Educational Psychology Program

Program Description

The educational psychology program incorporates the disciplines of test and measurement (with emphasis on psychometrics) cognitive science, human development, learning and instruction, assessment of mental abilities (including tests and measurement), and program evaluation. An integral part the program's academic work is research design and statistical methodology. The program offers students the opportunity to gain academic knowledge and practical experience in the broadest possible range of inquiry within the field, building to the doctoral degree. Students select one of two emphasis areas: learning and cognition, or statistics and measurement. Students receive training in the relevant content areas, with special direction toward conducting psychological research in school settings, institutions of higher education, and non-school settings. The study of educational psychology is relevant for professionals in the fields of education, medicine, and social services; people who use educational psychology include teachers, nurses, counselors, software developers, trainers, social workers, program evaluators, and administrators.

Educational Psychologists attempt to understand how:

• to measure human learning and behavior
• to improve learning and motivation
• human development influences learning and well-being
• society influences learning and behavior
• what happens in school affects students’ development in other settings

Relevant questions include:

• What are the attributes of effective instruction?
• How can one measure learning? attitudes? school? culture?
• What statistical techniques are relevant for investigating change across time? showing how groups differ?

Opportunities for educational psychologists include:

• College and university professor
• Director of research and evaluation in the public schools, state agencies, regional laboratories, or universities
• Consultant to the public and private sectors (systems analysis, training, evaluation)
• Professional work in test development, evaluation, and assessment
• Text publishing

The Master's Program (masters planner)

The master's program focuses on applications of educational psychology principles to applied settings. Students select one of two emphasis areas: (1) cognition and development, or (2) measurement and statistics. The master's program requires a minimum of 33 semester hours. The MA is the preferred degree for those intending to pursue the Ph.D. Those pursuing the MA must complete a course in research methods and either a thesis or research manuscript. Those completing a M.Ed. take written comprehensive exams.
 

The Doctoral Program (doctoral planner) (comprehensive exam information)

The Ph.D. program focuses on generating original research regarding statistics, measurement, cognition, or development. Students select one of two emphasis areas: (1) cognition and development, or (2) measurement and statistics. The Ph.D. program consists of a minimum of 72 semester hours of graduate credit beyond the bachelor's degree in general psychology, educational psychology, research, specialization courses, internships, and the dissertation.

Tracks

Track 1: Statistics and Measurement

This track focuses on teaching methods of analyzing quantitative data. Research typically begins with some form of measurement. Researchers may measure classroom learning, world knowledge, attitudes, goals, motivation orientations, or personality. Researchers must verify that their measures are reliable and valid and may use analytic techniques like classical test theory or item response theory. Researchers submit their data to statistical techniques like analysis of variance (ANOVA), regression, structural equation modeling (SEM), and growth curve modeling to pinpoint reliable patterns in the data and to verify whether groups differ in their outcomes.

Track 2:Cognition and Development

This track focuses on how people learn and think and how they develop across the lifespan. Researchers use both quantitative and qualitative methods. They consider how people's thinking, reasoning, and behavior change across time. They study how different social settings like classroom, family, work, and peers affect people's well-being, learning, and behavior.

Note: the Educational Psychology program does NOT offer training for clinical, counseling, or school psychologists. (Other programs in the department do offer APA-accredited school and counseling training.)

Placement of Educational Psychology Graduates Since 2003

Recent graduates (since 2003) in educational psychology are employed at the following institutions:

• ETS
• Central Missouri State University
• Jury selection firm in Kansas City
• Southern Illinois University
• Northeastern Illinois University
• University of Houston
• University of Texas- San Antonio
• The Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research (CPR)
• Western Illinois University

Faculty

John Alspaugh
Teaching Professor
Ph.D., University of Missouri

David Bergin
Associate Professor & Director of Educational Psychology Program
Ph.D., Stanford University

Deborah L. Carr
Assistant Professor
Ph.D., University of Missouri

David Jonassen
Distinguished Professor
(joint appointment with School of Information Science and Learning Technologies)
Ed.D, Temple University

Steven J. Osterlind
Professor & Co-Director of Educational Psychology Program
Ph.D. University of Southern California

Robbie Scholes
Associate Teaching Professor
Ph.D., University of Missouri

Alex Waigandt
Associate Professor
Ph.D., University of Oregon

Ze Wang
Assistant Professor
Ph.D., University of Missouri

Stephen Whitney
Associate Professor
Ph.D., University of Washington