phd in general psychology cognition and instruction (qualitative research)

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Department of Educational Psychology

Learning Sciences (formerly CILT)

Doctoral program description & handbook.

The Department of Educational Psychology (EPSY) has a Ph.D. program in Educational Psychology: Cognition, Instruction and Learning Technology . This graduate program is structured to prepare professionals whose primary interests involve issues of thinking and teaching.

The Ph.D. program in Cognition, Instruction and Learning Technology bridges the gaps among psychological theory, research, and educational practice. Core courses include theories of learning, cognitive processes, quantitative and qualitative research methods, learning technology, and instructional design.

Research conducted by the CILT program is supported by the Neag Information Technology Laboratory with networked computers, a wireless environment, multimedia development capabilities, and support technology for research and instructional development.

General Program Considerations

Each student upon formal admission to the Ph.D. program in CILT is assigned a major advisor who will guide the student in developing the plan of study. During the second semester of the program, the student selects an advisory committee chairperson and two committee members to advise and direct the student’s course of study.

Students are evaluated with a variety of methods throughout the program. In addition to formal evaluations such as course grades, the faculty may evaluate the student’s progress through research projects. An annual faculty review of the student’s progress is conducted. In order to continue on the program, students must make satisfactory progress through the program. Finally, the CILT  Technologies Program has adopted a portfolio system to monitor each student’s academic and professional development.

Although the CILT Ph.D. program is designed to encourage full-time graduate study, several students work part-time in the community. In most cases, these part-time positions are related to the student’s graduate program and consequently may even enhance the student’s skills, professional maturity, and overall educational goals. The Department of Educational Psychology has a limited number of graduate assistantships and fellowships for CILT Ph.D. students.

For more information about the Ph.D in Cognition, Instruction, and Learning Technology program, including program goals and admissions criteria, please see the E EPSY-CILT-PhD-Handbook-2020.

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Northern Illinois University Department of Psychology College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

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This program leads to a Ph.D. degree in psychology. Within this program, graduate study in the area of cognitive psychology emphasizes both theoretical and applied aspects of cognition, training you to pursue teaching and research careers in either academic or non-academic settings.

Faculty Primary Research Interests

Research directed by active faculty is fundamental to your development in graduate school. You are encouraged to work with faculty members through research assistantships and independent studies. The primary research interests of the faculty include:

• Language comprehension
• The interaction between technology and learning
• Argument comprehension and production
• Knowledge representation
• Individual differences in language comprehension (e.g., what makes a good reader different from a poor reader)
• Non-text discourse processing (e.g., film and aesthetics)

The active grants by our faculty include:

• A four-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Institute for Educational Sciences to develop an on-line comprehension test
• A three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Institute for Educational Sciences to develop an web-based tutor to improve students comprehension and construction of argument
• Consulting projects with Sandia National Laboratories and Law School Admission Council.

Discourse and Technology

Psychologists believe that a better tomorrow starts with an understanding of how we interpret and understand the world today. One powerful way in which we understand the world is through discourse and technology. Discourse is conveyed through text, conversations, argumentation, films and artwork. Each impose different types of mental constraints on comprehension and each is an important aspect of our world.

As the new millennium dawns, technology is being used more and more to deliver discourse, especially within instructional settings (e.g., interactive CD ROMS, the Internet, videos, multimedia). Our central mission is to understand discourse and its interaction with new and developing technologies, including the development of intelligent interactive computer-based tutoring systems.

CIDS (Cognitive, Instructional, Developmental and School) Curricular Area

The CIDS (cognitive, instructional, developmental and school) curricular area offers students a multidisciplinary approach to developing minds. Our students learn to interrelate conceptual, methodological and applied information from cognitive, developmental and school psychology domains.

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Program Director Anne Britt, Ph.D. Psychology-Computer Science Building room 367 [email protected]

Director of Graduate Studies Kevin Wu, Ph.D 815-753-0372 [email protected]

Graduate Studies Assistant [email protected]

Admissions [email protected]

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College of Education

Overview: phd educational psychology.

The PhD in Educational Psychology prepares students to conduct research on psychological processes as they affect student learning and successful teaching in urban settings.  Graduates become research experts and innovators in one of two focus areas; Human Development and Learning or Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics, and Assessment .  Nevertheless, all graduates are expected to have knowledge of the main areas of research found in the field of Educational Psychology.  In addition to accepting traditional academic research positions, our graduates work for private and not-for-profit organizations, national and state licensing and certification boards, state and federal agencies, and testing companies.

Overview of Requirements (Fall 2013) Heading link Copy link

The PhD in Educational Psychology requires a minimum of 96 semester hours beyond the baccalaureate degree, and a minimum of 64 semester hours beyond the master’s degree.  These requirements include completion of a 12-hour Doctoral Studies Core, a 12-hour Methodology Requirement, a 4-hour research project, and 12 semester hours of dissertation research.  You are also required to pass written and oral portions of a preliminary examination and successfully defend your dissertation research.  Specific requirements are as follows for students who enter the program with an earned master’s degree.

• COE Doctoral Studies Core —12 hours
• Methodology Requirement –– 12 hours
• Educational Psychology Program Core — 8 hours
• Area of Specialization —16 hours
• Research Project — 4 hours
• Preliminary Examination — Written Portion
• Preparation of a Dissertation Research Proposal
• Preliminary Examination — Oral Portion
• Dissertation Research — 12 hours (minimum)
• Dissertation Defense

Earning a Masters degree while enrolled in the doctoral program .  If you enter with a bachelor’s degree but not a master’s degree you are required to take up to 32 hours of additional coursework (the equivalent of a master’s degree) in an area of specialization.  Any student who chooses to do so may earn a master’s degree while enrolled in the Ph.D. program, but should be alerted to the fact that those courses that are aligned with an M.Ed. degree cannot simultaneously be applied toward the Ph.D.

You are free to substitute a more advanced course for any of the required core courses that are normally associated with the Ph.D. in Educational Psychology.  Decisions about which courses to substitute are normally made in consultation with your program advisor, the Director of Graduate Studies for the Educational Psychology Department, and the Graduate College.

Doctoral Studies Core (12 hours) Heading link Copy link

All doctoral degrees in the College of Education require a core of courses that focuses on different types of research in educational settings, research design, and the analysis of educational data.  These core courses will help you develop the minimum skills needed to evaluate research literature and to begin your own independent research.  You are encouraged to take these core courses early in your program; however, you may take other courses in the program before completing this set of courses.

The requirements of the Doctoral Studies Core are:

• ED 504—Urban Contexts and Educational Research (4 hours)
• ED 505—Introduction to Educational Research: Paradigms and Processes (4 hours)
• ED 506—Introduction to Educational Research: Designs and Analyses (4 hours)

Methodology Requirement (12 hours) Heading link Copy link

In addition to the Doctoral Studies Core above, you must take a minimum of three research methodology courses as described below.  Note also that you may choose or be encouraged by your faculty advisor to take additional courses in research methodology beyond these minimums in order to meet your personal scholarly and professional goals.

The Methodology Requirement includes:

• ED 502—Essentials of Qualitative Inquiry in Education (4 hours)
• ED 503/EPSY 503—Essentials of Quantitative Inquiry in Education (4 hours)
• A third methodology course selected in consultation with your advisor (4 hours)

Educational Psychology Program Core (8 hours) Heading link Copy link

To explore breadth in the field of Educational Psychology, all students, regardless of their focus area, enroll in three program core courses, totaling 10 semester hours.

• EPSY 500 — Proseminar in Educational Psychology I: Socialization into the Field (2 hrs)
• EPSY 501 — Theories of Educational Psychology (4 hours)
• EPSY 508 — Proseminar in Educational Psychology II: Discourses in the Field (2 hours)

Area of Emphasis (16 hours minimum) Heading link Copy link

This PhD program requires that you take courses in both the College of Education and the Department of Psychology.   All students enroll in a breadth core that involves exposure to the range of topics typically associated with a degree in Educational Psychology.  Nevertheless, you are typically admitted into one of the following two focus areas.

Human Development and Learning

This concentration includes most of the school-based research that is salient in the field of Educational Psychology.  Individuals who focus primarily on human development usually specialize in issues that pertain to early childhood, middle childhood, adolescence, or adulthood as well as a substantive area of emphasis salient in the field of human development.  Individuals who focus on learning typically specialize in processes of cognition and how knowledge of cognitive processes can be used to shape instruction and the learning environment.  Available areas of expertise change as the composition of the faculty and the field change.  You are advised to look at the research interests of current faculty to determine which topical interests to focus on during your program of study.  Our current faculty members specialize in the following three areas.

Cognition and instruction .   This research area involves a multidisciplinary group of faculty members and students interested in Learning Sciences.  Specific areas of study within this concentration include cognitive development, metacognition and self-regulated learning, reading comprehension and text processing, learning from multimedia materials, design of learning environments, and the use of cognitive models in assessment.

Early childhood education .  This research area focuses on the cognitive and social development of young children. Specific areas of study include social and cognitive development, cultural differences in parent-child interaction, children’s play, and the development of children with learning disabilities.

Social development .  This research area focuses on processes of social growth and cultural factors that affect individuals’ development and educational processes. Specific areas of study include cultural factors in students’ development and learning, emotional and other forms of socio-moral development, gender roles and gender identity, legitimate parent and teacher authority in relation to student autonomy, motivation, peer relations, play, and social competence.

Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics, and Assessment

This focus area combines training in measurement, evaluation, statistics, and assessment with research experiences gained from participation in research projects. In Measurement and Evaluation, specific areas of study include measurement theory, Rasch measurement, Item Response Theory, true score theory, generalizability theory, test score equating, standard setting, instrument design, and program evaluation. In Statistics, areas of study include statistical theory, hierarchical linear modeling, nonparametric modeling, regression analysis, multivariate analysis, structural equation modeling, factor analysis, causal analysis, categorical data analysis, research synthesis and meta-analysis, exploratory data analysis, model estimation, model goodness-of-fit analysis, model selection, robust analysis, missing-data analysis, and research methods. In Assessment, study areas include qualitative methods, testing for licensure and certification, computer adaptive testing, large-scale testing, and classroom-based assessment.

You  can specialize in a particular focus area, yet everyone is encouraged to take courses in each of four areas.  Available areas of expertise change as the composition of the faculty and the field change.  You are advised to look at the research interests of current faculty and determine your own topical interests as early in their program of study as possible.  Our current faculty members specialize in the following four areas.

Measurement .  Measurement courses cover a range of theories, models, and methods for measuring variables of aptitude, achievement, and attitudes. They include test, questionnaire, rating scale, and survey construction for data collection, and include contemporary measurement models for data analysis. These courses are designed to prepare researchers and practitioners to meet measurement challenges they will encounter when conducting research and applying measurement models in a variety of settings.

Evaluation .  Evaluation courses deal with the systematic collection of information about the activities, characteristics, and outcomes of programs and how this information can be used to make judgments about program quality, improve program effectiveness, and/or inform decisions about future program development.  Students learn about evaluation theory and methods in coursework emphasizing the processes associated with planning and conducting evaluations. They become informed, critical consumers of standards-based assessment procedures and program evaluation.

Statistics .  This concentration enables students to conduct evidence-based research, to rigorously answer questions that are important to the educational and social sciences.  Statistics courses cover a broad range of statistical models that are useful for the analysis of many types of data sets. They include models that discover the relationship between one variable with and a set of other variables, and models that describe causal relationships between variables (for example, the causal effects of educational treatments on academic achievement). Students who take statistics courses will gain the knowledge, skills, and abilities to analyze, interpret, and draw accurate conclusions from data.

Assessment .  Assessment courses focus on the process of collecting, synthesizing, analyzing, and interpreting quantitative and qualitative information to aid in decision-making.  Assessment training allows students to design, administer, score, and interpret results from various types of assessments that measure simple and complex learning outcomes.  Students learn how to design paper-and-pencil tests, performance assessments, and product assessments that are aligned with those standards that are to be evaluated as well as how to interpret various statistical findings.  These skills can be used for a variety of purposes including the interpretation of score reports, determining appropriate modifications or accommodations when using a tool to assess the performance of students with disabilities or language limitations, the development and defense of grading procedures, and important legal purposes associated with education and employment.

Selecting an area of emphasis .  Within each focus area, you may select the remaining courses to form your own area of emphasis (minimum of 16 hours).  These courses are usually chosen in consultation with your faculty advisor.  A minimum of 8 hours should be Educational Psychology or Psychology courses.  At least 3 of these 8 hours should focus on Psychology.  Note that the required course hours are the minimum number required. You may wish to take more than the minimum number of courses or may be required to do so by your advisor.

Although you may take all your courses in the College of Education and the Psychology Department, you are strongly encouraged to take courses in other UIC departments as well.  Such courses can strengthen your conceptual and methodological knowledge (needed for independent research) and broaden your exposure to the range of research perspectives of faculty members in your specific area of interest.

Research Project (EPSY 593, 4 hours) Heading link Copy link

The research project is an important beginning experience in doing research on actual problems in your chosen area of study.  The research project usually offers you an opportunity to explore and pilot test ideas for your dissertation research.  You may seek out a program faculty member to collaborate with on a research project and perhaps collaborate with other doctoral students.  Ideally, you will work on such projects as a full research colleague and be involved in all aspects of the project from design through execution, analysis, and writing of results.  Such work may lead to a presentation at a scholarly conference or to submission of a manuscript to a professional journal for publication.  (See Section V on the need for IRB approval of a proposed research project.)

You should consult with your faculty advisor to determine when you are ready to embark on this research project.  You are responsible for obtaining the assistance of a faculty member when designing and completing a research project.  You are also responsible for taking the initiative needed to fully complete the research project and this step indicates a readiness to complete a dissertation (see below). The sponsoring faculty member may be either a your program advisor or another faculty member who will bring particular expertise and experience to support the project.

Annual Reviews Heading link Copy link

You are required to submit a formal progress report each year.  These reports provide you with an opportunity to reflect on whether you are meeting your goals while allowing faculty to assess whether adequate progress is being made.  Program faculty review and discuss these reports and provide written feedback to you about whether you are meeting expectations.  Recommendations for ways to enhance or sustain your progress are a likely result of this process.  If you are not making adequate progress you may be placed on probation and given directive feedback on how to proceed.

The Preliminary Examination Process Heading link Copy link

You are required to complete a dissertation to earn your Ph.D., and to verify your readiness for such research, you will proceed through a preliminary examination process.  This process is complex and involves the formation of at least one committee of 5 faculty members, comprised of at least two faculty members from the UIC College of Education.  It is common for a student to establish one committee of 5 faculty members who serve both as the members of the Preliminary Examination Committee and who serve as members of the Dissertation Committee.  It is also common for the Chair of each committee to be the same person.  Nevertheless, for a wide range of reasons, you may need to form two different committees, replace individual members on a committee, or to otherwise adjust this process.  Below is a detailed outline of the requirements for both committees and how these committees guide you through the final, and often most difficult, portions of the doctoral program.  More information on the steps that occur after the Preliminary Examination and requirements for doctoral candidates can be found in Section IV.

Steps for the Preliminary Examination Heading link Copy link

The purpose of the preliminary examination is to determine your readiness to undertake dissertation research.  The examination has three steps —a written portion demonstrates expertise in a specific focus area, a dissertation proposal outlines the dissertation project, and an oral examination is a review of both the dissertation proposal and your readiness to execute the project being proposed.  All three steps are evaluated by members of a Preliminary Examination Committee; the written examination is evaluated by at least three members of the Preliminary Examination Committee and the dissertation proposal review and oral examination includes all 5 committee members.  Once you have completed all three steps, you are formally admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D, and may be referred to as a ‘Doctoral Candidate’.

The written examination .  The written portion of the preliminary examination should be taken when you have completed most, though not necessarily all, of your coursework.  This step offers evidence that you have the necessary expertise to undertake dissertation research.  You will pass this step after at least 3 members of your Preliminary Examination Committee read the written exam and agree that you have demonstrated a readiness to proceed to the design of a proposal.  This is noted in your academic record by completing a form indicating that you have passed the written examination and filing that with the Office of Student Services in the College of Education.

The dissertation proposal .  After successfully passing the written examination, you will be asked to write a dissertation proposal.  It is likely you and the Chair of your Preliminary Examination Committee will first work through the process of designing a proposal and the related application for approval by UIC’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) before submitting a full draft of the proposal to the committee.  Once you and your Chair are satisfied that the proposal is ready for full committee review, the proposal is then disseminated to the full committee.  Nevertheless, it is also common for a student to seek the advice of all of his or her committee members at some point during the design of the dissertation proposal.  The formal committee is noted in your record by completing the Committee Recommendation Form and sending that to the Office of Student Services which then sends that on to the Graduate College where your record undergoes a formal transcript review to ensure that all the program requirements necessary to proceed to the oral defense have been met.

Oral defense of the dissertation proposal .  The final step of the Preliminary Examination Process involves an oral defense of the dissertation proposal and the committee’s recommendation that you are ready to move to Candidacy and complete the dissertation.  Once the proposal is complete and sent to the full Preliminary Examination Committee, an oral defense is scheduled to include the full members of the Preliminary Examination Committee.  You are required to take and pass the oral portion of the exam before beginning your dissertation research.  In addition, you should also receive approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) (see Section V), even if it reflects a declaration that the project is exempt from IRB review.  Movement to candidacy is noted in your record by having all faculty members indicate that the student has passed the entire Preliminary Examination process using the signature form generated by the Graduate College.  Once that form has been processed, you are designated as a Doctoral Candidate (ABD in casual conversation).

Forming a Preliminary Examination Committee Heading link Copy link

You should begin making arrangements to take the preliminary examination when your coursework is nearly completed.  First, you should find a faculty member to chair the Preliminary Examination Committee.  Typically, this person is your faculty program advisor, but if interests migrate it may be necessary to identify another faculty member whose interests and expertise may align more closely with your program of study and dissertation research.  You are required to have a committee chair who is a member of the Educational Psychology faculty although you may choose a faculty member outside Educational Psychology to serve as co-chair of your committee.  The Graduate College now officially acknowledges the roles of chair and advisor to indicate such collaborations.  You will work with your committee chair(s) to build a committee of 5 members who are willing to serve.  At least three members, including the chair, should be UIC faculty who are Full Members of the Graduate College.  Tenured or tenure-track faculty members are generally Full Members of the Graduate College; clinical and visiting faculty members generally are not.  At least two committee members should be tenured faculty in the College of Education (i.e., Associate Professors or Full Professors).  The Graduate College does not require that the Preliminary Examination Committee include a member from outside the Department.  However, since the Graduate College does require that all Dissertation Committees have a member from outside the program (see Section IV), and we prefer that you work with the same individuals as members of your Preliminary Examination Committee and as members of the Dissertation Committee, you should ask an outside member to serve in both capacities.

Once you are ready to defend your proposal, your Preliminary Examination Committee is formally constituted by submitting a Committee Recommendation Form to the Office of Student Services and the Graduate College.  This step typically occurs after you have successfully passed the Written Examination and have prepared a dissertation proposal that you and your Preliminary Examination Committee Chair agree is ready for a defense.  Before submitting the Committee Recommendation Form,you should be sure that all potential committee members have agreed to serve.  To include a member who is not on the UIC faculty or is not a member of the UIC Graduate College, approval from the Graduate College is required.  This approval process is initiated by submitting, along with the Committee Recommendation Form, a copy of that outside person’s full current curriculum vitae to the Office of Student Services.

Step 1: The Written Examination

The written portion of the preliminary examination will focus on your area of expertise and interest within Educational Psychology.  This document will be reviewed by at least 3 UIC faculty members who are also members of the Preliminary Examination Committee, one of whom is a member of the Educational Psychology Program Faculty (often the committee Chair or Co-chair).  There are three options for the written portion of the exam.  You may indicate a preferred option, but the Preliminary Examination Committee will make the final decision concerning the form of your examination.

Options 1 and 2 :  The Chair, in conjunction with other committee members, will write an examination consisting of three to five questions.  These questions will tap your knowledge of the following areas as the areas relate to your specific area of interest: (a) research design and methodology; (b) theoretical constructs and systems; (c) empirical research; and (d) implications for teaching and learning, where applicable.  In Option 1 , the questions are administered as a take-home exam with a deadline negotiated between you and your committee members.  Appropriate response length may vary for each question, but in no case should a response to a question exceed 20 double-spaced typewritten pages.  In Option 2 , the questions are administered as a proctored exam at the College.  If the first version of either of these options is not of passing quality, you will have one opportunity to retake the exam.

Option 3 :  You may review the literature on a topic related to your area of specialization and write a critical review in a form that would be suitable for publication.  After receiving evaluations from members of the Preliminary Examination Committee, you will have the opportunity to submit one revision.

You indicate your preferred option by submitting to your committee chair a one- to two-page statement of the problem outlining the topic of investigation for the preliminary examination.  If  you prefer Options 1 or 2, this statement should indicate your particular area(s) of interest and specialization within Educational Psychology.  If you prefer Option 3, this statement should indicate your intended paper topic and a beginning list of references.  After consulting with both you and the members of your Preliminary Examination Committee, the chair will indicate whether this problem statement has been approved.  You may be asked  to revise your proposed statement of intent or to select a different option.  Therefore, you should factor time for such revisions into the overall project timeline.

This written examination step is completed once at least three members of the Preliminary Examination Committee have agreed that your work indicates that you are ready to proceed to the design of a dissertation proposal.  This step is recorded when the three committee members who participated in this step sign and submit to the Office of Student Services the Written Examination Form.

Step 2: Preparing a Dissertation Proposal

Your coursework, research project, and independent readings should give you a good start on planning your dissertation research.  Ideally, you will have decided on your research topic, conducted a relevant review of literature, and/or carried out a pilot study before starting the written portion of the preliminary examination.  It is expected that the written portion of the preliminary exam helps you further develop your dissertation project.  After passing the Written Examination, you will write a dissertation proposal and prepare to defend your work before your Preliminary Examination Committee.

Dissertation research may be developed from the many possibilities related to your area of study and from a variety of research traditions.  The process of writing a dissertation proposal is challenging, but it provides unprecedented opportunities for creative and personally rewarding work.  In the past, students have found it helpful to draw on their studies to date and avail themselves of the advice and support of their committee chair and members, other faculty, and fellow students whenever possible. They have also joined a course in research design (e.g., EPSY 509) or one that offers specialized information necessary for their dissertation project (e.g., advanced statistics).

Dissertation proposals may take many forms and be of varying lengths.  The organization, content, and length of your proposal will be decided in collaboration with the Chair of your Preliminary Examination Committee.  We assume that these decisions reflect your involvement in a public discourse community and that you will follow the conventions within that research network. We can recommend a book such as Making the Implicit Explicit: Creating Performance Expectations for the Dissertation (by Barbara E. Lovitts), which fully describes the performance expectations of a quality dissertation, specifically, a dissertation that makes important new intellectual contributions to the given field of study. Of course, the writing style of a dissertation also needs to comply with the latest Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association .

When you and your committee chair(s) agree that the dissertation proposal is ready for review and approval, you will work with the Chair to distribute the proposal to members of your Preliminary Examination Committee and schedule the oral portion of the preliminary exam.  You should distribute this proposal to committee members for review at least three weeks before the scheduled exam date.  It is strongly recommended that you include a draft of the IRB application with the proposal.  As a rule, you should not submit the IRB application until after the oral portion of the examination is completed since a committee may make recommendations for changing research protocols during the exam.  See Section V for information about IRB requirements and procedures.

The readiness to defend a proposal is typically recorded when you initiate a formal Committee Recommendation Form with the Graduate College.  The Committee Recommendation Form may be obtained from the Graduate College’s website.  At the same time, you should ask the Office of Student Services (3145 ETMSW) for a degree checklist.  A list of the courses taken is available through the my.UIC portal. You must return the completed degree checklist with the signed Committee Recommendation Form to the Office of Student Services.  The completed form must be signed by the committee chairperson and submitted to the Office of Student Services at least three weeks before the date of the examination.

Step 3: Oral Portion of the Exam

The oral portion of the preliminary exam is primarily a hearing on your dissertation proposal, although it may also address aspects of the written examination and your readiness to complete dissertation research.  You are required to complete and pass the oral portion of the exam before beginning your dissertation research.  A primary function of the oral portion of the exam is committee approval of the dissertation research proposal.  It is highly recommended, but not required, that your Preliminary Examination Committee include the same members as the Dissertation Committee.  Evidence that you have moved to candidacy is obtained when all Preliminary Examination Committee members sign the document generated by the Graduate College for the oral examination and at least 3 of the 5 members indicate that you have passed the oral defense.

Guidelines for Evaluating the Preliminary Examination Process Heading link Copy link

The two written steps and the oral portions of the preliminary examination are each evaluated on a pass-fail basis.  It is common for students to be asked to make at least minor revisions in this process.  Yet, if two or more members of the Preliminary Examination Committee assign a failing grade to any portion of the exam, you will fail that portion.  If necessary, the entire portion of the exam or some element of that portion can be retaken once.  If you fail any portion of the exam you may be asked to do additional work or to revise your dissertation research plan before the committee gives final approval.  Even if a committee does not fail you on the oral portion of the exam, committee members may require you to make particular changes in the dissertation proposal before the proposal is approved.

Passing the oral portion of the preliminary exam and addressing all requests for revisions signifies that your committee members have given their approval for you to carry out your proposed dissertation research.  At this point, you become a doctoral candidate.  After reaching this point, you should be sure to submit the final version of the IRB application for approval (see Section V).  Before submitting this application to the IRB it is to be reviewed and signed by your committee chair and the chair of the Educational Psychology Department.

Proceeding to Dissertation Research (EPSY 599, 12 hours minimum) Heading link Copy link

After passing the oral portion of the preliminary examination and receiving approval from the IRB, you may begin your dissertation research.  The process of registering for courses and completing steps in the dissertation process are the same for all students in the College of Education, regardless of their program.  As noted in Section IV doctoral candidates face a number of new registration requirements and must adhere to the same professional standards required of all individuals conducting research (see Section V).  In addition to following all the guidelines in Section IV, the Educational Psychology program requires that you register for a minimum of 12 hours of dissertation credit during the time that you conduct and write up your research.

Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology

Graduate students trained in Cognitive, Developmental, Social, or Quantitative Psychology follow a single curriculum with a uniform set of requirements, but their research programs and seminar courses focus on their unique areas of interest.

Our philosophy can be summed up as cooperative, and the small size of our program ensures individualized attention for all students. Although students work directly with a faculty advisor, following a mentor-apprentice model, they also have considerable freedom to collaborate with other faculty and students within and beyond the Department. Indeed, we encourage students to publish with several faculty members before they graduate. Greensboro’s central location in NC has resulted in close ties to other top departments, creating opportunities for our students to take courses, collaborate, and network.

We are no longer accepting GRE scores from applicants to the MA-PhD program in Cognitive Psychology, for entry starting in Fall 2024.

Application Deadline:

Program highlights.

• Individual attention and mentoring from faculty
• Students have a primary faculty advisor but are also supported to conduct research projects with other faculty if it fits with their goals
• Students typically receive 5 years of funding, including tuition remission
• We’re a highly collaborative group, who not only enjoy “talking science” with each other but who also frequently conduct research together across laboratories
• Methods training in experimental design, experience and thought sampling, protocol analysis, eye-tracking and pupillometry, and psychometrics
• Recent graduate seminars in  Variation in Executive Control ,  Cognition in the Classroom ,  Event Cognition ,  Cognitive Aging ,  Metacognition ,  Working Memory, Memory and Belief , and  What’s the big idea? Competing perspectives on human cognition

Recent graduates have secured postdoctoral and tenure-track positions:

• Appalachian State University [ Matt Meier ]
• Millikin University [Sydney Garlitch]
• Washington University in St. Louis [ Matthew Welhaf ]
• Youngstown State University [ David Frank ]

Faculty in Cognitive Psychology

Yoojin chang.

Dual processes of memory and its implications in various social judgment settings such as truth judgments of general knowledge, information from social media, and stigma related information. Cognitive processes and/or fallacies in courtroom decisions.

Not accepting students

Peter F. Delaney

C.L.A.M. Lab

Memory, planning, problem-solving, skill learning, and expertise.

Accepting students

Michael J. Kane

Professor and Associate Department Head

I.D.E.A. Lab

Individual differences in executive control, attention, action, memory, and intelligence

Chris Wahlheim

Associate Professor

Memory and Cognition Lab

Memory, event cognition, cognitive aging, metacognition, and category learning

Robert W. Wiley

Assistant Professor

Cognitive and Neural Science of Learning Lab

Learning and perception, neural plasticity, cognitive science and education

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS BY CURRENT/RECENT STUDENTS

Adams, R. L. , & Delaney, P. F. (2022). Long-term working memory and language comprehension. In J. W. Schweitzer & Z. E. Wen (Eds.),  Cambridge Handbook of Working Memory and Language  (pp. 98-119). Cambridge University Press.

Garlitch, S. M. , Richmond, L. L., Ball, B. H., & Wahlheim, C. N. (2023).  Adult age differences in subjective context retrieval in dual-list free recall.   Memory, 31 , 218-233 ( OSF Link ) Gilbert, L. T. , Delaney, P. F., & Racsmány, M. (2023). People sometimes remember to forget: Strategic retrieval from the list before last enables directed forgetting of the most recent information. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 49(6), 900–925. https://doi.org/10.1037/xlm0001178 .

Hermann, M. M., Wahlheim, C. N.,  Alexander, T. R. , & Zacks, J. M. (2021).  The role of prior-event retrieval in encoding changed event features.  Memory & Cognition, 49, 1387-1404.

Kemp, P. L., Alexander, T. A. , & Wahlheim, C. N. (2022).  Recalling fake news during real news corrections can impair or enhance memory updating: The role of recollection-based retrieval.   Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications,  7:85. ( OSF Link ).

Kemp, P. L. , Loaiza, V. M., & Wahlheim, C. N. (2022).  Fake news reminders and veracity labels differentially benefit  memory and belief accuracy for news headlines.   Scientific Reports,  12:21829. ( OSF Link ).

Smith, W. G. , & Delaney, P. F. (2023). Updating and pre-existing semantic associations: Testing can enhance or impair new learning. Memory, 31(4), 530-544. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658211.2023.2173784

Wahlheim, C. N., Smith, S. T., Garlitch, S. M. , & Wiley, R. W. (2023). Interpolated retrieval retroactively increases recall and promotes cross-episode memory interdependence.  Learning & Memory.  ( OSF Link ).

Welhaf, M.S. , & Kane, M.J. (2023). A nomothetic span approach to the construct validation of sustained attention consistency: Re-analyzing two latent-variable studies of performance variability and mind-wandering self-reports . Psychological Research.

Welhaf, M.S., Meier, M.E., Smeekens, B.A.,  Silvia, P.J., Kwapil, T.R., & Kane, M.J. (2022).  A “Goldilocks Zone” for mind wandering reports? A secondary data analysis of how few thought probes are enough for reliable and valid measurement . Behavior Research Methods.

Request more information

Please address all Graduate Application questions to:

Malcolm Mohan

Administrative Assistant

[email protected] 336-334-5014

Please address all additional Graduate questions to:

Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director

[email protected] Eberhart 271

The PhD degree program in Educational Psychology and Research is designed to prepare innovative researchers and professional practitioners for university teaching, applied research, or other professional roles through interdisciplinary training in fields of human development (infancy, childhood, and adolescence, adulthood and aging), learning processes (motivation,cognitive processes and learning science), quantitative and qualitative research methods, and program evaluation. 

Since the purpose of this doctoral training is to prepare students to conduct research in a specialized area, individuals with no interest and plan to conduct research should not apply to this doctoral program. 

Program objectives are: (1) to contribute to the professional field through applied research (i.e.presentations, publications and scholarly writing); (2) to prepare for careers as academicians in institutions of higher education and/or applied researchers in professional settings; (3) to develop leadership skills for professional organizations through evidence-based professional activities. 

PhD Degree Programs

The PhD degree program in Educational Psychology and Research is designed to prepare innovative researchers and professional practitioners for university teaching, applied research, or other professional roles through interdisciplinary training in fields of human development (infancy, childhood, and adolescence, adulthood and aging), learning processes (motivation,cognitive processes and learning science), quantitative and qualitative research methods, and program evaluation. 

Since the purpose of this doctoral training is to prepare students to conduct research in a specialized area, individuals with no interest and plan to conduct research should not apply to this doctoral program. 

Program objectives are: (1) to contribute to the professional field through applied research (i.e.presentations, publications and scholarly writing); (2) to prepare for careers as academicians in institutions of higher education and/or applied researchers in professional settings; (3) to develop leadership skills for professional organizations through evidence-based professional activities. 

Program Admission

The PhD degree program accepts qualified applicants into one of two degree paths: (1) the path for those with a master’s degree or (2) the path for those with a bachelor’s degree. Applicants pursuing the accelerated path typically will have graduated from an undergraduate honors program with a high GPA and have relevant research experience; furthermore, with a pursuant commitment to studying full-time.

Applicants to the PhD degree program are evaluated two times a year. For spring admission, the application deadline is November 1 st . For fall admission, the application deadline is March 1 st . International applications are reviewed for fall admission only.  Applicants must go to https://www.memphis.edu/graduateadmissions/future/apply_grad.php to complete their application.

Multiple criteria will be used when considering applicant admission. The average GRE scores of the admitted doctoral students range from 149 to 154 for Quantitative reasoning and from 146 to 158 for Verbal reasoning. Although the required GPA is minimally 3.0, the typical GPA of admitted doctoral students is 3.79 on average. In addition to the required undergraduate and graduate transcripts, grade point average, GRE scores, and relevant employment history, the following will be given careful consideration

GRE is waived for applicants with a GPA of 3. 25 or greater for students whose last completed degree was at Master’s level. GRE is waived for students with a GPA of 3. 5 for applicants with only a Bachelor’s degree.

• The following average GRE scores are suggested for doctoral applicants who have a GPA lower than 3. 25:
• A quantitative score 149 or higher;
• A verbal reasoning score 146 or higher, and
• An analytical Writing score 3 or higher;
• Letters of recommendation from at least three university faculty members familiar with the applicant’s academic background and aptitude for graduate work, specifying in detail the applicant’s ability and potential to conduct research for future performance and scholarship.
• A statement of 800-1200 words indicating the applicant’s prior research experience, present research interests, relevant professional experiences, and future career goals.
• An identification of 2-3 potential Educational Psychology and Research faculty members the applicant would like to work with based on mutual research interests or methodologies, including reviewing their websites and publications.
• A writing sample by the applicant only, such as a previously completed university term paper or a similar expository writing from the applicant’s professional activity.
• A willingness to be interviewed by members of the Educational Psychology & Research faculty, should that be required.

Program Requirements

Credit hours:.

For those admitted with a master’s degree, a minimum of 42 hours of graduate course credit at the 8000 level must be completed. For those admitted with a bachelor’s degree, a minimum of 72 hours of graduate course credit must be completed, with 30 hours taken at the 7000 level to meet the requirements and be awarded a master’s degree and 30 hours taken at the 8000 level. Additionally, both tracks must complete a minimum of 12 dissertation hours.

Core Competency:

All students upon admission into the doctoral program must demonstrate competencies in the three core domains (research methods, human development, learning and cognition) as prerequisites for further coursework. Students may demonstrate their competency by (a) having earned at least a 3.0 in a master’s level course in each of the above domains, or (b) passing validation exams. Doctoral students without proficiency in any of these core domains must complete the appropriate entry level course before more advanced coursework. These entry level courses will not count toward the minimum of 54 hours required. 

Core Courses (minimum 27 credits):

• EDPR 8121 - Learning & Cognition Credit Hours: (3)
• EDPR 8131 - Cultural Diverse Stdnts Credit Hours: (3)
• EDPR 8171 - Pro Sem in Edu Psychology Credit Hours: (3)
• EDPR 8521 - Intro Res Design & Methodology Credit Hours: (3)
• EDPR 8541 - Stat Meth App Ed I ** Credit Hours: (3)
• EDPR 8561 - Qualitative Mthds Educ ** Credit Hours: (3)

Select one of these four development courses: 

• EDPR 8111 - Child Development & Education Credit Hours: 3
• EDPR 8112 - Adolescent Development & Educ Credit Hours: 3
• EDPR 8114 - Psychology Of Aging Credit Hours: (3)
• EDPR 8117 - Life-Span Human Develop Credit Hours: (3)

Select one of these two educational psychology courses:

• EDPR 8150 - Motivation Credit Hours: (3)
• EDPR 8161 - Moral Dvlpmnt & Educ Credit Hours: (3)

Select one of these two research courses:

• EDPR 8542 - Statistical Methods Applied to Education II Credit Hours: (3)
• EDPR 8562 - Designing Qualitative Research ** Credit Hours: (3)

Students with only a bachelor’s degree should take at least 18 hours of the core courses at the 7000 level, including 1 development course, 1 education psychology course, EDPR 7171, EDPR 7561, EDPR 7521, and EDPR 7541. In addition, they should take 3 elective courses and the final EDPR 7000 capstone project.

Upon completion of their MS degree, these students should take the remaining core courses and other electives at the 8000 level for a minimum of 30 credit hours before they take EDPR 9000 Dissertation for 12 hours. The total required credit hours for this accelerated path is 72 hours.

Program Electives (9 credits at 8000 level)

These nine credit hours should be taken within the EDPR program and be planned with the major advisor.

Electives outside of Major (6 credits at 8000 level)

These six credit hours are to be taken outside of EDPR at the 8000 level and will be planned with the major advisor to focus on the area of research. 

Residency Project Requirement:

All doctoral students must complete an independent research-based residency project approved by the major advisor, resulting in a written research paper that is either (a)submitted to and peer-reviewed by a refereed journal or (b) submitted to and presented at a refereed professional conference that the major advisor approves. 

Comprehensive Examination:

Upon completion of coursework and the residency project each doctoral student will complete a three-part open-book written comprehensive examination covering one or more of the three core domains of knowledge in the EDPR program: human development, learning and cognition, and research methods. The student’s advisor will coordinate this written examination. The written examination that the student’s advisor will coordinate should reflect the three core domains of the program. 

The student’s advisory committee members will administer the relevant examination. An oral examination will follow the written examination. Doctoral students who have passed the written and oral comprehensive examination are accepted as doctoral candidates. 

Dissertation and Final Defense (12 credits- EDPR 9000):

A dissertation proposal and a dissertation that are approved by the EDPR faculty are two requirements for all doctoral students. The dissertation must embody the results of an extended research effort that is an original contribution to the existing body of research. The dissertation should reflect the candidate’s ability to conduct independent research and interpret in a logical manner the findings and phenomena revealed by the research through application of a relevant theoretical framework and a method. Students may elect either to write a traditional five-chapter dissertation or to write two journal articles and submit them with the approval of the committee for journal reviews. Upon completion of the dissertation, each student will orally defend the research undertaken. 

NOTE: Students should familiarize themselves with the Thesis/Dissertation Preparation Guide before starting to write.

• EDPR 9000 - Dissertation Credit Hours: (1-12)

PhD in Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methodologies

If you have a deep interest in the methodological, theoretical, and ethical procedures and challenges inherent to social science research and evaluation, this is a program for you. Our students contribute to the methodological and theoretical development of qualitative research and program evaluation.

Our program prepares research methodologists to study and develop theories and methods for conducting empirical and conceptual social science research and evaluation in education and other social science fields. Specifically, this program develops scholars and methodologists who are prepared to contribute to the advancement of innovative theories and methods used in qualitative research and program evaluation.

• Focus on qualitative methodologies with interdisciplinary topics
• Open to students with a variety of educational backgrounds and experiences
• Small cohorts support individual faculty attention and mentorship

Video: Overview of Programs Offered by the Qualitative Research Program

Video: Meet the Qualitative Research Faculty

The organization of the research and evaluation methods degree program recognizes the wide variety of specialties in which you might develop research agendas.

Our mission is to build your capacity to contribute methodological expertise to collaborative research efforts through real-world opportunities in which you develop and practice the skills needed in your area of emphasis. As a result of this experience, you will have a broad knowledge of research methods along with specific expertise in a focused methodology. You can use this knowledge to pursue careers as research methodologists and evaluation specialists in higher education, corporations, and non-profit agencies.

The Ph.D. degree is a 54-credit hour degree program in which students engage in advanced study of qualitative theories and methods, mixed methods, and approaches to evaluation.

• Core Coursework - 21 hours
• Research Seminar - 3 hours
• Elective Coursework - 18 hours
• Internship - 6 hours
• Doctoral hours Minimum of - 3 hours
• Dissertation Minimum of - 3 hours
• TOTAL - 54 hours

Part 1: Apply to the University of Georgia

The Graduate School handles admission for all graduate programs at the University of Georgia, including those in the College of Education. The Graduate School website contains important details about the application process, orientation, and many other useful links to guide you through the process of attending UGA at the graduate level.

Start A Graduate School Application

Part 2: Apply to the Ph.D. in Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methodologies

Please upload the following materials in your online application:

• Personal statement
• Curriculum vitae
• Writing sample (20-25 pages maximum)

Summary of Application Materials

Both the Graduate School and the academic department review application materials simultaneously. The Graduate School then reviews the department’s recommendation and makes the final determination on admission. As an applicant you will receive a formal letter regarding your admission from the Office of Graduate Admissions. You must be admitted to a program to be eligible to register for courses. Admission is granted for a specific semester and is validated by registration for that semester. Applicants must be admitted to the Graduate School before they are eligible to register. International applicants whose primary language is not English must submit scores from the TOEFL or IELTS tests in addition to a Certificate of Finances form. No application will be considered until all materials are received. To apply to the Ph.D. in Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methodologies, applicants must have completed a master’s degree. GRE scores are required for all applications.

Personal Statement

The program requires a personal statement, usually in the form of a letter of 2 to 3 pages, describing your background, work and research experience, interests in research and/or evaluation methodologies, and career aspirations. Specifically, you should be sure to address the following questions:

• What experience or background do you have in research methodologies?
• Why are you interested in the study of qualitative or evaluation methodologies?
• What research or evaluation questions do you hope to pursue, and why?
• In what way will the study of research or evaluation methodologies shape your career?

Writing Sample

You are required to submit a sample of formal writing (20-25 pages maximum). Scholarly or academic writing is preferred whether or not it has been published. If you have not published, recent course papers or work-related reports are appropriate.

Admissions Interviews

After a review of applications, selected applicants will be interviewed by the Ph.D. in Research and Evaluation Methodologies (REM) Admissions Committee early in the Spring semester for a subsequent Fall semester admission.

Deadline To Apply

Log Into Existing Application

Additional Resources

Please use our online form if you have any questions for the department. Please be as specific as possible so that we may quickly assist you.

The College’s programs are taught by dedicated faculty who are experts in a range of areas and are passionate about helping students succeed both in their programs and professionally.

Meet the Faculty View Affiliated Faculty

Most graduate students at UGA are not assigned to a faculty advisor until after admittance. A close working relationship with your advisor is paramount to progressing through your program of study.

Almost all in-state students begin their studies at UGA paying limited tuition or fees. Please note that these amounts are subject to change and are meant to give prospective students an idea of the costs associated with a degree at the University of Georgia College of Education.

Students may qualify for a variety of assistantships, scholarships, and other financial awards to help offset the cost of tuition, housing, and other expenses.

Tuition Rates   Browse Financial Aid

In this program, you will take focused coursework with individual attention from faculty mentors .

Each semester, you will also take part in a seminar that brings together faculty in the qualitative research program to discuss topics of relevance to scholarship and teaching in qualitative research methodologies in higher education.

See for yourself how much UGA College of Education has to offer! Schedule a tour of campus to learn more about the UGA student experience.

Schedule A Visit

Useful Links

• Affiliate Faculty
• Course List
• Graduate Handbook
• Summary of Materials Required by Area of Emphasis
• Projected QUAL Course Schedule
• Qualitative Research Program Community Practices

Testimonials

What first attracted me to the Qualitative Research and Evaluation Ph.D. program was the balance it offers between the philosophy of science and the practical application of research and evaluation. The program’s faculty members are amazing at supporting students’ learning, and at pushing us to be creative, deep thinking, and daring as we explore methodologies. Nuria Jaumot-Pascual, Doctoral Student

My path through the Qualitative Research and Evaluation Ph.D. program had me exploring the depths of qualitative research rarely visited by researchers in the health sciences but that have been essential in my current position as Senior Research Associate at Evidera. Now I find myself often referencing qualitative research theory and history when selecting strategies for new studies or when arranging trainings across my organization. Moreover, the breadth of interests across students in the program provided unique perspectives that enriched my journey. Most of all though, I am impressed with how well the faculty helped guide me through the program, making theory, history, and applied work relevant for my own career goals. Sean Halpin, Former Doctoral Student

I really discovered the world of qualitative research with the Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methodologies Ph.D. program, and the instructors made me adore it. Their support for the students’ learning was so impeccable. They had genial ways to encourage students to think outside the box and to be creative from every point of view, especially when it comes to methodologies. Bidossessi Mariano Ghislain Dossou Kpanou, Former Doctoral Student