Educational Psychology and Research

Educational Psychology & Research Program Curriculum

Graduate students pursuing the master's degree in educational psychology & research at KU will need to select a program track (Development & Learning - or - Research, Evaluation, Measurement & Statistics) to complete appropriate required coursework. The master’s plan of study (pdf) is used by students and their advisor to track progress toward their degree. The master's degree in educational psychology & research includes the following:

• Take courses to satisfy the Core Course Requirements (16 credit hours);
• Take an additional two courses (minimum of six credit hours) to establish an area of emphasis in one of the two tracks;
• Take an additional two courses (minimum of six credit hours) from departments other than Educational Psychology, one of which must be from a department in the School of Education;
• Complete a data-driven thesis.

Core Course Requirement

Students must take at least one course in each of the five core areas. Examples of courses include:

• Learning and Instruction - EPSY 704: Advanced Educational Psychology: Learning Processes in Education
• Human Development - EPSY 705: Human Development Through the Life Span
• Research and Evaluation Methods* - EPSY 715: Understanding Research in Education (*All students must take EPSY 715 to satisfy this core course requirement.)
• Measurement - EPSY 725: Educational Measurement
• Statistics - EPSY 710/711: Introduction to Statistical Analysis Lecture & Lab

Program Emphasis Courses

In addition to core course requirements, students must complete two courses within a selected emphasis area. The Department of Educational Psychology offers a variety of elective courses and seminars on special topics. 

Students must also take at least two courses offered by academic departments other than Educational Psychology department at KU. One of these courses must be from a department in the School of Education and the other could include courses from Psychology, Applied Behavioral Science, Mathematics, Communication Studies, the School of Social Welfare, and the School of Business.

Faculty members in Educational Psychology and Research are engaged in research and teaching activities, so graduate students have regular opportunities to be involved in research relevant to their area of study. Because research is integral to our Master's degree program, we expect all Educational Psychology and Research students to be actively involved in research activities.

Master's Thesis

All students enrolled in the master's degree in educational psychology & research must complete a data-driven thesis: qualitative or quantitative. Each student must take a minimum of six master’s thesis credit hours. These credit hours allow students to focus on completing their thesis.

Let us know you are interested.