Educational psychology is an extremely interesting field. Learning about learning, otherwise known as meta learning, is a paradox like none other. It is like thinking about thinking and talking about talking.
There is much to learn about how to get an education in educational psychology. What educational programs are available for this subject? What degrees can you earn? What kinds of jobs can you get in the field?
The Purpose of Educational Psychology
The purpose of the study of psychology is virtually to answer the question: Why do people do the things they do? The interesting thing about the study of psychology is that the student not only learns about others, but they also learn about themselves. In educational psychology, the student learns about how students learn, and in turn will learn about how they themselves learn. Students will also learn about different teaching strategies to help with different types of learning styles and the psychology of school in general. There is also a focus on gifted children (why some children seem to have no trouble with learning) and children with disabilities (why some children have difficulty with learning in certain subjects or in certain ways) and also how motivation affects learning. There is a lot of research involved in any career in educational psychology. The demand is high to create new and better ways of teaching in order to improve learning capabilities among all types of people.
How to Obtain a Degree in Educational Psychology
The requirements for obtaining a degree in educational psychology are similar to other graduate programs. First you must obtain a bachelor’s degree of undergraduate studies in a related field. In order to enter into college, you typically must pass the SAT with scores that the college of your choice is accepting. Sometimes the ACT is required. You also must obtain a GPA score in high school that is accepted by the college of your choice. You will then have to write an essay or two and go through an interview process to be accepted.
The Three Types of Educational Psychology Degrees
Typical college degrees for educational psychology can include any branch of Psychology, Education, Child Development, Statistics, etc. Once you obtain a bachelor’s degree, there are three types of graduate degrees in educational psychology. The first, quickest, and easiest to obtain would be the master’s in educational psychology (MEd). In order to become a school psychologist, you must obtain an education specialist degree (EdS) after completing your MEd. To further your studies, you can obtain a Doctorate of Education (EdD) or Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD). There is also a Doctorate of Psychology (PsyD).
What Does an Educational Psychologist Do?
School psychologists, teachers, researchers, and educational program designers can all come from an educational psychology background. Careers in educational psychology also include employee testing for companies to improve their productivity by creating environments that will help their employees excel in their work. Much research is required in a career in educational psychology, so being proficient in statistics is crucial. People in this field will design tests to give to groups to test the ways people learn, and in which environments people learn best. These tests will be individualized because every person is different and learns in different ways. In the end a synopsis of how one learns, how one can improve their learning function, and in what environments one learns best will be given. Employers of large companies find this tool useful because they can figure out how to act toward each individual employee, who should be promoted to manager, and how to give orders and which orders to give to each employee. By using an educational psychologist, employers will find out which types of tasks each employee will excel in, therefore saving time all around. Many times, educational psychologists get jobs in human resources, as well.
Statistics
According to the US Bureau of Labor, therapists in general made an average salary of $45,000 in 2010 and Occupational Therapists made an average salary of $55,000 in 2010. The field of psychology in general is expected to rise more quickly than the usual national average until 2014.
Educational Psychology is an interesting field for a career. Many people love trying to figure people out and in this field, you will also be helping people improve themselves in many ways, in school, or in their jobs. You will help companies with their levels of production, help teachers with their teaching strategies, and help students learn all they need to know in order to be successful.