Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Psychology

Admission

The Educational Psychology doctoral program admits new students on a rolling basis.  Applications for admission into the program must be received by the Graduate School no later than:

• Fall admit term: April 1
• Spring admit term: October 1
• Summer admit term: April 1

Note that the Educational Psychology program application deadlines are earlier in the application cycle than the general Graduate School deadlines.

Applicants for the doctoral degree in Educational Psychology must have completed a Master’s degree in educational psychology, psychology, special education, curriculum and instruction, educational research and evaluation, or a related field.  Applicants are expected to have completed 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.

In addition to the standard requirements for graduate admission to the Graduate School at NIU, the doctoral program in Educational Psychology has additional requirements for graduate admission. The Educational Psychology doctoral program requires degree-seeking applicants to submit the following materials:

• Official scores from the Miller Analogies test (MAT) or from all sections of the General Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).
• have completed a master’s degree in educational psychology, psychology, special education, curriculum and instruction, educational research and evaluation, or a related field.
• Three letters of recommendation from individuals who can speak to the applicant’s ability to be successful in a graduate-level degree program. The recommenders should be individuals who have a professional or academic relationship with the applicant..
• A 10-to-20-page graduate-level academic writing sample in the domain of education or social science. This may be a paper previously submitted for a graduate-level course or an excerpt from the applicant’s master’s thesis or capstone project.
• A three-to-four-page statement of purpose that addresses each of the following:
  • The applicant’s career goals and interests relevant to educational psychology.
  • the origins of those career goals and interests.
  • how training in educational psychology theory and research methods can be able to help the applicant reach their goals.
  • which educational psychology faculty member the applicant prefers 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.)

Questions about the program or the application process should be directed to the Educational Psychology program admissions chair. Students seeking to take courses while their application to the Graduate School is being processed should request approval from the program admissions chair.

After all admission forms are submitted, and the Graduate School’s requirements for admission are fulfilled, the applicant’s materials will be considered by the Educational Psychology program admissions committee. The recommendation of the program admissions committee will be forwarded to the Graduate School, which will inform 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 - Introduction to Applied Behavior Analysis Credits: 3
• SESE 570 - Conceptual Foundations and the Experimental Analysis of Behavior 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

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  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