Most Affordable Online Master’s In Educational Psychology Degrees

Overview

The University of Georgia, also referred to as UGA, is a public university located primarily in Athens, GA. It was the first university in the Georgia Public University system, and also considers itself to be the oldest public university in the United States. Georgia has more than 37,000 total students and an endowment of around $1.1 billion. They have additional campuses in Atlanta and Gwinnett.

Program Features

The University of Georgia offers an online MEd degree through their College of Education. It is a Master of Education in Educational Psychology, Applied Cognition and Development. It is a two-year program that requires the completion of 34 credits, and includes courses such as:

• Foundations of Human Development for Education
• Foundations of Motivation for Education
• Nurturing Independent Learners
• Applied Project in Educational Psychology

In their second year, students complete an applied project that showcases the culmination of the knowledge that they gained in the program.

Notables

Students may transfer in a maximum of six credits. Students are still required to complete the necessary number of hours for graduation, which likely means completing additional hours above and beyond the normal amount. Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 2.6 from an accredited institution, as well as present GRE scores.

Overview

The University of Alabama is a public university located in Tuscaloosa, AL. It is the oldest and the largest public university in the state of Alabama, having been founded in 1820. Academic programs are divided between 13 schools and colleges, which serve a student body of just under 40,000 students. They are also home to one of the country’s most celebrated college football programs.

Program Features

The University of Alabama offers a Master of Arts in Educational Psychology – Learning and Assessment through their Bama by Distance online learning service. It is a 30 credit-hour program, and includes courses like:

• Life-Span Development
• Evaluation of Classroom Learning
• Advanced Educational Psychology
• Self-Regulation and Motivation

Students complete a capstone project during their final semester, instead of a comprehensive examination.

Notables

The program is open to educators and non-educators alike. Recent students have included youth ministers and counselors, business managers, education professionals, and individual working in the social sciences. Applicants to the program should have an undergraduate minimum GPA of 3.0 for the last 60 hours of degree study.

Overview

Ball State University is a public university located in Muncie, IN. The school is often referred to simply as Ball State, and they have additional campuses in Fishers and Indianapolis. Ball State originally began as a normal school, educating teachers starting in 1918. They now have 1,200 academic staff members and 22,500 total students.

Program Features

Ball State offers an online Master of Arts degree in Educational Psychology. The program can be completed in as little as 18 months, and includes 30 credit-hours of study. Courses within the program include 18 credits of core courses and 12 credits of electives and specializations. Available specialization include:

• Gifted and Talented Specialization
• Human Development Specialization
• Statistical and Research Methods
• Neuropsychology

Students may also design a unique course of study that does not necessarily conform to the pre-set paths/specializations.

Notables

Students applying to the program are required to provide two professional references, a personal statement, and a resume or Vita. GRE scores are not required for the MA degree in Educational Psych. There are three education deadlines for Fall, Spring, and Summer.

Overview

Marist College is a private liberal arts college located in the town of Poughkeepsie, NY. Marist also has a branch in Florence, Italy, which supports one of its many study abroad programs. The college was founded by Catholics educators looking to prepare brothers for careers in education. The school maintains an affiliation with the Roman Catholic Church.

Program Features

Marist offers a Master of Arts in Educational Psychology. The online program utilizes a cohort-based model, which is designed to be completed in two years. Courses in the program:

• Educational Assessment & Evaluation
• Social Foundations of Education
• Early Adolescent Development
• Engaged in Science Education

Students can take online classes during the year, which may then be combined with short, summer residency sessions that help to provide students with professional experience/internship opportunities.

Notables

One of the school’s alumni, Michelle Carras, was recently named the Windsor Public Schools Teacher of the Year in 2015-16. Teaching candidates are also required to complete, submit, and defend an electronic portfolio at the end of their course of study. This portfolio is based off of the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards and operates as their capstone project.

Overview

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, also known as U of I, is a public research university located in the twin cities of Urbana and Champaign, IL. U of I was a founding member of the Big Ten sports Conference, and is considered the flagship of the Illinois Public University system. The school has an endowment of more than $3.5 billion and a student body of nearly 50,000 students.

Program Features

Illinois Urbana-Champaign has a Master of Education in Educational Psychology program, which involves 32 credit-hours of study. The courses required in the program include:

• Teaching & Educational Reform
• Principles of Measurement
• Evaluation in Society
• Econ Analysis & Ed Policy

Students finish their course of study with an advanced seminar in Educational Psychology. Applicants to the program are expected to have a minimum GPA of 3.0 and to submit three letters of reference.

Notables

Students must complete a minimum of 12 hours of study at the 500 level of courses. They must also have a minimum GPA of at least 3.0. This particular degree offers a specialization in Evidence-Based Decision making, which is why it also includes a course entitled “Data, Evidence, & Decisions.”

Overview

The University of Northern Colorado is a public university located in Greeley, CO. The school was originally opened in 1889 as the State Normal School of Colorado. UNC has since expanded to six different academic colleges, who operate with around 500 academic staff members and serve a student body of just over 12,000 students.

Program Features

Northern Colorado offers a Master of Arts program in Educational Psychology, with an emphasis in teaching applications. It is a five-semester program, during which students are expected to take two courses per semester. Course options include:

• Educational Assessment
• Brain and Education
• Cognition and Instruction
• Educational Psychology for Teachers

The program utilizes the cohort model, such that admitted students for a particular semester will take the same classes together in an identical sequence. This is why the ideal course of study involves taking all five semesters consecutively.

Notables

Applicants are required to have either a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. Students should have a minimum GPA of at least 3.0, or else they will be required to submit GRE scores. Students also submit a personal statement that covers the student’s background and connection to the program/area of study.

Overview

Florida State University is a public research university located in Tallahassee, FL. FSU is the oldest, continuous institute of higher learning in the state of Florida, having been founded in 1851. More than 40,000 students attend Florida State annually, including almost 10,000 postgraduates. They have around 6,000 academic staff members and an endowment of $652 million.

Program Features

Florida State offers a Master of Science degree in Learning and Cognition, which involves 33-36 credit-hours of study. Students complete classes including:

• Cognition and Perception
• Theories of Social Psychology
• Linguistic Research in Language Arts
• Measurement and Evaluation in the Classroom

Students choose to complete either a thesis track or examination track degree plan. Students will then either complete an original thesis or take a comprehensive exam to end the program.

Notables

To apply to the program students must have a bachelor’s degree with at least a 3.0 GPA. Students are required to submit GRE Test scores for either the master’s or doctoral program, with preference given to those at the 75 and 35 percentiles for verbal and quantitative, respectively.

Overview

The University of Memphis, also known as U of M, is a public university located in Memphis, TN. Memphis was founded in 1912 and has 930 academic staff members and a student population of 21,500 students. It is home to the Center for Earthquake Research and Information, in addition to a law school and school of nursing.

Program Features

The University of Memphis has an online Master of Science degree in Educational Psychology. MS students build a 36 credit-hour schedule within their major or concentration. Courses within the Educational Psych concentration are:

• Human Development
• Learning and Cognition
• Quantitative Research Methods
• Qualitative Research Methods

The other available concentration is the Educational research concentration. This concentration focuses more on research design and the quantitative analysis of evidence and data collection.

Notables

Students applying to the program are required to submit GRE scores. Students come from a variety of different personal and academic backgrounds. Recent students have included ministers and law enforcement officials, with a wide variety of undergraduate academic backgrounds.

Overview

University of Nevada, Las Vegas is a public university located in Paradise, NV. UNLV is home to the only dental and law schools in the state of Nevada. They have 1,000 academic staff members and around 30,000 total students. From this group, around 25,000 students are undergraduates and the other 5,000 are postgraduates.

Program Features

The University of Nevada Las Vegas has a Master of Science program in Educational Psychology. The program is considered appropriate for all teachers below the collegiate level, as well as for students looking to apply the learning in a business or government setting. Example courses from the program include:

• Research Methods
• Human Growth & Development
• Foundations of Learning & Cognition
• Descriptive and Inferential Statistics

There are thesis-track and non thesis-track options for the program. Students who choose not to pursue a thesis will instead take a capstone seminar class at the end of their course of study.

Notables

Graduates from the program have gone on to pursue a wide variety of careers: educational assessment coordinator, community college faculty, human resource education specialist, and program evaluator. Students from some states are not able to access the online program, due to state authorization reciprocity issues.

Overview

The University of Tennessee in Knoxville is a public university located in Knoxville, TN. UT Knoxville is considered the flagship university of the University of Tennessee system, with just under 30,000 total students. Tennessee has an endowment of a little over $1.1 billion and maintains an academic staff of around 1,700.

Program Features

UT Knoxville has an online Master of Science degree program in Educational Psychology. The program involves 36 credit-hours of non-thesis coursework. Students take 24 hours of core coursework, before then choosing between a concentration in Adult Education or Educational Psych. Courses in the latter concentration include:

• Introduction to Education Research
• Motivation in Learning
• Program Development and Operation in Adult Education
• Facilitating Change in Educational Environments

Since students do not complete a thesis in the program, they finish their degree requirements by taking a comprehensive exam.

Notables

There is also an Applied Educational Psychology concentration. This includes 12 hours of graduate study, in courses that do not overlap with the baseline educational psychology concentration. Students taking the Applied track also take a relevant graduate level course in IT, offered online and approved by their advisor.