Educational Psychology (Ph.D.): Learning Sciences
Offered by: Educational & Counselling Psych (Faculty of Education)
Degree: Doctor of Philosophy
Program Description
The Ph.D. in Educational Psychology; Learning Sciences focuses on theory and research on understanding and improving learning and teaching in formal and informal educational settings including K-12 and post-secondary institutions, the workplace, professional practice, and virtual learning communities. Practical training in research design, advanced data analytic techniques, and professional development through coursework and dissertation supervision.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Thesis
A thesis for the doctoral degree must constitute original scholarship and must be a distinct contribution to knowledge. It must show familiarity with previous work in the field and must demonstrate ability to plan and carry out research, organize results, and defend the approach and conclusions in a scholarly manner. The research presented must meet current standards of the discipline; as well, the thesis must clearly demonstrate how the research advances knowledge in the field. Finally, the thesis must be written in compliance with norms for academic and scholarly expression and for publication in the public domain.
Required Courses (15 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDPE 704 | Professional Development Seminar 1. | 3 |
Professional Development Seminar 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Professional development topics including literature search strategies, academic writing techniques, employment preparation (academic and non-academic), and current research topics (e.g., publishing, open science). Consideration of conceptual and methodological issues relevant to students’ proposed dissertations. Preparation for the comprehensive examination and initial doctoral research proposal. | ||
| EDPE 705 | Professional Development Seminar 2. | 3 |
Professional Development Seminar 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Professional development topics including literature search strategies, academic writing techniques, employment preparation (academic and non-academic), and current research topics (e.g., publishing, open science). Consideration of conceptual and methodological issues relevant to students’ proposed dissertations. Preparation for the comprehensive examination and initial doctoral research proposal. | ||
| EDPE 706 | Professional Development Seminar 3. | 3 |
Professional Development Seminar 3. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Professional development topics including literature search strategies, academic writing techniques, employment preparation (academic and non-academic), and current research topics (e.g., publishing, open science). Consideration of conceptual and methodological issues relevant to students’ proposed dissertations. Preparation for the comprehensive examination and initial doctoral research proposal. | ||
| EDPE 707 | Professional Development Seminar 4. | 3 |
Professional Development Seminar 4. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Professional development topics including literature search strategies, academic writing techniques, employment preparation (academic and non-academic), and current research topics (e.g., publishing, open science). Consideration of conceptual and methodological issues relevant to students’ proposed dissertations. Preparation for the comprehensive examination and initial doctoral research proposal. | ||
| EDPE 708 | Comprehensive Examination. | 0 |
Comprehensive Examination. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A four-part evaluation which is normally taken at the end of the Ph.D. 2 year. A detailed description of the examination is provided to all students. | ||
| EDPH 689 | Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. | 3 |
Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. Terms offered: Summer 2025 Students will develop an understanding of teaching and learning as a process in which instruction is based on the learning to be accomplished. Students will design, develop, and evaluate a university course of their choice, and will develop facility and confidence in using teaching methods appropriate to their domains. | ||
Complementary Courses (6 credits)
3 credits from the following:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDPE 636 | Motivation and Instruction. | 3 |
Motivation and Instruction. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Instructional effects on motivation and emotions and their implications for educational practice, with particular emphasis on socio-cultural and constructivist practices, classroom interaction, and teacher impact. | ||
| EDPE 663 | Learning Environments. | 3 |
Learning Environments. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Research on digital environments and tools (e.g., online, mobile) that support learning and developing expertise. Evaluation and application of theory and research on technology-rich educational environments focusing on underlying cognitive and social processes. | ||
| EDPE 664 | Critical Thinking | 3 |
Critical Thinking Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Foundational and current research on the development of critical thinking in formal and informal educational settings, exploring cognitive, interpersonal, and socio-cultural dimensions. Introduction to methodologies for analyzing data related to cognitive processes. | ||
| EDPE 668 | Advanced Seminar in Learning Sciences. | 3 |
Advanced Seminar in Learning Sciences. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Critical analysis and synthesis of contemporary theoretical and empirical research in educational psychology and cognate areas. Topics addressed for each offering may change as a function of current debates and issues in the educational literature. Examples of topics would be motivation, assessment, epistemology, self-regulated learning, and metacognition. | ||
or other 600-, 700-level courses offered by the Department and with the approval of the supervisor and the Program Director.
3 credits from the following:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDPE 684 | Applied Multivariate Statistics. | 3 |
Applied Multivariate Statistics. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Principal methods, models, and hypothesis-testing procedures for the prediction and analysis of patterns, structure, and relationships in multivariate data (e.g., factor and path analysis, structural equation modeling, multi-level modeling). Applications oriented toward education and educational and counselling psychology. Provides experience with data analysis tools. | ||
| EDPE 687 | Qualitative Methods in Educational Psychology. | 3 |
Qualitative Methods in Educational Psychology. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The logics of design and selection of phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography, case study and mixed design methods with emphasis on data analysis in light of issues of research purpose, epistemology, reliability and validity. | ||