Educational psychology blends the study of how people learn with understanding how to apply practical teaching methods to enhance educational practices. Educational psychologists draw from a variety of theories and methods of research to apply psychological principles to create effective, inclusive learning environments.
In this Q&A, Associate Professor Sarah Carlson shares more about the general concentration for our college’s educational psychology master’s degree program and what makes the program unique.
Q: What knowledge and skills do students learn in the general concentration in educational psychology?
A: “Students will gain insights into foundational research and state-of-the-art work in theories of how people learn and how to inform practice from this research and theory. They will gain experience in reading and making sense of the research and gain experience in research design, data collection and analysis, and how to apply education research findings to formal and informal education settings.”
Q: What makes Georgia State University's educational psychology master's program unique?
A: “Georgia State University’s educational psychology master’s program is unique because of the wide variety of experience that students receive from our faculty, students and staff. Our faculty are active in research areas such as literacy across the lifespan, development, memory and cognition, equity and social justice and related fields. They are dedicated to working with their students as to enrich their experiences in research and how to apply their findings to practical settings (e.g., education, policy, the work force). There are various resources students can utilize within and across departments and colleges at Georgia State due to the interdisciplinary nature of the research that takes place in the program and in the Department of Learning Sciences.”
Q: What are some of the career paths someone in the educational psychology master's program (general concentration) can pursue?
A: “Students with a master’s degree in educational psychology pursue careers in various education departments (e.g., state and national level departments of education), research centers, nonprofit organizations and foundations (e.g., curriculum publishers), testing centers and many more.”
Q: What do you hope students take away from their time in the educational psychology master's program?
A: “Georgia State’s educational psychology faculty hope students can take their knowledge of theory and experiences with research into their fields and careers to guide changes in people’s lives and environments. We specifically hope students move forward to help guide changes in the classroom, district and/or policy.”
Meet our educational psychology faculty.
Get all the details about our educational psychology master’s program.