Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Psychology

Admission

Applications are considered on a rolling basis. Completed applications and all supporting materials must be received by the Graduate School no later than April 1 for admission for the summer and fall semesters, and October 1 for admission for the spring semester. 

Applicants for the doctoral degree in educational psychology are expected to have course work in learning theory, theory of development, research methods, basic statistics, and foundations of education. Where deficiencies are found by the admissions committee, additional courses for the doctoral degree may be prescribed.

Successfully completing requirements of Option A of the Master of Science in Education in Educational Psychology from Northern Illinois University satisfies the above requirements. Similarly, successfully completing requirements of the Master of Science in Educational Research and Evaluation from Northern Illinois University (including 3 semester hours of course work in theories of learning, 3 semester hours of course work in theories of development, and a thesis or equivalent study) satisfies the above requirements.

Applicants for admission must

• have completed a master’s degree in educational psychology, psychology, special education, curriculum and instruction, educational research and evaluation, or a related field.
• submit scores from the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) or the General Test of the Graduate Record Examinations.
• provide three letters of recommendation from knowledgeable professors, employers, or supervisors.
• provide a 10-to-20-page graduate-level academic writing sample in the domain of education or social science.
• write a three-to-four-page essay that addresses each of the following:
  • their career goals and interests relevant to educational psychology.
  • the origins of those interests.
  • goals for pursuing those interests in research and study.
  • how the educational psychology program should be able to help them reach those goals.
  • which educational psychology faculty member they would prefer to have as a research mentor, and why (refer to educational psychology faculty bios for more information about program faculty). Prospective students are encouraged to contact this faculty member before applying to determine whether their research interests are well aligned. 

Applicants may be invited for an interview. The Graduate School notifies the applicant of the decision of the admission committee. Students should contact the Graduate School for information about admission deadlines and materials.

Questions about the program or the application process should be directed to the program admissions chair. Students seeking to take courses while admission papers to the Graduate School are being processed should receive approval of the program admissions chair.

After all admission forms are completed and Graduate School requirements for admission are fulfilled, the applicant is considered by the department’s admissions committee. 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

The student’s program advisor 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

The doctoral program in educational psychology requires the equivalent of at least three years of full-time academic work, or a minimum of 93 semester hours of graduate work beyond the baccalaureate degree including the following:

Specialization in Behavior Analysis

Students may choose to specialize in behavior analysis. All of the above course requirements apply to students in this track, except that they do not complete a cognate and are exempt from the EPS 739 methods requirement.  

Students who specialize in behavior analysis complete the Certificate of Graduate Study in Behavior Analysis  prior to or concurrent with doctoral coursework in educational psychology. The course sequence is as follows: 

• SESE 511 - Ethics and Professional Behavior for Behavior Analysts Credits: 3
• SESE 515 - Foundations of Applied Behavior Analysis Credits: 3
• SESE 570 - Concepts and Principles of Behavior Analysis Credits: 3
• SESE 708 - Advanced Behavior Assessment and Functional Analysis Credits: 3
• SESE 709 - Advanced Applied Behavior Analysis and Research-based Interventions for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder Credits: 3
• SESE 710 - Behavioral Applications and Consultation in School and Community Settings Credits: 3
• SESE 792 - Seminar: Single-Case Research Methodologies for Behavior Analysts Credits: 3

•  

  The Association for the Behavior Analysis International has approved the listed courses as meeting coursework requirements to sit for the Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) examination. Individuals will need to meet additional requirements to become eligible for the BCBA examination. Students who complete a behavior analytic dissertation can apply for BCBA-D status, a designation for doctoral-level BCBAs.  

  Students who have completed the Certificate of Graduate Study in Behavior Analysis prior to applying to the doctoral program in Educational Psychology may apply the 21 hours of certificate coursework towards the Ph.D. in educational psychology, if the certificate was completed independently of a master’s degree. Courses that count toward the 30 hours in the master’s degree cannot also be counted as part of the specialization hours in Behavior Analysis. 

  TOTAL: 93 Hours

Examinations

The student must receive approval from their advisor to take the candidacy examination. It is expected that the student will have completed at least 60 semester hours of graduate course work when the examination is taken.

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

Candidacy

Upon satisfactory completion of the candidacy examination, the student is accepted as a candidate for the Ph.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