The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Educational Psychology with an Area of Emphasis in Gifted and Creative Education requires at least 30 credit hours over a master’s degree with 16 hours at the 8000/9000 coursework level exclusive of EPSY 9000 research and EPSY 9300 dissertation writing. The doctoral program of study is focused on areas within educational psychology such as giftedness, creativity, neuroscience, cognition, social-emotional development, well-being, mathematics talent development, motivation, and achievement. The program involves experiences that typically lead to professional careers as faculty researchers in higher education institutions or other research, assessment or policy-oriented agencies.
This program is based on the philosophy that giftedness and creativity are expressed in diverse ways among diverse people; that creativity is a universal potential to be nurtured and enhanced; and that the best education is tailored to students’ specific needs and interests for talent development. This philosophy will be expressed through a focus on instruction, research, and service.
Director of Graduate Studies Kristen Bub Kristen.Bub@uga.edu Graduate Program Advisor/Graduate Program Administrator Caroline Calhoun-King wcc96770@uga.edu
74 credit hour minimum
Faculty take a holistic approach to reviewing applications to the program, considering all materials before making their decision. The following are required as part of the application process. Application Current resume/CV Transcripts from all universities Statement of Purpose GRE scores TOEFL/IELTS scores (international students) 3 letters of recommendation (with at least 2 from faculty who had you) Applications are due December 1 for admission for the following Fall Semester.
This list is not exhaustive and is intended to serve as a guide to be used for advising purposes. The actual program of student may vary based on a student’s goals and background, with the approval of the student’s major professor and advisory committee.
| EPSY 4170/6170 | Educational Psychology of Race and Racism | 3 |
| EPSY 4320/6320 | Psychology of Creativity | 3 |
| EPSY 7110 | Characteristics of Gifted Children and Youth | 3 |
Gifted Education Foundations & Endorsement
Choose 3 course(s) from the following:
| EPSY 7060 | Assessment of Gifted Children and Youth | 3 |
| EPSY 7210 | Multicultural Gifted and Talented Education | 3 |
| EPSY 7230 | Strategies and Materials for the Gifted | 3 |
| EPSY 7240 | Creativity: Instructional Procedures and Problem Solving Processes | 3 |
| EPSY 7250 | Program and Curriculum Development for the Gifted | 3 |
| EPSY 7260 | Supporting the Social and Emotional Development of Gifted Students | 3 |
| EPSY 7270 | Retention of Ethnic Minorities in Gifted/Advanced Programs | 3 |
| EPSY 7575 | Creativity, Consciousness, and Imagination | 3 |
Educational Psychology Foundations
Choose 1 course(s) from the following:
| EPSY 4011/6011 | Foundations of Human Development for Education | 3 |
| EPSY 6060 | Foundations of Motivation for Education | 3 |
| EPSY 6800 | Foundations of Cognition for Education | 3 |
Research
Choose 2 course(s) from the following:
| ERSH 4200/6200 | Methods of Research in Education | 3 |
| ERSH 4300/6300 | Applied Statistical Methods in Education | 3 |
| EPSY 7000 | Master's Research | 1-9 |
| EPSY 7300 | Master's Thesis | 1-9 |
| EPSY 8990 (3 hours min.) | Doctoral Seminar in Educational Psychology | 1-6 |
| EPSY 9000 (6 hours min.) | Doctoral Research | 1-6 |
| EPSY 9300 (6 hours min.) | Doctoral Dissertation | 1-9 |
| ERSH 8320 | Applied Correlation and Regression Methods in Education | 3 |
| ERSH 9210 | Quantitative Design in Education | 3 |
GCE Major Concentration Foundations
Choose 2 course(s) from the following:
| EPSY 7060 | Assessment of Gifted Children and Youth | 3 |
| EPSY 7230 | Strategies and Materials for the Gifted | 3 |
| EPSY 7240 | Creativity: Instructional Procedures and Problem Solving Processes | 3 |
| EPSY 7250 | Program and Curriculum Development for the Gifted | 3 |
| EPSY 7260 | Supporting the Social and Emotional Development of Gifted Students | 3 |
| EPSY 7575 | Creativity, Consciousness, and Imagination | 3 |
| EPSY 8210 | Underachievement in High Ability Students | 3 |
| EPSY 8220 | Theories of Creativity | 3 |
| EPSY 8620 | The Creative Brain | 3 |
| EPSY 9630 | Critique of Literature in Educational Psychology | 3 |
Diversity
Choose 1 course(s) from the following:
| EPSY 4170/6170 | Educational Psychology of Race and Racism | 3 |
| EPSY 7210 | Multicultural Gifted and Talented Education | 3 |
| EPSY 7270 | Retention of Ethnic Minorities in Gifted/Advanced Programs | 3 |
| EPSY 8550 | Multicultural Psychology | 3 |
Additional Research Courses
Choose 2 course(s) from the following:
| ERSH 7250 | Educational Program and Project Evaluation | 3 |
| ERSH 7600 | Construction of Educational Measuring Instruments | 3 |
| ERSH 8575 | Mixed Methods Approaches to Research | 3 |
| ERSH 8610 | Theories of Educational Measurement | 3 |
| ERSH 8740 | Exploratory Factor Analysis | 3 |
| ERSH 8750 | Introduction to Structural Equation Modeling | 3 |
| ERSH 8770 | Multilevel Modeling | 3 |
| ETAP(QUAL) 8550 | Writing Up Qualitative Research | 3 |
| QUAL 8400 | Qualitative Research Traditions | 3 |
| QUAL 8410 | Designing Qualitative Research | 3 |
| QUAL 8420 | Analyzing Qualitative Data | 3 |
| QUAL 8510 | Theories in Qualitative Design | 1-3 |
| QUAL 8520 | Interviewing Research | 3 |
| QUAL 8525 | Narrative Inquiry | 3 |
| QUAL(EDHI) 8530 | Case Study Research | 3 |
| QUAL 8540 | Ethnographic Research Methods | 3 |
| QUAL 8560 | Ethnomethodological and Conversation Analytic Studies | 3 |
Minor Area of Concentration
Choose 9 credit hour(s) from the following:
Courses to be identified with major professor and in line with area of interest
| GRSC 7001 | GradFIRST: First-year Research and Scholarship Training Seminar | 1 |
Only graduate-level courses (6000 and above) may be used toward the earning of a graduate degree.
Select additional courses, as needed, in consultation with an advisor to meet the minimum number of required credit hours for this program.
Select additional courses, as needed, in consultation with an advisor to meet the minimum number of required credit hours for this program.
Students from our Doctoral Programs have gone on to pursue the following career paths: Psychometrician Postdoctoral Fellow Data Scientist Researcher Assistant Dean Teaching Assistant Professor Staff/Assistant Instructional Coach Research Scientist Applications Analyst Specialist Strategic Planning Analyst School Psychologist Training and Curriculum Specialist Educational Associate Senior Lecturer
If graduate credit earned at an accredited institution constitutes a logical part of the student’s program, transfer of credit may be allowed when recommended by the student’s major professor, advisory committee, graduate coordinator, and when approved by the dean of the Graduate School. Such transfer of credit cannot exceed nine (9) semester hours and must fall within the time limit of the degree. No grade below B may be transferred. The courses to be transferred may not have been used to fulfill the requirements of a degree program at another institution. Transfer credit may not be used to satisfy the residency requirement.
If the residency requirement has not been satisfied and the transfer course is taken during the Fall or Spring semester, a “break” in residency will occur unless the student is also registered at UGA. Transferred courses may not be included in the 16 hours of 8000- and 9000- level credit on the program of study. Transfer grades are not used in calculating cumulative averages. All requests for transfer credit, with accompanying official transcripts, must be in the Graduate School at least 30 days prior to the time the student plans to graduate. Courses taken prior to the student’s admission to their degree program at The University of Georgia are eligible for transfer.
MFECOE offers a number of scholarship opportunities, which can be found here: https://coe.uga.edu/students/financial-aid The Educational Psychology department offers the W. Owen Scott Fellowship for Academic Merit and Professional Promise. Information about this scholarship can be found here: https://coe.uga.edu/students/financial-aid/owen-scott
Students are encouraged to present their research at conferences, professional meetings, and symposia.
GREP (Graduate Researchers in Educational Psychology) ASP (Association of School Psychologists) ACD Brownbag
The Educational Psychology department has four areas of emphasis: Applied Cognition and Development Gifted and Creative Education Quantitative Methodology School Psychology Across these areas of emphasis, the follow degree paths are offered: MA MED MED Online EDS EDS Online PHD The Educational Psychology department also offers the following: Interdisciplinary Certificate in Creativity and Innovation