Applied Educational Psychology (MA)

This program is offered by the School of Education and is only available at the St. Louis home campus.

Program Description

Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program are able to:

• Demonstrate and apply knowledge of psychology to education in order to facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity, and to promote social-emotional well being of students.
• Use assessment and progress data collected in classrooms, schools or community settings to make evidence-based decisions regarding effective instructional and curricular interventions and practices for individual students and groups of students.
• Understand, apply and conduct educational research.
• Demonstrate respect for diversity through responsive teaching that values individual differences in cultural, socioeconomic, ethnic, linguistic and national/international backgrounds, as well as abilities and disabilities.
• Promote and model global/digital age citizenship and responsibility.
• Develop self-assessment skills and the ability to reflect on roles educators can take as leaders of change in the 21st century.
• Engage in professional growth and leadership.
• Collaborate effectively with others in designing, developing and guiding decision-making at the individual, class-wide, school or community level.

Program Curriculum

A total of 36 credit hours is required for this major. Degree-seeking majors in applied educational psychology will complete 18 hours of core courses and will fulfill the remaining 18 hours by either selecting one of the following tracks or certificates::

• School Psychology
• Supporting Marginalized Children, Families, and Communities

Race and Racism in Education & Psychology certificate*

*Students may also choose to earn a graduate certificate in Race and Racism in Education and Psychology.  Students are eligible to earn a graduate certificate but must pay a second graduation fee.  See more about this certificate in the graduate catalog.  

This major includes thesis and non-thesis options.

The thesis track is recommended for those students wishing to pursue a doctoral degree in educational psychology or school psychology. After completing the MA in applied educational psychology, further study is needed if one wants to become a psychologist; the American Psychological Association defines a psychologist as, "An individual with a doctoral degree in psychology…"

Students enrolled in either the non-thesis or thesis track successfully complete a final reflections essay as part of their culminating course experience.

Core Courses (18 hours)

• EPSY 5350 Intercultural Communications (3 hours)
• EPSY 5600 Practicum in Educational Psychology (3 hours)
• SPED 5800 Applied Research (3 hours)
  or EPSY 5800 Applied Research (3 hours)
  or EPSY 5390 Applied Statistics in Educational Psychology* (3 hours)
• EPSY 5816 Advanced Child Development (3 hours)
• EPSY 5810 Advanced Adolescent Psychology (3 hours)
• EPSY 6001 Integrated Studies in Applied Educational Psychology (for non-thesis track) (3 hours)
  or EPSY 6250 Thesis (for thesis track) (3 hours)

*Students taking the school psychology track must take EPSY 4390 Applied Statistics in Educational Psychology.

Elective Courses (18 hours)

Students can select to follow a single track based on their professional goals or can select courses from multiple tracks to fulfill this requirement.

Total: 36 credit hours

Track in School Psychology

Students wishing to pursue the track in school psychology will take the above listed required core courses in addition to the track-specific courses below.  

The track in school psychology is designed for those individuals planning to seek school psychologist K-12 certification through the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).  See the education specialist (Ed.S.) in school psychology section of the graduate catalog for more information.  

Track-Specific Courses (18 hours) 

• EPSY 5060 Psychoeducational Assessment I (3 hours)
• EPSY 5370 Counseling (3 hours)
• EPSY 5880 Psychology of Memory, Learning and Problem-solving (3 hours)
• EPSY 5911 Social and Personality Development: School Psychology (3 hours)
• EPSY 5952 Children, Trauma and Crisis Intervention (3 hours)
• SPED 5250 Behavior Management (3 hours)

Total: 36 credit hours

Track in Supporting Marginalized Children, Families and Communities

Students wishing to pursue the track in Supporting Marginalized Children, Families, and Communities will take the above listed required core courses in addition to the track-specific courses below.  

The track in Supporting Marginalized Children, Families and Communities is designed for those individuals planning to seek careers that include work with individuals from vulnerable populations.  These populations might include people of different race/ethnicities (as compared to the majority population in that region), immigrant and refugees, and indigenous/native groups.  

Track-Specific Courses (18 hours) 

• EPSY 5370 Counseling (3 hours)
  or EPSY 5290 Family Counseling (3 hours) 
• EPSY 5490 Seminars in Immigrant and Refugee Experiences (3 hours) 
• EPSY 5892 Psychology of Racism/Antiracism (3 hours)
• EPSY 5952 Children, Trauma and Crisis Intervention (3 hours) 
• EPSY 5890 Psychology of Stress (3 hours)
• EPSY 5991 Issues in Assessment: Cultural Diversity and GIftedness in Underserved Populations (3 hours)

Total: 36 credit hours

Admission

See the Admission section of this catalog for general admission requirements. Students interested in applying must submit their application online at www.webster.edu/apply. Transcripts should be sent from your institution electronically to transcripts@webster.edu. If this service is not available, send transcripts to:

Office of Admission
Webster University
470 E. Lockwood Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63119 

Additional Requirements

Advancement to Candidacy

After successfully completing 9 credit hours within the major (including one required course) with a B- or better, students are required to apply for advancement to candidacy. When they apply for advancement to candidacy, students will choose from the thesis track/non-thesis track options and choose from the School Psychology track or Supporting Marginalized Children, Families and Communities track.  For specific details, please see your advisor.  

Sequential MA in Applied Educational Psychology

The sequential master's program in applied educational psychology (MA) requires completion of 24 credit hours of course-work provided that the student has an adequate background in graduate-level courses related to educational psychology.

Completion of an admissions essay and a GPA of 3.0 are required for admission into the sequential degree in applied educational psychology. Students accepted into the sequential applied educational psychology degree should advance to candidacy after they have completed nine hours.

The five required courses (15 hours) for the sequential MA degree are:

• EPSY 5350 Intercultural Communications (3 hours)
• EPSY 5600 Practicum in Educational Psychology (3 hours)
• SPED 5800 Applied Research (3 hours)
  or EPSY 5390 Applied Statistics in Educational Psychology (3 hours)
• EPSY 5880 Psychology of Memory, Learning and Problem-solving (3 hours)
• EPSY 6001 Integrated Studies in Applied Educational Psychology (3 hours)

The remaining three elective courses (9 hours) should be selected in consultation with the directors of applied educational psychology.