We offer two degrees in Educational Psychology: the Master of Arts (without thesis) and the Doctor of Philosophy. The requirements for both of these degrees allow for a great deal of flexibility. Students work closely with their adviser to define a program that matches their goals and interests. Students enrolled in the Ph.D. program occasionally may be advised to change their objective to a Master of Arts degree, with or without thesis. Please refer to the description of each program for information about how they differ.

Each of our programs is designed to help students master the core content and methods of educational psychology. The doctoral program encourages and helps students acquire the depth of knowledge and sophistication of methodology necessary for original research contributions to the discipline. Students completing the master's-level program are prepared to apply the findings of educational psychology's research to the solution of problems in a broad range of educational contexts. The M.A. is designed primarily as an end in itself, for students who want this level of graduate preparation. Those who are interested in a Ph.D. should apply directly to that program.

The subject matter of the scholarly discipline of educational psychology is teaching and learning, particularly in formal settings such as schools. Educational psychologists study important topics such as intelligence, learning styles, child development, classroom learning, learning and technology, and motivation in educational settings.

Educational psychology is characterized by empirical research and theory typical of the social and behavioral sciences. Although our ultimate concern is with real problems in education, our approach tends to be more abstract and theoretically oriented than that of educational scholars who are more immediately concerned with practical questions of curriculum design.