Department of Educational Psychology

http://epsy.tamu.edu

The Department of Educational Psychology offers a variety of degrees associated with learning and cognition, human development, instructional design, and individual differences.  Students interested in graduate studies within the department should exhibit an orientation toward fostering human development and possess characteristics conducive to supporting relationships and advancing educational and societal improvements. Faculty admissions committees within each degree and emphasis program carefully review applicants’ professional references, prior experiences, selected test scores, and career goals. Finalists are interviewed by appropriate groups of faculty members and formal admission to a degree program, area of emphasis, or certification program is contingent upon the admissions committee’s determination regarding an applicant’s total fitness and promise as a professional in the area for which application is made.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Degrees

The department offers three PhD degrees in Educational Psychology, Counseling Psychology, and School Psychology. The Counseling Psychology and School Psychology programs are nationally accredited by the American Psychological Association. Students pursuing a PhD in Educational Psychology apply to one of five distinct emphasis programs: (a) Bilingual/ESL Education; (b) Developmental Sciences; (c) Learning Design and Technology; (d) Research, Measurement, and Statistics; or (e) Special Education. 

Field experiences in appropriate schools, colleges, or social agencies are required in all degree programs. Doctoral students in Counseling Psychology and School Psychology are required to undertake a series of supervised professional training experiences in addition to formal coursework and must successfully complete one year of full-time, professional internship prior to graduation.

All of the department’s PhD programs prepare graduates for academic positions in university and research settings. Non-academic careers may also be pursued in areas appropriate to one's programs of study. For example, graduates of the Counseling Psychology program are also prepared to become licensed counseling psychologists in a range of public and/or mental health settings including college and university counseling centers. School Psychology graduates may become licensed school psychologists who practice in education or health care settings.  Many doctoral students who participate in the Learning Design and Technology program become instructional designers and technology leaders within public schools, institutions of higher education, and commercial business industries.

Master of Science (MS) Degrees

The department offers MS degrees in Bilingual/ESL Education, Educational Psychology, and Special Education; each of these degrees requires successful completion of a thesis in addition to coursework. Students pursuing an MS in Educational Psychology pursue a program of study in either (a) Developmental Sciences or (b) Research, Measurement, and Statistics.

Master of Education (MEd) Degrees

The department also offers MEd degrees in Bilingual/ESL Education, Special Education, Learning Design and Technology, and Educational Psychology.  Students pursuing an MEd in Educational Psychology apply to one of four distinct emphasis programs in (a) Creativity and Cognition; (b) Developmental Sciences; (c) Research, Measurement, and Statistics; or (d) School Counseling. The school counseling program prepares practicing teachers for certification by the Texas Education Agency to become practicing school counselors.

Graduate Programs Delivered via Distance Education

Designed with the working professional in mind, many of the department's professional master’s degree programs are offered fully online. Degree programs delivered via distance education include Bilingual/ESL Education (MEd/MS), Special Education (MEd/MS), Learning Design and Technology (MEd), and Educational Psychology emphasis programs in School Counseling (MEd), Creativity and Cognition (MEd), and Research, Measurement, and Statistics (MEd). 

Real World Application

The Department of Educational Psychology has a broad range of research and outreach endeavors that serve as a vehicle for graduate student preparation while also enabling us to serve the University, local schools, and communities throughout the state of Texas.  The department boasts multiple innovative research labs and clinics, a university-designated center, Center for Research and Development in Dual Language and Literacy Acquisition, and a federally designated center on Disability and Development.  For the past eighteen years the department's Counseling and Assessment Clinic has provided more than 30,000 hours of assessment and counseling services to more than 2,600 individuals in the local community. We have also established the Telebehavioral Care clinic and partner with the Department of Psychiatry to provide mental health services to a growing number of underserved communities throughout south central Texas using video conference technology via HIPPA-approved encryption and high-speed lines. These telehealth services are provided by a team of advanced counseling psychology doctoral students in close collaboration with doctoral-level supervising faculty who are licensed psychologists or otherwise licensed mental health professionals.  Cutting-edge research and outreach efforts such as these afford valuable apprenticeship opportunities for graduate students while helping fulfill Texas A&M University’s land-grant mission.

Due to the nature of professional training involved and necessary prerequisite skills, enrollment in some of the department's graduate courses is limited to students admitted to a specific major or areas of study. 

Acosta, Sandra T, Associate Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2010

Alexander, Joyce M, Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, University of Georgia, 1992

Baek, Eunkyeng, Assistant Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, University of South Florida, 2015

Castillo, Linda G, Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, University of Utah, 1999

Castro Olivo, Sara M, Associate Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, University of Oregon, 2007

Chang, Heesun, Assistant Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, The University of Georgia, 2022

Chang, Wen-Hsuan, Assistant Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2021

Elliott, Timothy R, University Distinguished Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, University of Missouri at Columbia, 1987

Erbeli, Florina, Assistant Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, University of Ljubljana, 2015

Ettekal, Idean, Assistant Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, Arizona State University, 2016

Fogarty, Melissa S, Clinical Associate Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2012

Gagne, Jeffrey R, Associate Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, Boston University, 2008

Ganz, Jennifer, Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, University of Kansas, 2002

Heath, Amy K, Lecturer
Educational Psychology
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2012

Henry, Alyssa, Assistant Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, University of California, Davis, 2019

Juntune, Joyce E, Instructional Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, Texas A&M University, 1997

Kwok, Oi-Man, Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, Arizona State University, 2005

Lara-Alecio, Rafael, Regents Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, University of Utah, 1991

Liew, Jeffrey C, Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, Arizona State University, 2005

Luo, Wen, Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2007

McCord, Carly, Clinical Assistant Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2013

Montague, Marcia L, Clinical Assistant Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2009

Neshyba, Monica, Clinical Associate Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, The University of Texas at Austin, 2012

Ompendoguelet, Lizette O, Associate Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, University of Missouri at Columbia, 2009

Padron, Yolanda, Professor
Educational Psychology
EDD, University of Houston, 1985

Pashmforoosh, Roya, Visiting Assistant Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2021
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2021

Pedersen, Susan J, Associate Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, The University of Texas at Austin, 2000

Perrott, Lisa J, Associate Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, University of Virginia, 2001

Phillips, Kala, Assistant Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, University of Louisville, 2019

Ramos Garcimartin, Hector, Lecturer
Educational Psychology
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2015

Ramos, Suzanna J, Clinical Assistant Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2015

Ridley, Charles R, Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, University of Minnesota, 1978

Rivera, Hector H, Associate Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, University of California at Santa Cruz, 2001

Simmons, Krystal T, Clinical Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2009

Smith, Leann, Assistant Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, The University of Texas at Austin, 2017

Sohn McCormick, Anita, Lecturer
Educational Psychology
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2000

Stackhouse, Elizabeth Wood, Lecturer
Educational Psychology
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2018

Sweany, Noelle W, Clinical Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, The University of Texas at Austin, 1999

Thompson, Christopher G, Assistant Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, Florida State University, 2016

Thompson, Julie L, Assistant Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2014

Tong, Fuhui, Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2006

Walichowski, Miranda F, Clinical Associate Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2009

Wang, Zhe, Assistant Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, Virginia Tech, 2013

Whiteside, Erinn, Clinical Assistant Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, University of Georgia, 2019

Woltering, Steven, Associate Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, University of Toronto, 2012

Woodward, Robert S, Clinical Associate Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2004

Yoon, Myeongsun, Associate Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, Arizona State University, 2007

Zhang, Dan D, Professor
Educational Psychology
PHD, University of New Orleans, 1998