Educational Psychology PhD Specialization

The demand for educational psychology experts continues to grow. There are many opportunities with government and private research organizations, as well as corporations who want to maximize the effectiveness of their employee training.

The PhD in Educational Psychology specialization is individualized, interdisciplinary, and experiential. Students, with the guidance of faculty advisors, plan their own programs to meet self-defined goals. To accomplish these goals, students engage in a variety of intensive courses, independent studies, seminars, and internships of a highly practical nature. Success in the program requires a high degree of personal initiative, self-directed learning, and commitment to inquiry as a style of personal and professional growth.

Program Structure

The program requires a minimum of 85 credits of study beyond the baccalaureate degree or a minimum of 55 credits beyond the master's degree. However, an individual's program typically requires 10 more credits depending on the person's goals, program requirements, and previous preparation. Students have five years to complete all course work and the portfolio reviews. Five additional years are allowed to complete the dissertation. Most students complete the entire program in five or six years.

Course Work

General Culture (3 credits)

EDUC 800: Ways of Knowing (3 credit hours) ( OR EFHP860. EFHP 860 is for Kinesiology concentration students only. Other students should select EDUC 800. Course should be taken 1st semester.)

Research Methods (15 credits)

EDRS 810: Problems and Methods in Education Research (3 credit hours) (2nd semester)
EDRS 811: Quantitative Methods in Educational Research (3 credit hours)
EDRS 812: Qualitative Methods in Educational Research (3 credit hours)

Choose two from below:
- EDRS 818: Critical Discourse Analysis in Education Research (3 credit hours)
- EDRS 820: Evaluation Methods for Educational Programs and Curricula (3 credit hours)
- EDRS 821: Advanced Applications of Quantitative Methods (3 credit hours)
- EDRS 822: Advanced Applications of Qualitative Methods (3 credit hours)
- EDRS 823: Advanced Research Methods in Single Subject/Case Design (3 credit hours)
- EDRS 824: Mixed Methods Research: Integrating Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches (3 credit hours)
- EDRS 825: Advanced Research Methods in Self-Study of Professional Practice (3 credit hours)
- EDRS 826: Qualitative Case Study Methods (3 credit hours)
- EDRS 827: Introduction to Measurement and Survey Development (3 credit hours)
- EDRS 828: Item Response Theory (3 credit hours)
- EDRS 830: Hierarchical Linear Modeling (3 credit hours) *
- EDRS 831: Structural Equation Modeling (3 credit hours)
- EDRS 832: Document Analysis and Archival Research (3 credit hours)
- EDRS 833: Participatory Action Research (3 credit hours)
- EDRS 897: Special Topics in Research Methods (3 credit hours)

Professional Specialization (24 credits)

EDEP 820: Teaching, Learning, and Cognition (3 credit hours)
EDEP 821: Sociocultural Processes in Learning, Instruction, and Motivation (3 credit hours)
EDEP 822: Advanced Learning, Motivation, and Self-Regulation (3 credit hours)
EDEP 823: Research Project in Educational Psychology: Sequence I (3 credit hours)
EDEP 824: Research Project in Educational Psychology: Sequence II (3 credit hours)

Secondary Emphasis (12 credits)

Students have a number of options for secondary concentrations including concentrations within the Graduate School of Education, within other George Mason University departments, interdisciplinary concentrations, or using the master's degree as part of the secondary concentration requirements.

Dissertation (12 credits)

EDUC 998: Doctoral Dissertation Proposal (3 credits)
EDUC 999: Doctoral Dissertation Research (9 credits)

Portfolio

Students complete an educational portfolio as part of the requirement of the Ph.D. program. The portfolio is an organized, selective collection of documents designed to facilitate a student's academic and professional development, and to provide a basis for evaluation of degree progress. The portfolio represents the scope and depth of a student's goals, plans, and accomplishments in coursework, independent study, research, internships, and other advanced learning activities. The portfolio thus provides both a vehicle for self-reflection and a comprehensive record of a doctoral student's experiences and ongoing progress toward academic and professional goals.