Program Overview
College of Education and Behavioral Sciences
General Doctoral Degree Admission Requirements
View delivery options, start terms and admission requirements.
Director: Carl E. Granrud, Ph.D.
Location: McKee 0014
Telephone: 970.351.2957
Website: www.unco.edu/cebs/psychological-sciences/
The overall goal of the program is to produce university instructors and scholars capable of original basic and applied research in psychological and educational processes.
There is considerable emphasis on research training within the program. Research topics of the faculty include learning, cognition, motivation, development, measurement, assessment, and social and cultural process with applications to formal and informal educational settings.
All students will take 15 credits of Foundation courses covering key disciplines within the field of Educational Psychology, including cognition and instruction, motivation, cultural issues, measurement, and development. In addition, students will take courses in the Research Core as well as Research Tool I (Quantitative Methods) and Research Tool II (Qualitative Methods) in order to gain the research skills, knowledge, and expertise to support their scholarly work while in the doctoral program. Finally, the student is given the opportunity to specialize their content knowledge and skills by selecting three courses of their choice, in consultation with their advisor.
All students must take the common core concentration area and electives in consultation with the advisor. Students must take a minimum of 68 hours to graduate. A doctoral minor is also available.
Comprehensive Exams
Doctoral students take comprehensive examinations when they have fulfilled the requirements of the graduate school and are considered prepared by their advisor. Specific procedures for written comprehensives and oral defense of the comprehensives are available from the program website or the program office.
Research Tools
Ph.D. students in Educational Psychology must demonstrate competency in two research tools, as required by the UNC Graduate School. Those tools, as indicated above, are measurement and assessment, qualitative research methods, or another approved area.
Deficiencies
Upon entrance to the Ph.D. program, a candidate must be able to satisfy the core course requirements (or the equivalent) for the M.A. degree in education psychology, or must take additional courses to meet those requirements. Doctoral program courses may have prerequisites that necessitate a student’s program credits to be above the 68-credit minimum.
Master’s Degree en route to the Ph.D.
Students may apply for admission to the Ph.D. in Education Psychology and complete their M.A. in Education Psychology on the way to the doctoral degree. The application process and the admission criteria are the same as for the Ph.D. program. Once admitted, students will complete the 30-credit MA program. See Educational Psychology for more information. Students must complete all program requirements (including Comprehensive Examination) for the M.A. in addition to the minimum 68 credit hours required for the Ph.D. Students must be conferred with the M.A. degree prior to admission to doctoral candidacy.