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Empowering student success drives you. You create engaging lessons and curriculum plans to improve outcomes, foster a lifelong love of learning and encourage socioemotional development. The online master of education in educational psychology from the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL) helps you grow into this role and better serve your students. With this versatile, adaptable degree program, you will investigate how research, behavior and human development shape the learning process.
This combination equips you to capture students’ interest and help them thrive personally and academically in the classroom, to construct more effective curriculum plans and evaluations or to conduct research examining the intersection between instruction and behavioral theories.
Quick facts
Official name
Master of education in educational psychologyCampus
Program type
Master's degreeAcademic home
College of Education | Department of Education Sciences and Professional ProgramsDelivery mode
100% onlineAccreditation
Higher Learning CommissionCredit hours
30Estimated cost
$19,830.00*This cost is for illustrative purposes only. Your hours and costs will differ, depending on your transfer hours, your course choices and your academic progress. See more about tuition and financial aid.
About the online master’s in educational psychology
You entered the education profession to uplift students, to foster a love of learning and share the excitement of topics special to you. You continuously upgrade your knowledge — both of your field and teaching methods — to engage your classroom through lessons and enrichment activities and to empower the next generation of learners.
As you advance in your career, you look to make an even broader impact. Whether you intend to stay in the classroom or transition to an administrative, school psychology, research or curriculum development role, UMSL’s online master’s in educational psychology helps you look ahead and refine your understanding of learning and behavioral theories through courses that you can tailor to your interests and goals:
- Understand how the human brain acquires and retains information, and use these theories to improve learning environment and outcomes
- Explore where psychological theories, research and practices overlap with and enhance the teaching profession
- See the role human, cognitive and socioemotional development play in motivating students, developing evaluations and improving the learning environment
- Learn more about how behavioral theories influence curriculum development and classroom instructional methods
- Prepare to advocate for students and address socioemotional issues in the classroom and school environment as a whole
Career prospects
Tackle new challenges while supporting students’ development and meeting their learning needs in a number of contexts. Through the online master’s in educational psychology’s customized, flexible format, gain the knowledge and insights essential for advancing or pivoting to a career as a:
- Curriculum developer
- Educational consultant
- Educational researcher
- Program evaluator
- School psychologist
- Teacher
Additionally, the research skills acquired through the program set the stage for pursuing advanced studies in education, psychology or a related area.
Program structure
Complete your online master’s in educational psychology with as few as 30 credit hours. Beginning with five foundations courses from three subject areas, you will explore educational, psychological and human development theories while developing skills in educational research and evaluation methods.
From here, complete 12 credit hours of electives, which you can select from any combination of courses in educational psychology, educational research and evaluation methods, educational technology and up to six credit hours from any curricular area. Ahead of time, think about the knowledge areas and skills in line with your educational goals and career aspirations.
Finish the program with a capstone experience (a minimum of three credit hours). Consider which types of experiences and projects reflect the full scope of your knowledge and how they could boost your career. Experiences include a practicum, internship, projects centering around psychoeducational assessments and interventions or program development or a thesis based on original research.
Delivery of this program is 100% online: no campus visits are required. Courses are semester based. Students typically take one or two classes each semester and finish in 12 to 18 months.
Foundations courses
The foundations sequence exposes you to such topics as:
- Assessing students and planning instruction based on behavioral and achievement data
- Learning and cognitive theories for curriculum and instruction
- The role of psychologists in schools
- Human, early childhood and socioemotional development theories
- Mental health concerns for children, adolescents and young adults
- Educational research methods, design and analysis
- Developing psychoeducational assessments and interventions
- Strategies for developing educational programs
Review all requirements for the online master’s in educational psychology.
Delivery
100% onlineCalendar system
Semester-basedTypical program length
3 yearsTypical course load
1 or 2 classes each semesterAccreditation
The University of Missouri-St. Louis is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States.