Counseling and Educational Psychology Department
Mail Stop 281, Reno, Nevada 89557-0213
(775) 784-6637, FAX (775) 784-1990
The primary focus of doctoral training is to prepare graduates for professional positions in the fields of Human Development and Learning, Information Technology in Education, and School Psychology. The CEP Department also prepares doctoral graduates to assume leadership roles in schools and other institutions and settings.
While both the Ph.D. and Ed.D degrees emphasize the development of theoretical research and skills, the Ph.D. is a research degree and the Ed.D. is more practioner focused.
II. COUNSELING AND EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT MISSION STATEMENT
In performing its mission, the Counseling and Educational Psychology Department:
a. Offers quality graduate programs in Counseling and Counselor Education,
and in Educational Psychology to meet the needs of the citizens of Nevada.
b. Emphasizes research and scholarly activities that contribute to the advancement
and dissemination of knowledge.
c. Offers course work that supports undergraduate education.
d. Offers community and public service programs.
e. Strives to reflect the ethnic and cultural diversity of the citizens of Nevada.
The Educational Psychology doctoral degrees are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges (NASC).
IV. DEGREES/EMPHASES AND CURRICULAR REQUIREMENTS
a. Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.): The Doctor of Philosophy degree includes a minimum of 96 semester credits beyond the baccalaureate degree, including 24 hours of dissertation. Doctoral students in the Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology should expect their programs to exceed the minimum number of hours required by the university. A residency requirement of at least two consecutive regular semesters with a minimum of 9 graduate credits each semester must be completed. Residency requirements must be satisfied after admission to the doctoral program. The primary focus of the Doctor of Philosophy program is on research skills. The dissertation must represent an original and independent investigation that reflects a contribution to knowledge. The dissertation must also reflect mastery of research skills and an ability to select a significant problem for investigation.
b. Doctor of Education (Ed.D.): The Doctor of Education degree includes a minimum of 96 semester credits beyond the baccalaureate degree, including 12 hours of dissertation. Doctoral students in the Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology should expect their programs to exceed the minimum number of hours required by the university. A residency requirement of at least two full-time summer or regular semesters with a minimum of 12 graduate credits each semester must be completed. Residency requirements must be satisfied after admission to the doctoral program. The primary focus of the Doctor of Education program is on practitioner skills. The dissertation must involve scholarly and practical considerations of a professional problem, and dissertation topics may include, but are not limited to, practical educational experiences, directed field experiences, or scholarly approaches to educational problems with an emphasis upon theoretical implication.
c. Curricular Requirements: The curricular requirements for Ph.D. and Ed.D. degrees include coursework, a qualifying exam, a comprehensive exam, a dissertation, and an oral defense of the dissertation. However, the specific form of these requirements is different, depending upon which doctoral degree emphasis is selected. Up to 24 graduate credits may be applied toward the Ph.D. degree and 30 credits toward the Ed.D.
(1) Qualifying Examination: Both Ph.D. and Ed.D. degrees require the student to pass a Qualifying Examination after completing at least 12 hours of course work in the Counseling and Educational Psychology Department. This exam will be prepared, administered, and scored by Educational Psychology faculty. The exam will consist of a written examination and may include an oral examination. Examination results will determine whether or not the student will continue in the program. The student will select one of three topics provided by the temporary adviser and will have a two-week period to conduct a literature review and write a research paper on the selected topic.
(2) Comprehensive examination: Both Ph.D. and Ed.D. degree candidates must complete and pass a written comprehensive examination. For both degrees, the comprehensive examination cannot occur until at least 30 or more content course hours are completed.
Each student will complete a comprehensive examination during or after the last semester of course work and before beginning the dissertation. This will be a written exam and may include an oral portion. The exam will be prepared, administered, and scored by the student's advisory/examining committee. The purpose of the exam is to assess the student's mastery of course content, and exam results will determine whether the student will be advanced to candidacy. Candidacy may be denied at this point.
Written Component of the Comprehensive Examination
Ph.D. and Ed.D. degrees: The written component of the comprehensive examination will consist of an 8-hour examination. This examination will consist of four questions. The four questions will be selected from a pool of ten questions generated by the student and the major advisor working in collaboration. The original pool will consist of three questions from courses in Research and Statistics, three from the Educational Psychology Core, and four questions from courses in the student's area of emphasis. The major adviser will then select four questions for the comprehensive exam. The student will not know in advance which questions are to be included. The questions will be selected from the original pool as follows:
- 1 question from courses in research and statistics
- 1 question from the educational psychology core
- 2 questions from the student's area of emphasis
Oral Component of the Comprehensive Examination
Ph. D. and Ed.D. degree candidates will be required to take an oral examination. This examination should be conducted within three weeks of obtaining results of the written component and is conducted by the student's Advisory Committee. The examination will focus on the student's written examination and may include an informal discussion of the topic and methodology of the dissertation. This meeting does not substitute for the formal proposal meeting.
(3) Advancement to Candidacy:
Formal Proposal Meeting
Ph.D. and Ed.D. degree candidates will be required to have a formal proposal meeting prior to beginning data collection for the dissertation. This meeting can be scheduled once the major adviser is satisfied that the student is ready. At this meeting, the student will present the first three chapters of the dissertation for approval by the committee. These chapters must be submitted to each committee member at least three weeks prior to the formal proposal meeting. If approved, all committee members will sign an official departmental proposal form.
Dissertation
All doctoral candidates must complete a dissertation.
Ph.D. degree candidates must take 24 hours of dissertation.
Ed.D. degree candidates must take 12 hours of dissertation.
Oral Dissertation Defense: All doctoral students must defend their dissertations in an oral examination.
V. ADMISSION PROCEDURES
The Educational Psychology faculty admits to ALL GRADUATE PROGRAMS only twice each academic year.
APPLICATION DEADLINES:
For admission to either doctoral degree (Ph.D. or Ed.D.) the applicant must apply to the graduate school and to the Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology. The applicant also must be recommended for admission by the Educational Psychology Graduate Faculty. The applicant must have obtained a master's degree from an accredited (such as CACREP, NCATE, or APA) institution. To be eligible for admission, the application must have a graduate GPA of at least 3.5 and a Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score of at least 1,000 (combined score, verbal plus quantitative).
a. Documents Submitted to Graduate School
Formal Application (obtained from Graduate School/Mail Stop 326)
Submission of official GRE scores
Submission of official transcripts
b. Documents Submitted to the Department of Counseling and Educational PsychologyResume
Letter of Application (includes a statement of your goals, area of interest and specialization, and other information that you believe will help the faculty in their decision making)
Three Professional Letters of Recommendation (addressing applicant's potential for scholarly work)
Scholarly Writing Sample (e.g. master's thesis, professional journal article, professional paper completed at master's level)c. The Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology recommends, but does not require, a personal interview.
d. Action Taken on Application
Notification of the action taken on the application will come from the Graduate School approximately eight weeks after the application is approved by the Educational Psychology Faculty. Immediately following official notification from the Graduate School, successful applicants will receive a letter of acceptance from the CEP Department.
e. Alternative Admission Requirements
Students who do not meet regular admission requirements may request consideration for provisional admission. To gain provisional admission, the student must be supported by an Educational Psychology faculty member who is willing to be a strong advocate for the student and willing to serve as temporary adviser for the student.
Provisional admission requires that the student:
- complete at least 18 semester hours of coursework prescribed by the Educational Psychology faculty. The 18 hours must be completed in two consecutive semesters.
- have a G.P.A. of at least 3.50 in the prescribed courses, with no grade lower than a B.
- pass a qualifying examination during the first semester of coursework.
Here is the Graduate School's description of prescribed programs:
"Students approved for provisional standing must complete two consecutive semesters of full-time graduate study in a program approved by the department and the graduate school. Those students who successfully complete the two semesters, with a grade of B or better in each course comprising the 18 credits, will be qualified to apply for graduate standing. Students may not remain on provisional standing for more than two semesters. Courses completed while on provisional status may be applied toward an advanced degree with approval of the advisory-examining committee" (University General Catalog)
The CEP Department has graduate assistantships available. Contact the CEP Department for information and application forms. Other financial aid is available and forms can be obtained from the Financial Aid Office in Thompson Student Services Building, Room 200, (775) 784-4666.
VII. PROGRAM FACULTY AND STAFF
a. Ph.D. and Ed.D. Advisory Committees: Both the Ph.D. and Ed.D. degrees require an Advisory Committee composed of faculty members who are members of the Graduate Faculty. The Committee must consist of:
- Three Educational Psychology Graduate Faculty Members
- One Member from outside the CEP Department
- One Member from outside the College of Education (in a related field)
b. No Foreign Language Requirement: The CEP Department does not require proficiency in a foreign language.
c. Eight Year Program Completion Requirements: All requirements for doctoral degrees, excluding prerequisite graduate coursework or master's degree coursework, must be completed within eight calendar years from the date of the first course listed in the approved program of study form.
d. Graduate GPA: Doctoral students must maintain an overall GPA of 3.5 or higher throughout the program.
e. Three Credits Per Semester Requirement: All graduate students are required to take at least three (3) credits per semester. A full-time graduate load is 9 credits. A full time graduate student may not register for more than 16 graduate credits in any semester or more than six credits in any five-week summer session. Those holding graduate assistantships may not register for more than 12 graduate credits per semester.
f. Special GRE Information: GRE information may be obtained from Testing Services, Thompson Student Services Building, Room 206, phone 775-784-4638.g. Catalogs: To obtain a University of Nevada catalog, contact the ASUN Bookstore, Mail Stop 194, 775-784-6597.
Ph.D. and Ed.D. Common Course Work (12 credits)
CEP 640 Educational Measurement and Statistics
CEP 700 Introduction to Educational Research (may be taken at the master's
level)
CEP 740 Advanced Educational Measurement and Statistics
CEP 775 Doctoral Research Seminar
Educational Psychology Core Course Work (15 credits)
CEP 610 Information Technology in Education
CEP 611 Programming Languages in Information Technology in Education (Web Design
& Maintenance)
CEP 636 Cognitive Learning
CEP 705 Advanced Human Growth and Development OR CEP 615 Adolescent
Development
CEP 738 Learning Theories in Education
Curricular Requirements Specific to the Ph.D. (30 credits) and Ed.D.
(12 credits)
In addition to the Common Core Courses, described above, the following courses
are to be completed:
Ph.D.
Additional Research and Statistics:CEP 741 Applied Research Design And Analysis In Education I
CEP 743 Applied Research Design And Analysis In Education II
CEP 799 Dissertation (24 credits)
Ed.D.
CEP 799 Dissertation (12 credits)
CEP 705 Advanced Human Growth and Development OR CEP 615 Adolescent
Development
PSY 631 Cognitive Psychology
Approved Electives - Ph.D. - (12 credits)
Approved Electives - Ed.D. - (21 credits)
CEP612 Methods of Using Information Technology in Teaching and Learning
3 credits
CEP613 Computer Telecommunications in Education 3 credits
CEP617 Field Work and Practicum in Information Technology (3+0) 3 credits
CEP758 Multimedia and Presentation Technology in Education 3 credits
Approved Electives - Ph.D. - (6 credits)
Approved Electives - Ed.D. - (15 credits)
CEP 642a/b Individual Appraisal I
CEP 742 Individual Appraisal II
CEP 744 Individual Appraisal III
CEP 650 Counseling Process
CEP 651 Counseling Practicum
CEP 751 Multicultural Counseling
CEP 782 Consultation and Supervision in Counseling Services
CEP 779 Internship in School Psychology (6 credits)
And relevant courses from CI (6 credits or more)
The Departmental Web Page can be viewed at http://www.unr.edu/educ/cep/cepindex.html
FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING EMPHASIS
Rhoda E. Cummings, Ph.D.
Counseling and Educational Psychology Department/281
Human Development and Learning
College of Education University of Nevada, Reno Reno, Nevada 89557-0213
Office: (775) 784-6637 Ext. 2066
FAX: (775) 784-1990
E-mail: cummings@unr.edu
FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION EMPHASIS
Dee LaMont Johnson, Ph.D.
Counseling and Educational Psychology Department/281
College of Education University of Nevada, Reno Reno, Nevada 89557-0213
Office: (775) 784-6637
FAX: (775) 784-1990
E-mail: ljohnson@unr.edu
OR
Cleborne D. Maddux, Ph.D.
Counseling and Educational Psychology Department - Mail Stop #281
College of Education, University of Nevada, Reno
Reno, NV 89557-0213
Office: (775) 784-6637 x2061
FAX: (775) 784-1990
maddux@unr.edu
FOR SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY EMPHASIS
Steve Harlow, Ph.D.
Counseling and Educational Psychology Department/281
College of Education University of Nevada, Reno Reno, Nevada 89557-0213
Office: (775) 784-6637 Ext. 2064
FAX: (775) 784-1990
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University of Nevada, Reno