Educational Psychology and Online School Psychology Degrees
(found programs from 200 schools)

Introduction to Educational Psychology Programs

What can you do with an Educational Psychology Degree?

Education is one of the cornerstones of the world as we know it, which means that the need for educational research that yields positive results is growing. With an advanced degree in educational psychology, you may uncover teaching trends or habits that impact student learning, environmental factors that change the learning process, and interventions that can accommodate students with limited resources.

Professionals with educational psychology degrees may explore surprising areas of brain development and learning. Dr. Virginia Berninger, educational psychologist, studied student development to uncover links between types of writing and learning outcomes (Seattle Times, 2016). Her discovery that both cursive writing and typing are important in the learning process has encouraged some schools to adopt a hybrid model.

If you are ready to take your education to the next level with an educational psychology degree, compare educational psychology programs below to explore your options.

Online Programs in Educational Psychology

Some of the most common online educational psychology degrees are master's and doctoral degrees. Although most universities require students to complete these degrees by taking a prearranged series of classes, many online educational psychology programs let students customize their experience by choosing from a number of specializations, such as child and adolescent development, health psychology and social psychology.

In addition to classes related to their specializations, students typically begin with an introduction or foundations course. While these programs tend not to require internships, they do generally include a capstone project. Doctoral programs typically require a thesis, while master's programs may conclude with a comprehensive exam, thesis or some other project. In some online programs, students can choose to complete extra courses to add additional specializations to their degrees. In some programs, on-campus residencies are required.

Online Educational Psychology Degrees to Consider:

Capella University offers both an online master's and an online doctorate degree in educational psychology. The master's program requires students to take a combination of core psychology classes, specialization courses and electives to complete their degrees. The doctorate program is similar but requires four courses of dissertation research along with a choice of specialization.

At the University of Northern Colorado, students can complete the online master's in educational psychology with a teaching application emphasis. The program, which typically attracts teachers, is designed to help instructors understand how students learn so they can become better classroom teachers. The program is 30 credit hours and can be completed in about 19 months. New students begin each summer.

Finally, Walden University offers an online doctorate in educational psychology. The program, which can be completed in 106 credit hours, requires 71 core credit hours, 15 elective credits, a 20-credit dissertation and four short residencies.

Introduction to Educational Psychology Careers

Have you ever wondered why some students struggle to read and digest even the simplest prose while others have trouble navigating the world of mathematics? Perhaps you have wondered whether visual aids such as pictures and movies are useful adjuncts to traditional instruction, or distracting crutches to be avoided. Educational psychologists wonder--and seek answers to--these same questions.

Useful Resources

• Association of Educational Therapists

Educational Psychology Job Description

Educational psychologists study the processes through which people acquire scholastic knowledge, assess and treat disorders that inhibit those processes, and work with students and teachers to develop and evaluate the most effective school curricula and teaching methods.

Educational Psychology Requirements

Many educational psychologists begin their academic journey as undergraduates majoring in psychology or education, though graduate programs vary in the degree to which they require these courses of study. Most accredited programs require that candidates for admission have taken the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Doctoral programs generally grant either a Doctor of Philosophy in psychology (Ph.D.) or a Doctor in Education (Ed.D.). Either degree requires approximately five years of graduate study, and the differences between the two are more imagined than real.

Historically, the Ph.D. was more research-oriented; in recent years, this distinction has largely faded away. While those with master's degrees in educational psychology generally cannot practice as educational psychologists, a few states will confer licensure upon appropriately qualified master's holders. Other states will license those with a specialist in education (Ed.S.), which is a post-master's but pre-doctoral degree.After graduation, degree-holders must obtain government licensure by passing an examination and demonstrating satisfaction of professional experience requirements. These experience requirements vary from state to state, typically ranging from 1500 to 3000 hours (1 to 2 years) of supervised clinical internships. Educational psychologists who wish to assess and treat students, particularly children, should be personable, understanding and patient.

Educational Psychology Career Trends and Outlook

Education is the future of any society, and focusing on educational psychology as a career path puts in a position to affect positive change in this field. As a result of your work, future generations of students may learn more, find more enjoyment in learning, and be better prepared for their adult lives.

To work in educational psychology and learn how to become an educational psychologist, plan on earning an advanced degree. A Bachelor's degree in psychology lays the groundwork for future study in the specialty, but you do need a Master's degree for counseling jobs or a doctoral degree for psychologist jobs. If you go into the research sector of educational psychology, you may look for trends that can lead to improved learning conditions for students. Educational Psychology published a study that assessed students' motivation to learn by looking at dichotomous and "personal best" goals in the classroom (2016).

Becoming a school psychologist is one way to use your training in an education setting. Projected job growth for school psychologists is much faster than the average for other professions through the year 2024 and school psychologists currently earn an average salary of $73,270 per year (O*Net, 2017).

If you earn a Master's degree, you can still get certified as a counselor. Job growth for school counselors may stay stable at 5-8% through the year 2024 (O*net, 2017). The reported annual median income is $54,560 for guidance counselors (O*Net, 2017).

Influence schools, teachers, and learning standards by attending one of the educational psychology programs available at traditional and online universities. Check out our list of schools below and contact the top educational psychology programs in your area.