Program Overview

Educational Psychology and Research, Ph.D.

College of Education

Gain extensive research skills and in-depth knowledge of theories and findings on development, learning, instruction, motivation, and cognition. Concentrate on educational psychology or education research.

You have the potential to influence educational policy and practice. Get involved in cutting-edge research aligned with your interests like motivation and emotion, bullying and peer relations, survey design, or assessment. Our productive faculty are publishing in top-tier journals and have outstanding records for securing funding.

Program Highlights

• Make an Impact: Provide service to agencies soliciting expertise to address critical educational research questions.
• Get Noticed: Publish research in peer-reviewed journals and present at international conferences with help from our supportive staff.
• Practical Experience: Pursue opportunities to participate in state and federally-funded research projects by joining a research team.
• Career Options: Work in various roles such as college professor, lead researcher, or consultant in a state department of education.

What You’ll Study

The psychology concentration develops your understanding of psychological factors that influence human learning and their relationship to educational settings. The research concentration builds competencies in measurement and statistics for evaluating programs, research design, test construction, and analyzing data with computer statistical packages.

Building Skills

Gain the professional and personal intelligence it takes to have a successful career.

• Data Analysis: Examining and interpreting information to uncover insights and inform decision-making
• Collaboration: Working with others to achieve a common goal or objective
• Organizational Skills: Planning, prioritizing, and managing tasks and resources to achieve specific objectives
• Research: Gathering and analyzing information to increase knowledge or solve problems
• Leadership: Inspiring and guiding others to achieve common goals and reach their full potential
• Teamwork: Working collaboratively with others to achieve a shared goal or objective

Using Your Degree

Make your college experience the foundation for a successful future.

• Potential Careers:
  • Faculty Member
  • Researcher
  • Assessment Officer
  • Testing Developer
  • Data Analyst
  • Director
• Job Titles of Alumni:
  • Director of Student Disability Services
  • Data Analyst
  • Clinical Associate Professor
  • Senior Education and Training Specialist
  • Senior Research and Evaluation Analyst
• Average Alumni Salary: Five to 10 years after graduation without additional education $97,321
• Workplace Settings:
  • Education
  • State and Federal Government
  • Health Care
  • Research
• Employers of Alumni:
  • University of South Carolina
  • Regional Medical Center
  • South Carolina Department of Education
  • U.S. Department of Defense
  • Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
  • Association of American Medical Colleges

The program provided me with opportunities to be involved in different collaborative research projects. These experiences allowed me to work directly with students, educators, and educational institutions, thereby I gained experience in every aspect of research.

Gresi Bonomo Irdam