Psychological foundations of education
Note:The GRE is no longer required for admission into the psychological foundations of education program.
Understand the way people think, learn, and teach
As a student in the program, you’ll study the psychological processes critical to education. Research in our program focuses on cognitive and social-emotional development, including high-level cognition and factors shaping and enhancing learning throughout the lifespan. Our faculty and students do not just conduct laboratory experiments—we also put our research to work: in local schools on programs to improve students’ reading and science outcomes and with members of our diverse communities to help our neighbors succeed at school and work.
Careers
- Faculty (PhD only)
- Research scientists at universities and companies
- Government agencies
- Other educational settings (e.g., K-12 school research offices)
- Human and social service organizations
- Health care organization evaluator/researcher
- Research and development centers
Latest news
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Dates and deadlines
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Programs and degrees
Graduate
Masters and PhD students choose between two areas of emphasis:
Learning and cognition / educational technology
(MA, PhD)
- Study how people think and learn
- Research how people learn with technology and design research-based technologies to improve learning
Social psychological and developmental processes
(MA, PhD)
Study how social processes contribute to the success of schools and other educational organizations
Graduate minor
The Department of Educational Psychology offers a minor in educational psychology with an emphasis in psychological foundations of education.
Certificates
Learning sciences post baccalaureate certificate
Shape your teaching and research through better understanding of how people learn. As a student in our new learning sciences certificate program, you’ll study learning theories, methodologies, designs, and evidence-based practices central to teaching and conducting research that supports the learning process.
Talent development and gifted education certificate
Develop, implement, and supervise programs to teach gifted and talented students in K-12 and postsecondary schools and other settings
Tuition
Visit the College of Education and Human Development's Finance and Funding page for information on tuition.
Funding
Fellowships and awards
Submit your application materials by December 1, and you’ll automatically be considered for Graduate School fellowships and departmental awards based on scholastic achievement. Notification of awards will be sent in March.
Graduate assistantships
Get paid to work as a teaching assistant, graduate instructor or research assistant. Graduate assistantships are available through the department, College of Education and Human Development, and the University.
- John P. Yackel/Pearson Graduate Internship
- Jack Merwin Graduate Assistantship
- All University of Minnesota graduate assistantships
Note: Applicants who complete their applications by the March 1 deadline will be less likely to receive graduate assistantships than students who meet the December 1 deadline.
Financial aid
Visit OneStop Student Services for more information on available financial aid.
Scholarships
Visit the College of Education and Human Development’s Awards page for scholarship information.
Diversity
The Department of Educational Psychology is deeply committed to increasing the diversity of our undergraduate and graduate programs, of our teaching and learning, of our research and clinical practice, and of our outreach and service across fields of educational psychology. Visit our diversity page to learn more about our commitment to diversity and resources for supporting diversity and inclusion.
The Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Minnesota is one of the best in the field.
Sarah Carlson, PhD '11
Assistant professor and Educational Psychology Program Director, Georgia State University
Read more about Sarah's experience
Other psychological foundations alumni profiles
Faculty and instructors
Laura Allen
Bonnie Westby Huebner Chair in Education and Technology
lallen@umn.edu
- Reading comprehension
- Writing
- Computational linguistics
- Learning analytics
- Educational technology
William M. BartProfessor
bartx001@umn.edu | Lab
- Relationships among cognition, instruction, and testing
- Gifted and talented education
- Chess expertise
Jeffrey ByeLecturer, Lab Coordinator & Affiliate Faculty, Learning Informatics Lab
jbye@umn.edu
- Math teaching and learning
- Mathematical cognition
- Causal learning
- Reasoning
- Open source programming
- Computational modeling
David DeLiemaAssistant professor
ddeliema@umn.edu
- Productive failure
- Playful learning
- Embodied cognition
- Spatial reasoning
- Social interaction
Panayiota (Pani) KendeouDistinguished McKnight University Professor, Guy Bond Chair in Reading
kend0040@umn.edu | Lab
- Reading comprehension
- Cognitive processes
- Learning at scale
- Technology
- Misinformation
Geoffrey Maruyama
Professor
geoff@umn.edu | Lab
- Achievement processes in schools and other organizations
- Connections between social processes and educational success
- Research and community partnerships in challenged communities and urban settings
Caitlin MillsAssistant professor
cmills@umn.edu
- Mind wandering
- Boredom, creativity
- Eye-tracking
- Learning analytics
- Adaptive learning
Keisha VarmaProgram coordinator, associate professor, associate vice provost, Office of Equity and Diversity
keisha@umn.edu | Lab
- Cognitive processes in science learning
- Scientific visualizations and student learning outcomes
- Teacher knowledge development and effective teaching practice
Martin Van Boekel
Teaching assistant professor
vanbo024@umn.edu | Lab
- Cognitive biases (ie., hindsight bias)
- Academic feedback
- Memory strategies for improving learning in the classroom
- Informal learning environments (ie. school-organized sports)