What are the Core Courses of an Educational Psychology Degree?
Students who have earned educational psychology degrees may go on to research learning and teaching methods. While many entry-level jobs require bachelor's degrees, some advanced positions require master's or doctoral degrees. This article describes some of the core courses that may be found in an educational psychology degree program.
<h3 id="section---TypicalCoreCoursesInEducationalPsychology">Typical Core Courses in Educational Psychology</h3>
<p>Many educational psychology positions require master's degrees or higher. In order to obtain educational psychology degrees, students must complete a curriculum that consists of about 124 semester hours. Degree programs require students to take several semesters' worth of credits in English, mathematics, and science in addition to psychology courses. Here are some of the topics you can expect to find in the core courses of educational psychology programs:
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<ul><li>Adolescent psychology
</li><li>Social psychology
</li><li>Education of children with special needs
</li><li>Education of gifted and talented children
</li></ul><h3 id="section---ImportantFactsAboutThisOccupation">Important Facts About This Occupation</h3>
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<table border="1"><tr><td>Degree Field</td><td> Bachelor's, Master's, Master's of Education, Doctorate, Education Specialist, Doctor of Psychology, Doctor of Education</td></tr>
<tr><td>Possible Careers</td><td> School Psychologist, Special Education Teacher, Educational Counselor</td></tr>
<tr><td>Work Environment</td><td> Office setting, Clinical setting, Classroom</td></tr>
<tr><td>Key Skills</td><td> Interpersonal Relationship Skills, Communication Skills, Critical Thinking, and Problem Solving</td></tr>
<tr><td> Median Salary (2021) </td><td> $81,040 (<i>for all psychologists</i>)</td></tr>
<tr><td> Job Outlook (2021-2031)</td><td> 6% (<i>for all psychologists</i>)</td></tr>
</table><p><i>Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics</i>
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<h3 id="section---AdolescentPsychology">Adolescent Psychology</h3>
<p>Coursework in adolescent psychology is designed to help students to understand how teenagers develop moral and religious beliefs, form their personalities, mature emotionally, and cope with puberty. Educational psychology students might become prepared to work effectively with middle school- or high school-aged children.
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<h3 id="section---SocialPsychology">Social Psychology</h3>
<p>Social psychology courses aim to teach students how cultural factors influence social interaction. Students might learn how people develop their personalities and social skills.
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<h3 id="section---SpecialEducation">Special Education</h3>
<p>Educational psychology degree programs usually require students to take courses related to teaching those who have developmental disabilities. Such courses are designed to teach students the theories and practices used in the education of children with special needs. Additionally, students could learn ways of preparing developmentally disabled children for the transitions from elementary to secondary school and into adult life after their schooling.
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<h3 id="section---GiftedAndTalentedEducation">Gifted and Talented Education</h3>
<p>Students in these courses will learn how to prepare lesson plans and design challenging assignments for children who are faster learners than their peers and therefore aren't interested in standard lessons.</p>