Master of arts (MA) in psychological foundations of education

Make improvements in education through psychology, science, and technology.

33-34

credits

Careers

in research and technology

Feb. 1

deadline to apply

Start your journey

Program details

Study the psychological processes critical to education

Research in our program focuses on education technology and cognitive development, including high-level cognition and factors shaping and enhancing learning throughout the lifespan. Our faculty and students explore the basic mechanisms of thinking and learning in academic disciplines through precise, controlled laboratory experiments. We also put our research to work—in local schools on programs to improve students' reading, science, and mathematics outcomes as well as informal learning environments.

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Careers

Research associates at universities
Research scientists at companies
Researchers in government agencies, research/technology development centers, other educational settings

How to apply

Admissions deadline

Submit your application by February 1.

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Tuition and funding

Tuition

Visit the College of Education and Human Development's finance and funding page for information on tuition.

CEHD Fellowships, scholarships, assistantships, and grants for graduate students

As a graduate student in CEHD, you may be eligible for fellowships, grants, and scholarships from the University of Minnesota, from our college, and from your academic department. Check this link out to get more information on funding opportunities!

Visit the College of Education and Human Development's finance and funding page for more information on funding.

Financial aid

Financial aid for your graduate program works differently than financial aid at the undergraduate level. It’s important to know the differences and explore your options. Visit this One Stop link for more information on available financial aid.

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Coursework

Coursework includes:

Cognitive and learning processes
Scientific reasoning
Mathematical thinking
Reading comprehension
Narrative text comprehension
Creativity and intelligence
Socio-scientific misconceptions and biases
Development and use of educational technology
Lab-, classroom-, and community-based research
(A master's degree is not required to apply for the doctoral program.)

Sample course list

Educational psychology MA course list

Faculty

Get to know our award-winning faculty with practical and research experience in this area.

Meet our faculty

Laura Allen Laura Allen

Bonnie Westby Huebner Endowed Chair in Education and Technology, director of undergraduate studies, associate professor
she, her, hers
lallen@umn.edu

My research seeks to understand how individuals most effectively learn and communicate information through text and discourse.

William Bart William Bart

Professor
612-624-0585
bartx001@umn.edu

My years in the graduate program in measurement, evaluation, and statistical analysis at the University of Chicago allowed me to study with scholars such as Benjamin S. Bloom, R. Darrell Bock, and Benjamin Wright.

Heeryung Choi Heeryung Choi

Post-doctoral associate
she/her/hers
heeryung@umn.edu

As a learning analytics researcher, I am committed to fostering self-regulated learning (SRL) skills, with and within technology.

David DeLiema David DeLiema

Program coordinator, psychological foundations of education; McKnight Presidential Fellow; associate professor
he, him, his
612-301-2734
ddeliema@umn.edu

My research emphasis is on how students and teachers collaboratively navigate moments of failure when learning computer science, mathematics, and science.

Stephen Hutt Stephen Hutt

Assistant professor
he/they
shutt@umn.edu

Stephen Hutt develops theory-informed learning analytics and AI that connect research on metacognition and self-regulation to the design of equitable, adaptive learning technologies.

HyeJin Hwang HyeJin Hwang

Assistant professor
she, her, hers
612-624-3580
hwang305@umn.edu

HyeJin Hwang's research interests revolve around reading comprehension and content learning (science, social studies) in K-12 settings, especially for multilingual students. Hwang, H. (September 8, 2021).

Panayiota (Pani) Kendeou Panayiota (Pani) Kendeou

Distinguished McKnight University Professor, Guy Bond Chair in Reading
she, her, hers
612-626-7814
kend0040@umn.edu

Dr. Kendeou is driven to understand and improve reading comprehension and learning with AI, while also identifying conditions that can reduce the impact of misinformation and misconceptions in our information ecosystem.

Caitlin Mills Caitlin Mills

Associate professor
she, her, hers
cmills@umn.edu

I joined the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Minnesota in 2022, after spending four years in the Psychology Department at the University of New Hampshire.

Martin Van Boekel Martin Van Boekel

Teaching assistant professor
they, them, theirs
612-624-0691
vanbo024@umn.edu

My role is the teaching and mentorship of students. My research interests focus on ways of uplifting trans* people's voices. A second line of research explores the feedback process, investigating ways of enhancing students' use of feedback.

Keisha Varma Keisha Varma

Associate professor and Office of Equity and Diversity associate vice provost
612-626-8991
keisha@umn.edu

My work on scientific reasoning and science learning is classroom-based research that explores ways to enhance middle school students' science learning by supporting their scientific reasoning skills.

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