesis or project must be submitted to and approved by all three members of the students’ advisory committee before the work is begun.
- The master’s examination consists of a 4 hour in-house written examination on a question or questions to be determined by the student in collaboration with the committee.
On completion of the thesis, project, or master’s examination, each student must complete an oral examination of approximately two hours. The students’ advisory committee will administer the oral examination, and it will focus on the thesis, project, or examination.
Evaluation of a student’s performance is continuous and involves consideration of the student’s performance in all academic settings. Only courses in which the student earns a grade of “B” or higher will be counted toward degree fulfillment. Failure to make progress in a timely manner or inappropriate or unprofessional conduct by a student may result in the student’s withdrawal from a course or a program. If such removal from a course is necessary, the student will receive the grade of “F” for the course and may be judged ineligible to re-enroll in the course.
