PHD, Educational Psychology

Degree Program Summary:

The Department of Educational Psychology prepares professionals for careers as college teachers and university professors, educators of the gifted and creative, school psychologists, and researchers and test developers.

Offering an array of renowned graduate programs that are perennially ranked among the nation’s top 20, the department is known for its highly regarded faculty, rigorous academic standards, and heritage as a pioneer in the measurement of creativity. Department faculty have been awarded millions in federal, state, and private funding for research, and the faculty regularly present their research world-wide and publish in prestigious academic journals.

The department houses four areas of emphasis. Students can (1) explore the effect of cognitive and developmental processes on education and determine how that knowledge can be applied to teaching and learning, (2) help to make advancements in the field of statistics and measurement and learn to connect these solutions to real-world problems in educational and social science research, (3) follow the philosophy that giftedness and creativity are expressed in diverse ways among diverse people and learn how creativity is a universal potential to be nurtured and enhanced, and (4) learn to become a clinically skilled psychologist who understands and works within accepted scientific principles and guidelines. The department is home to or closely affiliated with several leading research centers and clinics that offer opportunities for practical experience working with clients and conducting research projects, including the School Psychology Clinic, the Academic Computing Center, the Georgia Center for Assessment, and the Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development.