Goals
The
ultimate goal of the Psychological Studies in Education (PSE) graduate
program is to improve policies and practices that affect the welfare
of children. Thus, students are trained to conduct research that has
implications for policy and practice as well as theoretical significance.
Students learn about children's cognitive and social development in
real contexts, such as the home, school, day care programs, and the
playground.
Overview
If you are a Ph.D. student, you must take at least
18x4 unit courses. Only a few are required courses or required types
with little choice of what courses fit the type. All your course choices
should fit into your own, individualized "stream" of coursework.
The stream--to be decided upon in consultation with your advisor--is
designed to allow you to follow areas most allied with your own interests.
In choosing your courses, be certain that at least six of the core and
elective courses are numbered in the 200s, signifying that they are
theoretical courses appropriate to Ph.D. training.
Core Courses
The Department requires all Ph.D. students to take its core course, Education
210A & B, "Education as a Profession: Theory, Research, and
Practice". It is offered as a 2 credit course in the fall (A) with
no credit until the completion of the second half, a 2 credit class
in winter (B).
The division requires
you to take at least one course in each of two core areas: Cognitive
and Social. Almost certainly, you will want to do this your first year.
The courses you choose will be determined with your advisor so as to
help provide the foundation for your further coursework. You may take
more than one course from each area. For example, if you are particularly
interested in social development, you may choose to take the social
development, personality, and motivation courses. We encourage you to
speak with your advisor in order to determine which choices are most
appropriate for your interests. Any additional course beyond the one
required for the core area will count as one of your elective courses.
The core area choices are as follows:
Cognitive
Take at least
one of these three courses:
212A. Learning and Education
217B. Cognitive Development and Education
217D. Language Development and Education*
*This course, only when taught by PSE faculty, may be petitioned to
count as a core cognitive course with advisor's permission.
Social
Take at least
one of these three courses:
212B. Motivation and Affect in Educative Process
M217A. Social Development and Education
M217C. Personality Development and Education.
Statistics and Methods Courses
SRM Courses
By departmental regulation,
you must take at least three statistics and methods courses. They are
generally taught by faculty in the Division of Social Research Methodology
(SRM). These courses offer basic (tier 1) and higher-level (tier 2)
quantitative statistics and methods information, as well as qualitative
methods. Knowledge gained in these courses will be used in all research,
both in the earlier years and in the dissertation phase.
230A "Introduction
to Research Design and Statistics" (tier 1) is generally the prerequisite
for 230B and C (unless the student achieves a passing score on the screening
exam). ED 230B and C "Linear Statistical Models in Social Science
Research" (tier 2) will provide an integrated and unified approach
to the application of statistical models in regression, analysis of
variance, and experimental and quasi-experimental designs. Students
must take both ED 230B and C, and will be graded at the end of the two
quarter sequence. Some of our students take several more advanced statistics
and methods courses (tier 2) beyond the 230 sequence. You should work
closely with your advisor to decide which courses best prepare you for
the kinds of research you are likely to do. You should also obtain from
SRM a listing of the UCLA courses which satisfy the departmental requirement
and of the courses that fall into tier 1 and tier 2.
299-Practicum
An important part of
the PSE division's graduate training involves its 299 series. This series
introduces students in our division to professional and methodological
issues. It consists of 3 courses. The 299A course is given in the fall
of your first year. In a change implemented in 1999-2000 academic year,
we have moved the 299B course to the fall of students' 2nd year; and
the 299C course to the spring of the 2nd year. These moves were made
to better fit with students' progress in the program. The 299B course,
which focuses on methodological issues, now comes just as students are
writing up the 2nd year proposal (i.e., MA proposal, also called the
doctoral screening exam). The 299C course (involving applied data analysis)
comes when most students should be analyzing their 2nd-year project
data.
Two additional activities
relate to the 299 series. As part of the 299 series, you should be working
approximately 8-10 hours per week on supervised research (to be discussed
with your advisor). We also require that all students attend all PSE
colloquiums (these take place in the Winter and Spring quarters).
Field Practicum
You must also take 499
C designed to provide you with on-site experience in the application
of educational psychology theory and research to educational practice.
This experience is supervised on-site and through regular meetings with
the faculty member conducting the practicum. The report must be read
and approved by two faculty members. Ordinarily, this course is completed
in the second year. Students entering the program with extensive educational
experiences in practical settings (broadly defined) may petition to
have the 499 requirement waived. Your advisor and OSS can guide you
in the process of waiving out of this requirement where appropriate.
Cognate Courses
You must take at least
three graduate-level courses from one or more Ph.D.-granting academic
departments outside of Education. These courses should enhance your
expertise in areas closely related to your likely dissertation research
and professional life. Ordinarily, most or all cognate courses are taken
during your second year. Plan them with your advisor. Then get a Cognate
Course Petition (Ph.D.) from the Office of Student Services (OSS) and
fill it out. You, your advisor, and the division head must sign this
petition to show approval of the proposed courses. Then turn it in to
OSS for approval by its Director.
Elective Courses
We've now accounted for
13 to 14 of the required minimum of 18 courses you'll take during the
first two years of the Ph.D. program. The remaining 3 or more courses
are electives chosen primarily from those taught by faculty in the Division
of Psychological Studies in Education and secondarily from those taught
by faculty in other divisions of the Department of Education. The courses
may cover a variety of topics, but each should fit into your chosen
stream and enhance the development of your particular intellectual interests.
Work with your advisor to identify the elective courses that will help
achieve your goals.
