Degree Offered
- Master of Arts
Certificates Offered
- Health Professions Education
- Program Evaluation
Nature of the Program
The Educational Psychology Program in the College of Education and Human Services offers opportunities for individuals who are graduate study and research leading to a Graduate Certificate in Health Professions Education, a Graduate Certificate in Program Evaluation and Research, Master of Arts (MA) in Educational Psychology, and Master of Arts (MA) in Program Evaluation and Research. The overarching goal of the programs offered in Educational Psychology is the education and training of professionals who will focus on teaching and learning environments as they carry out their missions associated with instruction, service, and research.
The Educational Psychology master's degree program is designed for individuals who want to pursue general preparation in learning, development, measurement, and research. Individuals who complete this master’s degree pursue careers in a variety of settings, including K-12 schools and higher education settings. The Program Evaluation and Research master's degree program is designed for individuals with interest in conducting research and evaluation projects for private and public educational organizations and agencies.
The graduate certificate in Health Professions Education is designed for health professionals who are (1) looking to move into a new career as health care educators, (2) who may desire educational knowledge and skills in their present fields, and (3) for those who are in or are preparing for educational leadership positions, but may lack formal training in education.
The graduate certificate in Program Evaluation provides individuals the knowledge and experience to conduct group and individual evaluations. Using a practice-based approach, participants will be introduced to content in popular methods and approaches used in everyday evaluations. Graduates will be prepared to locate and implement their own studies in the field while maintaining a one-on-one support structure.
Admissions
Admissions for Graduate Certificates
Students can apply to the certificate programs online at http://graduateadmissions.wvu.edu/how-to-apply as a non-degree student (CEHS 4597 – Non-Degree Certificate). Students enrolled in a WVU degree program may also apply for the certificate programs, but should be aware that no more than 6 credits earned toward the certificate may be applied to another degree (and vice versa). To be admitted as a non--‐degree student, a student must present evidence of a baccalaureate degree. The student must also maintain a 3.00 grade point average as long as the student is enrolled.
Admissions for Master of Arts Degrees
All masters require the same admissions materials and follow similar processes to make admissions decisions. All faculty members affiliated with the program evaluate the credentials submitted for all completed applications. A majority must indicate acceptance and at least one faculty member must be willing to serve as the student’s adviser. Final approval for admission rests with the relevant Program Coordinator.
In line with best practices for evaluation and assessment, set cutoff scores for tests and GPA are not used to make unidimensional admissions decisions. Instead, applicant materials are reviewed as a total package and admissions decisions are based on multidimensional factors. That said, successful applicants tend to be at or above the 50th percentile on the GRE or MAT, have undergraduate GPAs at or above 3.0, and graduate GPAs (if any) at or above 3.25.
Applicants interested in being considered for admission to the master's programs should indicate that interest on standard online application forms provided by the West Virginia University Office of Admissions and Records, which can be found here: http://graduateadmissions.wvu.edu/how-to-apply
In addition to the completed online application form, the following items must be sent to the appropriate Administrative Assistant (see below) before the admission process can be initiated:
- A completed WVU online graduate application: http://graduateadmissions.wvu.edu/how-to-apply
- The applicant's undergraduate and graduate (if any) transcript(s)
- An official copy of the results of either the Graduate Record Examination or the Miller Analogies Test (GRE/MAT may be waived for General Educational Psychology and Evaluation and Research majors, but is required for Child Development and Family Studies majors) and for non-native English speakers an official copy the TOEFL showing a score of 79 or above (no conditional admissions will be considered)
- Three (3) letters of recommendation
- A personal vita (resume)
- A written statement of approximately 500 words, indicating the applicant's fit for the specific major they wish to be admitted to and goals relative to receiving a master's degree. This statement should indicate which faculty members in the program have research or teaching interests that align with the student's own interests and therefore might appropriately mentor the student if admitted to the program.
Review of applicants for admission will not begin until after all items 1-6 listed above have been received by the relevant administrative assistant.
Admission Requirements 2023-2024
The Admission Requirements above will be the same for the 2023-2024 Academic Year.
On-Ground Major Code: 5518
Online Major Code: 5526
Master of Arts
Major Requirements
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
EDP 600 | Educational Psychology | 3 |
EDP 611 | Measurement/Evaluation in Educational Psychology | 3 |
EDP 612 | Introduction to Research | 3 |
EDP 613 | Statistical Methods 1 | 3 |
EDP 697 | Research * | 3 |
Additional Courses/Electives (Any courses 500 level or above approved by advisor) | 15 | |
Thesis | ||
Total Hours | 30 |
- *
Students who select the option of three credits of EDP 697 for practical product development are required to complete 15 credits of Additional Courses/Electives with at least three of those credits in EDP.
Major Learning Outcomes
Educational Psychology
The principal goal of the Educational Psychology program is the education and training of professionals who will focus on teaching and learning environments as they carry out their missions associated with instruction, service, and research. Professional preparation centers on the following three content areas: a) Learning and development, b) Instructional development, and c) Measurement, research, and statistics. Additional learning goals associated with specialized majors are provided below.
Graduate Certificate in Health Professions Education
- Use a systematic process to conduct a needs assessment of learners in healthcare education, design educational interventions and materials, integrate emerging technologies.
- Design face-to-face, blended, and online learning environments incorporating research-based learning principles that address teaching and assessment decisions.
- Evaluate the efficiency, effectiveness, and appeal of healthcare learning environments.
- Design studies and disseminate impacts of designed learning environments to prepare healthcare professionals to translate skills and knowledge for benefit of patient care and healthcare systems.
- Develop an educational intervention plan for a healthcare environment.
Master of Arts: Program Evaluation and Research
- Demonstrate understanding of the philosophical and historical foundations of inquiry.
- Apply appropriate quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research tools to answer practical educational, programmatic, and other social research questions.
- Apply appropriate program evaluation tools to conduct formative and summative evaluations of existing and prospective educational programs.
- Demonstrate understanding of ethical issues in research and evaluation.
- Create informative reports of research and evaluation studies tailored appropriately for multiple stakeholders and decision-makers.
Master of Arts: Child Development and Family Studies
- To understand and apply theories and current research on child development and family studies.
- To recognize and understand the complexities of diversity (e.g., SES, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity) in families according to relationship dynamics, gender roles, parent-child relationships, and other dimensions of family life.
- To foster critical thinking relative to the scholarly literature in the field and the applications of knowledge to work with children, adolescents, and families.
- To develop the knowledge and skills for interpreting research as well as other scholarly-derived literature.
- To conduct original research through the application of critical thinking and research skills and content-based scholarly-derived knowledge.
- To build professional development skills that may include preparation for an applied career working with children, adolescents, and/or families or doctoral studies to pursue an academic career.
- To advance and foster students’ intellectual interests and their career goals.