Educational Psychology & Research Methodology
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Advance Your Career
Our PhD program prepares students to be leaders in research about human cognition, development, motivation, and learning in education contexts, and their measurement. Our internationally-recognized faculty members offer students strong, individualized mentoring and rich experiences designing and conducting research to extend your skillset.
We equip graduates for careers that create knowledge and improve the welfare of children, families, and school communities. Our graduates work as professors, learning analysts, psychometricians, program evaluators, and education specialists at research institutions, education agencies and school systems, and educational technology and testing companies.
The PhD program requires a dissertation and 60 hours of graduate credit beyond a completed Master’s degree. These plans of study include 45 to 50 credit hours of graduate courses and 10 to 15 credit hours of dissertation research designed by each student with the approval of their advisory committee. Our framework for a PhD plan of study is outlined in the “Courses” section below.
This residential program has rolling admission. An application will be reviewed for admission and funding decisions when it is fully complete and submitted, with application fees paid or waived. For a list of all required materials for this program application, please see the “Admissions” tab.
Application Deadlines
July 1* is the deadline for Fall applications.
November 15 is the deadline for Spring applications.
March 15 is the deadline for Summer applications.
*Those applicants interested in being considered for any available PhD funding should submit completed applications by December 1 for the following Fall semester.
Program at a Glance
- Major/Department: Educational Studies
- Research Area: Educational Psychology and Research Methodology
- Degree Objective: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Program Delivery: Residential
- Does this program lead to licensure? *No, this is a non-licensure program
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Courses
I. Departmental Foundation Requirement
Two graduate-level foundational statistics courses by advisement (6)
One departmental advanced research methods course (3):
- EDPS 63000 – Research Procedures in Education
II. Primary Area Core Requirements
Two of the following (6):
- EDPS 53000 – Cognition and Learning in Context
- EDPS 53600 – Achievement Motivation and Performance
- EDPS 53500 – Personal and Social Development
Nine credits of enrollment in Variable Title/Variable Credit Seminars (9)
One course (other than EDPS 53300/EDPS 63000) by advisement in research methodology/measurement (3)
III. Primary Area of Specialization
Four electives by advisement. Must be different from courses taken to meet requirements in II above (12)
IV. Related Area
Three electives by advisement from an area of study outside of educational psychology (must be different from courses taken to meet Requirements in II & III above). (9)
V. Thesis Credits
Multiple enrollments in EDPS 69900 (Research PhD Thesis) are expected while working on the thesis. Typically, students take 15-21 hours of EDPS 69900 credit for a PhD degree. (15)
Total Credits: 63+
Areas of Specialization
Typical specializations include:
- Cognition and Learning
- Motivation
- Self-Regulated Learning
- Educational Measurement
- Data Analytics
- Personal-Social Development and Schooling
See Educational Psychology and Research Methodology Faculty for their areas of expertise.
Admissions
A graduate application must be submitted and application fee paid (if applicable) by the application deadline. In addition, the materials listed under the Application Requirements section below must be submitted by the application deadline in order for an application to be considered complete and for the application to be reviewed for admission consideration. Please review the How to Apply section below before submitting an application.
A completed master’s degree is not required for admission to this program.
Application Requirements
Here are the materials required for this application
- Transcripts (from all universities attended)
- Minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
- 3 Recommendations
- Resume/CV
- Academic Statement of Purpose
- Personal History Statement
- GRE Scores
- International Applicants must meet English Proficiency Requirements set by the Purdue Graduate School
We encourage prospective students to submit an application early, even if not all required materials are uploaded. Applications are not forwarded on for faculty review until all required materials are uploaded.
How to Apply
When submitting your application for this program, please select the following options:
- Campus and Program Tab:
- Select a Campus: Purdue West Lafayette (PWL)
- Select your proposed graduate major: Educational Studies
- First Choice Program Details Tab:
- Please select an Area of Interest: Educational Psychology
- Please select a Degree Objective: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Primary Course Delivery: Residential
