Educational Psychology Masters Degree Programs and Graduate Schools in Illinois

Do you want to enhance your career in educational psychology by earning a graduate degree? Looking for educational psychology masters programs? Earning a Masters in Educational Psychology may help you to expand your expertise within your field or jumpstart a new career.

How do I Choose a Masters in Educational Psychology Program?

So you want to start pursuing your Masters in Educational Psychology degree. But how do you start choosing a program? With the wide variety of program types and formats available, narrowing down your choices might be a challenge. If you’re ready to start looking at master’s programs in school psychology, keeping these things in mind might make it a little easier.

If you are interested in a specific concentration or career path, choosing a program that accommodates those goals may be a priority for you. Whether you are interested in pursuing a career in research, earning your Ph.D. in educational psychology, pursuing a career working with a student population within a school, or jumpstarting a career consulting at the district or state level to help analyze and develop new programs to increase student success, you may be able to find a program with a course of study tailored to those goals. For example, those interested in a macro-level viewpoint or research may prefer to pursue a research-oriented program that prioritizes methodology, analysis, and offers the opportunity to get hands-on research experience, whereas someone who prefers to work with students may find that they would prefer a program with a clinical or counseling focus.

Looking at the opportunities and resources available to program participants may also be a factor. Your preferred master’s program may require a research element, observation, or practicum. If this is the case, does the institution offer any resources or assistance in organizing these opportunities? Or would you prefer a program that lets you organize those elements yourself?

The rigidity or flexibility of a program may be a determining factor in your choice. If you are a working professional who requires a great deal of flexibility with regard to scheduling and completing your courses, an asynchronous online option or hybrid program may work for you. On the other hand, if you prefer a more traditional, predictable schedule, or value the experience of a brick-and-mortar classroom, you may prefer a campus program.

Similarly, while many working professionals may wish to attend a few classes while working full time, others may wish to attend full time, taking as many classes at once to finish as quickly as possible, or may wish to participate in a continuous master’s to Ph.D. program, focusing one hundred percent on studies until the completion of their highest targeted degree level.

What are Types of Educational Psychology Masters Programs?

If you’re ready to begin pursuing your Masters in Educational Psychology degree, you may have noticed the variety of potential options when it comes to type of master’s degree programs. Each of these programs may have unique strengths, similarities and differences from the others. Understanding the basics of how they compare may help you to choose the ideal program for you.

• M.A. programs in educational psychology may be research-oriented, focusing on rigorous methodology and theoretical concepts. While these programs may be widely applicable within the field, students of these programs may especially choose to go on to earn a Ph.D. or pursue careers in research.
• M.S. in educational psychology programs, while typically having much in common with the M.A., may be more practical, focusing on the application of ideas in a real-world educational setting, such as with students or within a school. However, this contrast between M.A. and M.S. programs may vary between institutions and programs.
• M.Ed. in educational psychology may be earned through a school of education. These programs may have elements in common with both the M.A. and M.S., such as a rigorous focus on research methodology and analysis as well as its application in the real world, such as on a district or state level.

Additionally, often listed alongside or offered continuously with traditional master’s programs may be specialty degrees. These specialty degrees offer those who hold a master’s degree the opportunity to demonstrate expertise beyond the master’s level in a specific area. These may be available in several types. An Ed.S. in educational psychology may often be earned through a school of education, whereas the Psy.S. in educational psychology might be earned through a school of psychology. In some cases, the nature of the issuing school may be the primary difference between the program, but in others, the issuing school may also reflect a difference in focus. For example, some Psy.S. programs may be more clinically oriented, whereas Ed.S. may focus on education research or the science behind learning.

What are Educational Psychology Masters Degree Program Formats?

Educational psychology masters degree programs may be available in a variety of formats, making it possible to choose a program that suits your learning style, schedule, and other needs. Each of these may have similarities and unique advantages. Formats include on campus, online, and hybrid.

Earning your masters degree in educational psychology in a campus program, the most traditional option, may have a number of potential advantages. Students may have the opportunity to interact face to face with professors, work alongside peers in the classroom, and utilize campus resources such as career placement support, the library, gym, and other academic resources. Students may also take advantage of networking opportunities, and feel like part of the campus community.

Students who value flexibility or who do not wish to commute may prefer to earn their educational psychology master’s degree online. Online programs are increasingly available, and may be offered synchronously or asynchronously. Asynchronous programs might allow students to log into a distance learning course on their own schedule, bringing maximum flexibility to the course and overall program. Synchronous classes, on the other hand, bring some of the advantages of a traditional classroom to the online space. These would require students to log in at certain times to attend streamed lectures or complete other class requirements and activities.

For those who need that element of flexibility, but do not want to let go of the potential advantages of a brick-and-mortar campus, hybrid or low residency opportunities may be a good choice. These programs combine the resources of a traditional campus with the flexibility of online classes. In some cases, these may be programs situated on a local campus, offering an array of online classes alongside traditional ones. In other cases, programs may require short residencies throughout the year to complete unique campus-based program requirements, but otherwise be situated online.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual salary for psychologysts, in May 2023, was $92,740.

Find an Educational Psychology Online Graduate Program

Now that you’re ready to begin pursuing your master’s in educational psychology, no matter which format you chose, GradSchools.com can help you find programs. Below is a list of master’s programs in educational psychology. In order to curate this list according to your preferences, add filters using the menu on the left. Simply select your preferred format (campus, online, or hybrid). You may also filter by location by selecting the appropriate country, state, and city from the drop down menu options.

Once you have tailored your list according to your preferences, you can begin reading up on educational psychology master’s programs near Illinois . You can even reach out to them for more information or to get started. Take the first steps toward earning your master’s in educational psychology today!

GradSchools.com offers 3 Graduate Schools with Masters in Educational Psychology Programs in Illinois