Degrees & Certifications
The Combined Program offers a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Education and Psychology. Through coursework in education, psychology and methodology, you will build the knowledge base to apply in research apprenticeships with diverse faculty across areas of theory and practice.
Doctor of Philosophy in Education and Psychology
This full time, interdisciplinary doctoral program will train you as a scholar in the creation and implementation of psychological research designed to build understanding and address educational issues relevant to learning and development in the context of schools, families, and communities.
Our program follows an apprenticeship model of graduate training and mentoring. Within this model, students are matched with faculty advisors based on complementary research interests and work closely with their advisors to refine their scholarly interests and research capabilities. Because of our program's interdisciplinary focus, students often have the opportunity to work with different faculty members during their graduate careers. In addition, students take a sequence of courses in both psychology and education during the first two to three years of the program. The courses are intended to provide theoretical foundations in psychology and education, as well as grounding in research methodology. Students work with their advisors to customize their coursework to best meet their professional goals.
Welcome
CPEP is an interdisciplinary program known for its scholarship focusing on how social contexts (such as schools and classrooms) interact and affect the developmental trajectories of student identity, cognition, motivation, and well-being. The program has a strong national reputation (e.g., CPEP currently is ranked #1 in the U.S. News and World Report).We recognize the importance of considering, both conceptually and methodologically, the interplay between individual (e.g., social and cognitive) attributes, and classrooms, schools, families, communities, contexts, cultures, and racial/ethnic histories– within the United States and internationally. This approach allows us to continue to be at the forefront in the field in advancing understanding of variation in learning, achievement, and adaptation across and within different racial, ethnic, social and cultural groups as well as to identify practices and strategies for improving learning and developmental outcomes for all students.
Our students are trained to think analytically and to excel at scholarship and research that has important educational implications. As part of an interdisciplinary unit, our doctoral students have access to an integrated set of resources in education and psychology. Our unique and interdisciplinary structure allows for an exciting synergy of conceptual and methodological perspectives and approaches among our faculty and students.
I am excited that you are interested in our program and hope you find our online home informative about what we have to offer!
An Exceptional Program
Currently ranked #2 by U.S. News and World Report, the Combined Program in Education and Psychology is an interdisciplinary unit within the university's Horace B. Rackham Graduate School, supported and co-sponsored through a collaboration between the Department of Psychology in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, and the Marsal Family School of Education. The program has been known in the past two decades for its focus on scholarship exploring how the social context (schools and classrooms) interacts and affects the developmental trajectories of student identity, cognition, and motivation.
Combine diverse disciplines
Our unique structure allows for an exciting synergy of conceptual and methodological perspectives and approaches among our faculty and students—the ways our faculty connect across disciplines and deploy shared ideas and resources have allowed us to make a remarkably large impact on the field.
Advance equity and inclusion
Research conducted by program faculty with diverse ethnic, racial, and social class groups has yielded new theories and methods for articulating how individuals form social identities, navigate social marginalization, and challenge inequitable social structures.
Make research matter
We nurture translational and applied research through curricular design and operational practices that provide bridges for applying educational and psychological research dedicated to the improvement of student learning and performance in K-12 and higher educational contexts.
Your support can help us create transformative leaders and educators who have the theoretical framework and practical skills to address the many urgent challenges in education.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Prospective Students
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Connect with CPEP
Contact
(734) 763-0680
cpep@umich.edu
Location
610 E. University Avenue
Room 1413
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1259
Office Hours
Monday–Friday
8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.