Master of Education in Developmental Psychology & Education

Coursework

Students must complete 5.0 full-course equivalents (FCEs), or 10 half courses as follows:

• APD1200H Foundations of Human Development and Education (0.5 FCE).
• APD2293H Interpretation of Educational Research (0.5 FCE).
• 2.0 additional FCEs (4 half courses) must be selected from the department electives list located on the Applied Psychology and Human Development program guidelines.
• The remaining 2.0 elective FCEs (4 half courses) may be taken from within or outside the department. Elective courses must be chosen in consultation with the student's faculty advisor. Students are asked to meet with their faculty advisor in the first session of their program.

Did you know you can choose your electives based on certain areas within DPE?

• Mental Health & Education 
• Education & Special Education
• Mind, Brain, Development and Research in APHD

Collaborative Specializations provide students with the opportunity to explore a novel interdisciplinary area or special development that crosses a number of disciplines. 

Collaborative specializations are available with the MEd in Developmental Psychology & Education with the following programs. All collaborative specializations must be approved by the department:

• Educational Policy
  • For students interested in the factors associated with educational policy development and implementation, particularly focusing on developing strategies for improving educational processes. Please note: Effective September 2023, admissions to the Collaborative Specialization in Educational Policy (CSEP) have been suspended due to the CSEP closure (approved by OISE Council on April 26, 2023).

Below is a list of the departmental electives available for students in the DPE MEd program.

Please click on the course code to access course descriptions. 

Course Exemptions:
All course exemptions requests must be pre-approved from a DPE MEd Faculty Advisor. Once a course exemption has been approved by a DPE MEd Faculty Advisor and after the replacement course(s) is/are complete, students must fill in a course exemption form. This course exemption form should be forwarded to their DPE MEd Faculty Advisor for review and signature before it is submitted to the ROSE for final approval and processing.
 

For course descriptions and schedules, please see the OISE Bulletin and the OISE Registrar's Office Course Information and Schedules.

*These courses require permission of instructor for enrolment by DPE MEd students.

Learn about the Research Practicum Course 

Learn about the Academic & Language Foundations Course APD1274H (formally APD5020H).

DPE MEd students will be able to choose the Program Evaluation Emphasis. The Program Evaluation (PE) emphasis will encourage an exploration of program evaluation used in education, psychology, and social sciences. PE is a systematic analysis of the process, effectiveness, and outcomes of programs. 

Learn more about the Program Evaluation Emphasis.

Is there a date to start this program for the winter term? 
No, the DPE MEd program only starts in the Fall term, there’s no winter start date. 

Is there a part-time option for this program?
Yes, students can choose part-time or full-time registration status and choose maximum course load based on your registration status. See OISE Office of the Registrar and Student Services for maximum course load.

How do students gain supervisors?
The DPE MEd program is a non-thesis degree so you do not have a supervisor that you work one on one with. Instead you have a Faculty Advisor that you can speak with if you have questions regarding program requirements, course selection etc.

Do you need to have a degree in Psychology?
No, the minimum admission requirements for this program is an appropriate honours bachelor’s degree (4-year) in psychology or equivalent with standing equivalent to a University of Toronto mid-B or better in the final year or over senior courses.

If unable to provide an academic reference, would two professional ones work instead? 
While a minimum of two letters of reference – one academic and one professional – should be included in your application, sometimes applicants experience difficulty obtaining a letter of reference. For example, if you graduated many years ago and have since not been active in an academic setting you may be unable to call upon a university instructor with whom you studied. You're strongly encouraged to obtain one academic and one professional letter of reference, but you may submit an alternative combination such as two reference letters from a professional source. Tip: for two professional letters direct the most suitable referee to include comments pertaining to your intellectual abilities and potential. 

Is the MEd for teachers only?
No, you do not need be a certified teacher to apply. We have many of our students who do not have a teaching degree applying to the DPE MEd program.

How does the funding work for the MEd program?
The DPE MEd program is a non-funded degree. You pay your registration based on the registration status you choose; either full-time or part-time registration. 

Can you switch to PT or FT half way?
Yes, you can request to change your registration status from PT to FT or FT to PT. You must contact your Registration Specialist in the OISE Office of the Registrar and Student Services and make the request to change your registration status. Please keep in mind that changing your registration status will affect your registration fees; contact your Registration Specialist of details: oise.registration@utoronto.ca.

What is considered PT course load and what is the approximate length of time it would take to take this program part-time, if full-time is 1.5 years. DPE MEd Program Length 4 sessions full-time (typical registration sequence: F/W/S/F); 10 sessions part-time.

How does the collaborative specialization work? 
The Collaborative Specialization in Educational Policy serves students interested in developing an understanding of the factors associated with educational policy development and implementation, with particular emphasis on developing theoretical and practical strategies for improving educational processes. The collaborative specialization's intellectual objectives include providing students with exposure to cross-field and cross disciplinary approaches to educational problem framing and problem solving in order to broaden the possibilities for innovative and effective policy analysis; helping students understand how to apply theoretical concepts to particular social and educational problems in particular settings; and understanding the broader social, institutional, and policy contexts within which educational policy processes occur.

There are two required courses and an annual lecture series. Upon successful completion of the degree requirements of the participating home graduate unit and the collaborative specialization, students will receive the notation "Completed Collaborative Specialization in Educational Policy" on their transcript.

Program Chair: Dr. Anne-Claude Bedard & Dr. Michel Ferrari

Program Faculty: Dr. Esther Geva; Dr. Angela Pyle; Dr. Chloe Hamza; Dr. Eunice Jang; Dr. Kaja Jasinska; Dr. Lisa Dack; Dr. Michel Ferrari; Dr. Patricia Ganea; Dr. Zachary Hawes; Dr. Alexandra Makos; Dr. Rhonda Martinussen; Dr. Michal Perlman; Dr. Tracy Solomon; Dr. Richard Volpe; Dr. Mahshid Azimi-Bolourian; Dr. Kang Lee; Dr. Anne-Claude Bedard; Dr. Linda Iwenofu; Dr. Earl Woodruff; Dr. Cynthia Waugh; Dr. Becky Chen; Dr. Mark Wade; Dr. Jennifer Jenkins, Dr. Todd Cunningham; Dr. J Garrett-Walker; Dr. Steven Katz; Dr. Yiola Cleovoulou