Doctor of Education in Educational Psychology

Admission

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Applicants for the doctoral degree in educational psychology are expected to have a broad base of general education in the humanities, sciences, and social sciences. Where deficiencies are found by the advisory committee, additional courses for the doctoral degree may be prescribed.

Applicants for admission must

• have completed a master’s degree.
• submit scores from the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) or the General Test of the Graduate Record Examinations.
• provide three references.
• write a three-four-page essay describing their career goals and interests relevant to educational psychology, the origins of those interests, goals for pursuing those interests in research and study, and how the educational psychology program should be able to help them reach those goals.

Applicants intending to take a cognate in special education should provide evidence of a minimum of two years of professional experience centering on the education of individuals with disabilities.

Before applying for admission to the doctoral program in educational psychology, the student should consult the department chair or assistant chair, who will serve as an interim adviser until the applicant has been admitted to the Graduate School and a program advisory committee has been selected. Students seeking to take courses while admission papers to the Graduate School are being processed should receive approval of the chair or assistant chair of the department.

After all admission forms are completed and Graduate School requirements for admission are fulfilled, the applicant is considered by the department’s admissions committee and may be invited for an interview. The recommendation of the admissions committee is forwarded to the Graduate School, which informs the applicant of the admission decision. Any applicant who is denied admission may submit an appeal to be reviewed by the entire educational psychology faculty. Appeals must be in writing, explain the basis for the appeal, and include information not previously submitted. Limited facilities and/or resources may necessitate the rejection of some students who meet the minimum requirements for admission.

Advisement

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The student’s program adviser provides advisement on courses in the major, cognates, deficiencies, additional courses, prerequisites, and the candidacy examination. The student’s departmentally approved program of courses is forwarded to the Graduate School for final approval.

Course Requirements

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The doctoral program in educational psychology requires the equivalent of at least three years of full-time academic work, or a minimum of 90 semester hours of graduate work beyond the baccalaureate degree including the following.

Course work in an area of interest related to the major chosen in consultation with adviser. At least one course must be in the major (18).

A maximum of 30 semester hours from a master’s degree may be included in the doctoral program. These hours may be applied to prerequisites, cognates, or other requirements with the consent of the program adviser. The combined total of student-at-large and transfer hours beyond the master’s degree may not exceed 15 semester hours for students pursuing the Ed.D. degree in educational psychology. See “Requirements for Graduate Degrees” for limitation on study-abroad credit.

 

• EPS 524 - Ethnographies in Human Development and Learning within Educational Settings Credits: 3
• EPS 601 - Professional Practices in Educational Psychology Credits: 3
• EPS 613 - Advanced Educational Psychology Credits: 3
• EPS 623 - Design of Research on Human Development and Learning in Educational Settings Credits: 3
• EPS 686 - Internship Credits: 1-12

• or related field-based experience chosen in consultation with adviser. Students must take 3 semester hours in this course.

• EPS 699 - Doctoral Research and Dissertation Credits: 1-15

• Students must take 12 semester hours in this course.

• ETR 522 - Educational Statistics II Credits: 3

Internship

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An internship is required as part of the doctoral program. An internship is undertaken with the consent of the department chair or assistant chair and under the direction of a graduate faculty adviser.

Examinations

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The student must receive approval from his or her adviser to take the candidacy examination. The candidacy examination is conducted in conjunction with the oral defense of a portfolio. It is expected that the student will have completed at least 60 semester hours of graduate course work, including most of the course work in the student’s area of interest.

A final oral examination related to the dissertation is required and is conducted in accordance with the general requirements of the Graduate School.

Candidacy

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Upon satisfactory completion of the candidacy examination, the student is accepted as a candidate for the Ed.D. degree. A student who fails the candidacy examination may be granted the opportunity to take a second examination. Failure on the second examination denies the student admission to candidacy.

Dissertation

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The dissertation in educational psychology is expected to make a substantial contribution to knowledge in the field. Candidates are expected to conduct original scholarship and independent research appropriate to their major and communicate the results of their research effectively. The dissertation director and committee are selected by the student in consultation with the department chair or assistant chair. The committee represents graduate faculty of the university with knowledge in the area of the candidate’s topic. At least two members of the committee are selected from the graduate faculty in educational psychology. Official approval of a dissertation director by the Graduate School must be effected by the conclusion of the first semester in which the student registers for dissertation credit.