Educational Psychology Ph.D.

Graduate study in psychological foundations of education prepares students for research and teaching positions in colleges and universities, as well as industry positions where research pertinent to learning, cognition, and technology are emphasized. In addition to tenure track faculty positions, teaching positions, and research associate positions, graduates from this program have been hired for positions in professional settings such as schools, private industry, human service organizations, health science units, and government agencies.

The program has three overarching goals:

1. To generate and apply knowledge of learning, cognition, and psychological processes.

2. To employ rigorous and methodological procedures that broadly advance our understanding of educational psychology.

3. To make space for students interested in technology to explore how technology can support learning and cognition, enhance research, improve our understanding of how people learn, and advance the societal impacts of educational psychology.

In QME students explore methodologies of measurement and statistics to improve our understanding and use of these methods as well as explore new approaches to address educational phenomena. Students interested in measurement will pursue coursework that includes psychometric theories and methods of developing, selecting, and using measures of knowledge, skills, abilities, and non-cognitive variables. This includes item writing, test design, equating, scaling, and standard setting, techniques supporting decision making and accountability. Students interested in statistics will pursue coursework that includes a wide range of statistical methods, as well as their underlying statistical theories, and develop an understanding of the relationship between research design and statistical analysis, acquiring skills in using a variety of statistical techniques appropriate for specific problems in education. QME students develop knowledge and skills that prepare them for a variety of positions, including test companies, colleges and universities, research and evaluation centers, public school systems, government agencies, and industry.

Admitted students without a prior quantitative method Master’s degree must complete a Master's degree during their course of study in the Program.

The school psychology PhD program is fully accredited by the American Psychological Association, and the Minnesota Board of Teaching, and approved by the National Association of School Psychologists. Through coursework and practica/internships, students develop competencies in research, assessment, consultation, prevention and intervention, supervision, and higher education instruction. Graduates are employed as faculty and researchers in universities, and as psychologists in K12 schools, clinics, hospitals, and community mental health centers, or as researchers in a variety of settings. Graduates are eligible for the state school psychologist credential, national certification in school psychology, and most states’ license to practice professional psychology. Students' graduate preparation focuses on the knowledge and skills necessary to develop, implement, and disseminate high quality research and to engage in provision of research-based school psychological practices within multi-tier systems of support to improve academic, social, behavioral, and emotional competence of children and youth. Students develop specific competencies through a broad range of didactic courses, research activities, teaching and supervisory experience, and field placements, including practica and a full-year internship.

The special education program aims to improve outcomes for individuals who require specialized support to experience success across the lifespan. We are committed to engaging in meaningful research— and to bridging research and practice to improve the lives of children and families in diverse contexts, and to have a lasting impact on teacher education, leadership, and policy. Early involvement in research projects and the development of original research addressing the needs of individuals requiring specialized support is encouraged and may include focused attention to intervention science, implementation science, social and cognitive development, behavioral and psychological management, language and communication skills, and/or the design and use of technology to promote impact. A complementary emphasis is placed on problems unique to or extremely influential in the field, including social and cultural perceptions about disabilities as well as federal, state, and local legislation regarding prevention, care and education of persons with disabilities. Special projects and training programs supplement academic studies.

The special education track focuses on the attainment of core competencies and related skills, such as systematic problem solving, empirical design, data analytics, and measurement.