Psychologists, Consider Ed Psych/Learning Sciences

[t_ruth]

Hi all,

I know I've said this on a few threads, but I wanted to post to get some more eyes on this and urge those of you interested in developmental, cognitive, social, experimental, or quantitative psychology to consider educational psychology and/or learning sciences. In our field, we are able to investigate any of those areas or a combination of all of those areas--one thing I love about this field!

In addition, the job market for Ed Psych and Learning Sciences expands easily beyond academia--we are hired by think tanks, research firms, school districts, government agencies, and curriculum and software designers. The methods training you will receive will likely be stronger than that in most psychology programs (often on par with quant psych), making you more appealing for some of these alt-ac jobs. It is common to do consulting in these areas even as a student. In addition, our faculty market is robust. We are able to earn faculty positions in Education Schools/Departments, some Psychology Departments, and also as leads for Centers of Teaching and Learning, or as faculty in professional schools, such as nursing or medicine (hiring Ed Psych faculty in these positions is a growing trend).

Lastly, the grant funding for Ed Psych/Learning Sciences is plentiful. It is common for graduate students to work on federally-funded projects and to gain experience grant writing and managing grants. As faculty, we often lead our own federal grants or are asked to partner with those in the sciences to serve as evaluator, outreach developer, or co-PI.

If you are interested, feel from to post questions here or PM me. I have been faculty in Ed Psych/Learning Sciences for over five years.

Thanks!