Educational Psychology & Methodology Program of Study for the MS degree leading to Professional Teacher Certification

No longer offered as of April 2011.

Students who have initial teaching certification and are seeking to gain professional certification must satisfy the 30 hours of graduate credit requirements for the General MS degree (outlined above), but must do so by including the following courses:

  • Development: EPsy 521 (Growth and Development in Childhood), or EPsy 623 (Advanced Developmental Psychology).
  • Learning: EPsy 502 (Educational Psychology) or EPsy 610 (Advanced Educational Psychology), or EPsy 614 (Children’s Learning).
  • Research Methods: EPsy 680 (Research Project in Educational Psychology).
  • Measurement and Evaluation: EPsy 540 (Assessment in Education).
  • Statistics: EPsy 531 (Understanding and Teaching Scientific Inquiry and Basic Data Analysis).
  • Elective 1 Within Division: EPsy 615 (Application of Cognitive Theories to Language Arts and Social Studies).
  • Elective 2 Within Division: EPsy 616 (Application of Cognitive Theories to Math, Science and Technology).

Permanent Teacher Certification Track
Until the expiry of their provisional teaching certification, students who have provisional teaching certification may meet the requirements for permanent certification by completing the MS degree in Educational Psychology and Methodology. Such students may complete the requirements of either the General MS track or the Professional Teaching Certification track. It is recommended, however, that they take the courses designated for the teaching certification track.

Admission Requirements
In addition to the requirements listed for admission to the General MS track (above), applicants should possess a New York State provisional teaching certificate.

Application for All Tracks of the MS Program
Applications for the MS program will be accepted in the Office of Graduate Admissions throughout the year but applicants are advised that they must apply by the dates given below to be assured that their application materials will be processed in time for program commencement at the beginning of the semester indicated.

For a summer semester or fall semester start date: March 1st application deadline.

For a spring semester start date: October 15th application deadline.

Applicants are also advised that their chances of receiving financial assistance are greater if they apply early and commence their studies in the fall semester.

Applicants who do not apply in time for consideration for their preferred start date may be advised to apply for non-degree study in the interim. Satisfactory and suitable work in such non-degree study may be transferred into their masters program provided that the admissions committee admits the student into the masters program.

The Division of Educational Psychology and Methodology welcomes applications from qualified overseas students. Applicants whose primary language is not English are required to submit scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) administered by the Educational Testing Service. The university requires a minimum score of 213 on the TOEFL test.

Financial Aid
The university offers annually a number of assistantships and fellowships to qualified students enrolled in graduate study. These awards provide stipends, plus some or all remission of tuition. The value of these stipends varies from year to year. Professional duties are assigned to recipients of assistantships. The number of hours that a student holding an assistantship can be expected to devote to assigned duties is related to the size of the stipend; the greater the stipend the greater the weekly commitment.

New York State has a Tuition Assistance Program (TAP). All students who want to be considered for remission of tuition must apply for a TAP award, even if they are ineligible, in order to document their eligibility/ineligibility.

Students holding assistantships and fellowships must carry a full academic load and may not receive remuneration for other employment in or outside the university.

Applicants to the MS program are advised that opportunities for assistantships are greater for students who apply by February 15, and who commence their study in the subsequent fall semester.