Program Location
Education Building
Start Term
Fall Semesters
Program Type
Thesis
Schedule
Full-Time
Credits
45 Credits
Average Duration
2 Years
Administered by
Educational & Counselling Psychology (ECP)
The MA in Educational Psychology, with a concentration in Health Professions Education (Thesis), fosters skills in effective teaching and learning in health-sector professions. This program prepares you to design educational courses and programs in various clinical and hospital settings and equips you with the research competence necessary to critically evaluate and conduct empirical research in medical education. Students gain hands-on experience in applying research methods to solve practical problems and are trained to advance the scholarship of teaching and learning in healthcare. This program is ideal for health professionals and educational psychology students interested in conducting educational research and developing programs within the health professions, offered in collaboration with McGill's Institute of Health Sciences Education (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences).
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Full Program Details from the Course Catalogue
Educational Psychology (Thesis) (M.A.): Health Professions Education (45 credits)
Offered by: Educational & Counselling Psych (Faculty of Education)
Degree: Master of Arts
Program credit weight: 45
Program Description
The Master of Arts (M.A.) Educational Psychology (Thesis); Health Professions Education focuses on the practice of teaching and learning as they happen in the health professions and throughout the lifespan. Student admission and supervision is done jointly with the Institute of Health Sciences Education (IHSE).
Thesis Courses (18 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDPE 604 | Thesis 1. | 3 |
Thesis 1. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Literature survey and thesis planning. | ||
| EDPE 607 | Thesis 2. | 3 |
Thesis 2. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Preparation of a thesis proposal. | ||
| EDPE 693 | Thesis 3. | 3 |
Thesis 3. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Thesis research under supervision of a research director. | ||
| EDPE 694 | Thesis 4. | 3 |
Thesis 4. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Thesis research under supervision of a research director. | ||
| EDPE 695 | Thesis 5. | 6 |
Thesis 5. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Thesis research under supervision of a research director. | ||
Prerequisite Course (or equivalent) (3 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDPE 575 | Statistics for Practitioners. | 3 |
Statistics for Practitioners. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Understanding and interpreting basic statistical procedures used in basic and applied research, including graphs, measures of central tendency and variability, hypothesis testing, and correlations, t-tests, and basic ANOVA designs. | ||
Required Courses (15 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDPE 605 | Research Methods. | 3 |
Research Methods. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Research methods and designs, planning and evaluating research, relations between research and statistical designs, interdisciplinary and nonquantitative approaches, meta-analysis, and the use of computers beyond computation. Ethics, scholarly writing. | ||
| EDPE 637 | Issues in Health Professions Education. | 3 |
Issues in Health Professions Education. Terms offered: Winter 2026 An overview of health professions education issues, including: learning and assessment in the clinical setting, medical core competencies, design, delivery and evaluation of health professions education programs, organization management of health professions education programs and systems, organizational change and leadership, clinical reasoning and decision making, interdisciplinary education. | ||
| EDPE 676 | Intermediate Statistics. | 3 |
Intermediate Statistics. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Concepts and procedures of conducting basic descriptive and inferential statistics, including analysis of variance, correlation, and regression models. Provides experience with data-analysis tools. | ||
| EDPE 682 | Univariate/Multivariate Analysis. | 3 |
Univariate/Multivariate Analysis. Terms offered: Winter 2026 General linear model as a unified data analytic system for estimation and hypothesis testing that subsumes regression, analysis of variance, and analysis of covariance for single dependent variables. Introduction to generalizations involving multiple dependent (criterion) variables. Applications oriented toward education, educational psychology and counselling psychology. Experience with data-analysis tools. | ||
| EDPH 689 | Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. | 3 |
Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. Terms offered: Summer 2025, Fall 2025, Winter 2026 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 (12 credits)
12 credits from the following:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDPE 535 | Instructional Design. | 3 |
Instructional Design. Terms offered: Winter 2026 This course draws on the fields of learning theory, developmental psychology, and measurement to focus on the tasks of constructing instructional materials. Areas to be considered include behaviour analysis, concept formation, and test construction. | ||
| EDPE 555 | Introduction to Learning Sciences | 3 |
Introduction to Learning Sciences Terms offered: Fall 2025 Introduction to foundational theories of the learning sciences. Implications of theory on methodologies for the learning sciences in general, and for educational and instructional contexts in particular. | ||
| EDPE 635 | Theories of Learning and Instruction. | 3 |
Theories of Learning and Instruction. Terms offered: Winter 2026 An analysis of the relationship between theory and research about learning and teaching from a historical perspective. | ||
| EDPE 656 | Applied Theory/Methods in the Learning Sciences. | 3 |
Applied Theory/Methods in the Learning Sciences. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Foundational and current theories and methodologies applied to understanding human cognition and learning. An overview of experimental, observational, and physiological research designs, methods, and analyses. | ||
| EDPE 663 | Learning Environments. | 3 |
Learning Environments. Terms offered: Fall 2025 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 666 | Advanced Topics in Learning Sciences | 3 |
Advanced Topics in Learning Sciences Terms offered: Fall 2025 Advanced topics on theory and research on the interdisciplinary study of the learning sciences. Focuses on cognitive-psychological and social- psychological foundations of human learning, as well as on the design of learning environments. | ||
| EDPE 668 | Advanced Seminar in Learning Sciences. | 3 |
Advanced Seminar in Learning Sciences. Terms offered: Winter 2026 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. | ||
| EDPE 687 | Qualitative Methods in Educational Psychology. | 3 |
Qualitative Methods in Educational Psychology. Terms offered: Winter 2026 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. | ||
or other 500-,or 600-level courses offered by the Department and with the approval of the supervisor and the Program Director.
Graduate Supervision
(Note that individual supervisors may list further details, such as when they are taking new students and application instructions in the Graduate Supervision section at the bottom of their individual profile pages.)
Eligibility (Admission Criteria)
Applicants should meet the following requirements:
- Possess an undergraduate degree in a field relevant to the area of study.
- A minimum CGPA of 3.0 out of 4.0 in undergraduate studies. International applicants can look up grade equivalencies on McGill’s Future Graduate Students website.
- Proficiency in English. Applicants to graduate studies whose mother tongue is not English and who have not obtained an undergraduate or graduate degree from a recognized foreign institution where English is the language of instruction, or from a recognized institution in Canada or the US (anglophone or francophone), must submit documented proof of proficiency in oral and written English.
Application Process & Required Documents
All applications are done through McGill's Graduate Applicant Portal. The application steps and instructional video are on the University's Future Graduate Students website. The following documents must be part of your application: (Note that all uploaded documents to the portal must be in PDF format.)
- A complete application form (accompanied by your application fee payment).
- A copy of your unofficial transcripts from all previous university-level studies (undergraduate and graduate). Official transcripts are required to be submitted by those who gain admission to the program. (Instructions on sending official transcripts will be sent upon acceptance.)
- The McGill ECP Educational Psychology Curriculum Vitae Form.
- Letters of Reference: Within the online application, applicants must provide valid institutional e-mail addresses for three (3) references. McGill University will contact the referees directly to submit their letters of reference.
- Statement of Research Interest and Preferred Supervisor(s): Within the online application, applicants are required to concisely outline their proposed area(s) of research interest should they be admitted to this program (250-word maximum). Applicants will also be required to list the name(s) of one (1) or more Health Professions Education supervisors, in order of preference, who they would like to supervise their area of research interest(s). Applicants should ensure their preferred supervisor has listed expertise in their chosen area of research interest.
- Personal Statement (2-page maximum, double-spaced) in APA style. Please include the following information:
- Reasons for applying
- Career objectives
- Any additional relevant information about yourself that you wish to bring to the attention of the admissions committee. This may include your personal trajectory, personal challenges along your scholastic journey, experiences or challenges you've encountered related to identity. Note that students who identify as being part of a minority group are encouraged to self-identify to facilitate access to any applicable financial aid and/or awards, as part of McGill's Equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) mandate. All personal data submitted will be kept confidential and used only for operational decision-making.
- English Language Proficiency Test Score (if applicable): Please arrange for test scores (TOEFL, IELTS) to be sent to McGill directly from the testing agency. You must indicate the McGill University institution code: 0935.
Application Deadlines
- Fall Admission: December 1
What to Expect After Submitting your Application
Recommended candidates will receive a "Recommendation of Acceptance" email by April, confirming that their application has been reviewed and is being transmitted to McGill's Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (GPS). Successful candidates will be contacted via email with an official offer of admission. Candidates are then required to confirm their acceptance via their Graduate Applicant Portal. Kindly note that acceptance deferrals are not typically granted except under extraordinary circumstances.
