The Department of Educational Psychology offers two graduate degrees with a concentration in the area of Research Methods, Measurement, and Evaluation (RMME): The Master of Arts (M.A.) and the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). The M.A. program is designed for practitioners who wish to acquire foundational skills and knowledge in the areas of measurement and assessment, program evaluation, and quantitative research methodology. There is also a completely online option for completing the M.A. degree. Some students who earn an M.A. continue into the Ph.D. program.
Location
Modality
Requirements
Students must complete a minimum of 30 credits while maintaining a GPA of 3.0 or higher across core courses and earn a grade of “B” or better in every core course. M.A. students may choose to earn the degree either under Plan A (thesis) or Plan B (exam). Students who choose Plan A must complete at least 21 credits of required coursework, nine credits of Master’s thesis research (GRAD 5950 Master's Thesis Research or GRAD 5960 Full-Time Master's Research), and complete a thesis under the direction of their major advisor. An oral defense of the thesis is required. The thesis is graded pass/fail by the student’s advisory committee. Students may not defend the thesis until all required coursework is satisfactorily completed. Students who choose Plan B must complete at least 30 credits of required coursework and pass a comprehensive exam containing questions related to content covered in the core courses listed below. The student's advisor may require oral defense of the exam. The passing grade on the exam is 70%. Students who fail the exam can retake the exam once. Students may not take the exam until all required coursework is satisfactorily completed.
Required Courses
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| EPSY 5601 | Principles and Methods in Educational Research | 3 |
| EPSY 5602 | Educational Tests and Measurements | 3 |
| EPSY 5605 | Quantitative Methods in Research I | 3 |
| EPSY 5607 | Quantitative Methods in Research II | 3 |
| EPSY 6601 | Methods and Techniques of Educational Research | 3 |
| EPSY 6621 | Program Evaluation | 3 |
| Total Credits | 18 |
Additional Coursework
Students must choose from the following courses or alternative courses that are approved by the student’s major advisor, for an additional twelve credits for Plan B or an additional three credits for Plan A.
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| EDCI 6000 | Qualitative Methods of Educational Research | 3 |
| EPSY 5510 | Learning: Its Implication for Education | 3 |
| EPSY 5610 | Applied Regression Analysis for the Education Sciences | 3 |
| EPSY 5621 | Construction of Evaluation Instruments | 3 |
| EPSY 6623 | Advanced Program Evaluation | 3 |
| EPSY 6636 | Measurement Theory and Application | 3 |
| EPSY 6637 | Item Response Theory | 3 |
| EPSY 6651 | Introduction to Methods for Causal Inference Using Educational Data | 3 |
| EPSY 6494 | Doctoral Practicum | 1-6 |
| EPSY 6601 | Methods and Techniques of Educational Research 1 | 3 |
| PP 5377 | Qualitative Methods in Public Policy | 3 |
| PP 5379 | Principles and Methods of Survey Research I | 3 |
