for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Psychology

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Admission
Students entering a Ph.D. program without a master’s degree must first complete the requirements for a Master of Science (including a master’s thesis).

The Department offers admission to two terminal on-campus Master of Science (M.S.) degrees focusing on Quantitative and Qualitative Methodology, Measurement, and Evaluation (QUERIES) and Mental Health Counseling.  There is no admission to terminal masters degrees in Cognitive Science of Teaching and Learning (CSTL), Developmental Sciences, or Counseling Psychology areas of specialization.

The department accepts applications for the Ph.D. degree, from both applicants who have completed their bachelor's degrees and those who have a master's degree. Students who enter the program without a prior master's incorporate their master's class work and research into their doctoral program, and earn a master's degree as the first step toward their Ph.D (satisfying the "Early Research Project" requirement). 

Applications
Applicants must submit a complete application for university admission, including three letters of reference, transcripts from all schools where undergraduate and graduate degrees were awarded or expect to be awarded prior to the application enrollment term, and other items listed on the college website. Applicants to our doctoral program and M.S. in Mental Health Counseling apply for fall enrollment. Current deadlines are posted on our application deadlines page.  

Doctoral candidates are admitted into one of four divisions:  CSTL, Developmental Sciences, QUERIES and Counseling Psychology. When making admission decisions, division committees consider academic performance (e.g., grade-point average, GPA), GRE scores (optional), letters of recommendation, and statement of purpose. Preference is given to those with research experience and research interests that are aligned with existing research programs in the Department.

Master’s candidates are admitted into QUERIES and Mental Health Counseling.

Grade Point Average
The preferred department standard for grade point average is 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. The University calculates undergraduate GPAs on the last two years of grades for degreed applicants and in the last one year for students who have not yet completed their bachelor's degree. Graduate GPAs are calculated on the total of all graduate level courses taken beyond the undergraduate degree.

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
International applicants must demonstrate English Language Proficiency for admission.  Please see the English Proficiency Requirements for Admission for additional information on this requirement.

Area of Study Affiliation
All applicants to the Educational Psychology doctoral program must specify one of four areas in which they wish to study:

• Cognitive Science of Teaching and Learning (CSTL)
• Counseling Psychology (Counseling);
• Developmental Sciences
• Quantitative and Qualitative Methodology, Measurement, and Evaluation (QUERIES)

Detailed information about each area and about the research interests of the faculty can be found on the department website.

Although all Ph.D. students are admitted to a specific area of study, the actual coursework, research, and faculty often overlap area boundaries. Departmental policy makes it possible for a student to change advisers and affiliation from one area to another when interests and research foci become more clearly defined or change. Many faculty members are affiliated with more than one area of study.

Mental Health Counseling M.S. students must choose one of three areas of study for their practicum experience:

• Mental Health Counseling
• Career Counseling
• Counseling and Developmental Sciences

Faculty Research Interests
The faculty's research agendas span a wide range of topics related to the study and application of psychological principles to develop and inform educational interventions and facilitate human development across the life span. Faculty conduct basic, applied, and translational research that explores the cognitive, life-span developmental, social-emotional, technological, and socio-cultural factors that affect behavior, learning, and achievement in educational, clinical, and community contexts. They also engage in research on approaches to educational inquiry and the development of quantitative, qualitative and evaluative methodologies that underpin the development of evidence-based, policy-relevant studies. For information about specific faculty research interests, current grants, and publications, please visit the Faculty Finder.

Center, Programs, and Institutes
Department faculty are affiliated with both research centers and institutes in the College of Education and across the university. These include The Beckman Institute, the Technology Innovation in Educational Research and Design initiative (TIER-ED), the Center for Culturally Responsive Evaluation and Assessment (CREA), the Center for the Study of Reading (CSR), the Center for Social and Behavioral Science (CSBR), and others. 

Facilities and Resources
The Department of Educational Psychology puts a high priority on working with its graduate students to secure fellowships and other awards.

The College of Education also has many resources to assist graduate students through their academic career. The Bureau of Educational Research works with students to secure research funding. The Council on Teacher Education entitles candidates seeking a Professional Educator License and provides accreditation of professional education programs. Each student completing a degree program is assigned a graduate adviser, who is available to assist the student with planning the program of study and determining degree requirements, courses and timelines for degree completion.

Information on University resources can be found at the GradMAP pages website.

Financial Aid
Financial aid in the form of assistantships, scholarships, fellowships, and tuition waivers can be found throughout the college and campus. Campus opportunities can be found at the Graduate College and the Office of Student Financial Aid. Please note: Graduate students employed as Staff by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are not eligible for a College of Education Award or Scholarship.

The department does not require a separate financial aid application.

for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Psychology

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The Department of Educational Psychology offers many programs leading to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.).  A list of programs and additional requirements can be found on the program's website, the College of Education Graduate Programs Handbook, and the Graduate College Handbook.

Students may select a concentration in Digital Learning.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Completion of at least 64 hours beyond the master’s degree including:
Major Subject Coursework (minimum)		32
EPSY 599	Thesis Research (min/max applied toward degree)	4-20
Independent Study (min/max applied toward degree)		0-12
Research Coursework		16-20
All students will take a minimum of 16-20 credit hours, depending on area of methodology focus, in approved research methods courses.
Students pursuing the Concentration in African American Studies are required to take 24 hours of Concentration courses, for a total of 88 hours.
Total Hours		64

Other Requirements

Grad Other Degree Requirements

Requirement	Description
Master's degree is not required for admission to the Ph.D. but is required for completion.
Minimum GPA	3.0
Residency	2 consecutive full-time (12 hours) semesters of study on campus
Early Research Requirement
Qualifying Exams
Human Subjects Approval
Preliminary Exam
Final Exam/Dissertation Defense
Dissertation Deposit

for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Psychology

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Counseling Psychology Division

1. Counseling Psychology students will possess a broad knowledge of the core areas of psychology.
2. Counseling Psychology students will have an understanding of the basic statistical analytical methods, research designs, measurement models, and research approaches.3
3. Counseling Psychology students will demonstrate skills at independently designing, conducting, writing, and presenting research studies.
4. Counseling Psychology students will be skilled in psychological assessment in all aspects (design, psychometric evaluation, administering, and communicating results) as well as in a variety of contexts (e.g., both environmental and individual assessment).
5. Counseling Psychology students will have the ability to conceptualize clients from a variety of theoretical and scientifically-informed frameworks, present such a conceptualization to others and establish means and methods to evaluate its accuracy
6. Counseling Psychology students will possess theoretical and scientific knowledge regarding skills in the provision of interventions.
7. Counseling Psychology students will value and develop competence in aspects of diversity and individual differences.
8. Counseling Psychology students will have knowledge and appreciation of the ethical issues involved in being a psychologist.
9. Counseling Psychology students will adopt a critical, scientific approach to professional activities.

Developmental Sciences Division

1. Developmental Sciences students will obtain a broad knowledge of the core areas of developmental research across the lifespan.This includes but is not limited to: a) social and emotional development; b) language and mathematical development; c) academic motivation and future planning/orientation; d) bullying and peer harassment; and e) identity formation with respect to gender, race, and ethnicity.
2. Developmental Sciences students will develop a deep expertise in a relevant specialized topic within or across these core areas. This includes mastering research findings in a topic area selected by the student, understanding the relevant theoretical perspectives related to this topic and learning about the appropriate methodological approaches to understanding the core area. 
3. Developmental Sciences students will obtain a sophisticated knowledge base of research approaches and analytic tools necessary for contribution to scholarly literature in Developmental Sciences broadly and their specialized topic in particular. Specifically, they will develop skills to independently design, conduct, write, and present/publish research studies related to their area of focus/career path.

Cognitive Science of Teaching and Learning (CSTL) Division

1. CSTL students will obtain a broad knowledge of the core areas related to the cognitive science of teaching and learning. This includes knowledge of theoretical perspectives, methodological approaches, and key research findings in the core areas of (a) cognition and learning across the lifespan, (b) learning and the psychology of language, (c) multimodal information processing, and (d) sociocultural dimensions of learning.
2. CSTL students will obtain a deep expertise in a relevant topic within or cutting across these core areas. This involves mastering theoretical perspectives, methodological approaches, and key research findings in a topic selected by the student. In addition, they will develop skills at independently designing, conducting, writing, and presenting/publishing research studies.
3. CSTL students will obtain a sophisticated knowledge base of research approaches and analytic tools necessary for contribution to the professional literature and their chosen professional identity/career path. This involves understanding the basic statistical analytical methods, research designs, measurement models, and research approaches.

Studies in Interpretive, Statistical, Measurement, and Evaluative Methodologies for Education (QUERIES) Division

1. QUERIES students will obtain a broad basic knowledge of the core areas of educational research methodologies, quantitative, qualitative, and evaluative research methods.
2. QUERIES students will obtain a sophisticated knowledge base of quantitative and/or qualitative research approaches and analytic tools necessary for contribution to the professional literature.
3. QUERIES students in Measurement will become skilled in the development and use of techniques for collecting and analyzing ‘test’ data through the study of measurement methods.
4. QUERIES students in Statistics will be skilled in traditional and modern quantitative analytic methods.
5. QUERIES students in Evaluation will have the skills required for Evaluation scholars –in education, social welfare, health services, community development, human resource development, and other domains.

for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Psychology

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Department of Educational Psychology
Chair of the Department: Kiel Christianson
Director of Graduate Studies: H. Chad Lane
Graduate Admissions Information: Mitzi Koeberlein
Department of Educational Psychology website
Educational Psychology faculty
142 Education Building, 1310 South Sixth Street, Champaign, IL 61820
(217) 244-3542
Graduate Student Services Office email

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