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Studies & Degrees in Educational Psychology

Educational psychology studies how people learn and develop, and how teaching, schools and families can support that process. It draws on developmental, cognitive and social psychology and applies them to education: learning difficulties, disability, giftedness, motivation, assessment, guidance and the design of instruction. The Universidad Autónoma de Madrid describes the aim of its master's degree in the field as analysing development and learning processes in depth in order to be able to intervene in them, in formal and informal educational settings.

In Spain and much of Latin America a closely related field is called psicopedagogía (psychopedagogy). It brings together educational psychology, school guidance, curriculum advice and special education, as the Universidad de Sevilla puts it.

Qualifications and levels

Educational psychology is mostly a postgraduate specialism. Students first complete a bachelor's degree, typically in psychology or in education, and then specialise.

Spain. An official bachelor's degree (grado) has 240 ECTS credits over four years; the Grado en Psicología of the Universidad de Navarra is one example. Official master's degrees have 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits. Examples from the universities' own pages:

  • Máster en Psicología de la Educación, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid: 90 ECTS credits over a year and a half, taught in Spanish on campus, 40 places and 300 hours of placements. It gives access to a doctorate and has tracks in early intervention, children and adolescents at risk, learning and instructional design, and disabilities and learning difficulties.
  • Máster Universitario en Psicología de la Educación, Universidad de Murcia: 90 ECTS credits over three semesters, blended learning, 15 places, with a professional and a research profile.
  • Máster Universitario en Psicopedagogía, Universidad de Sevilla: 60 credits in one year. The university presents it as the successor of the former Licenciatura de Psicopedagogía.
  • Máster universitario en Psicopedagogía, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC): 60 ECTS credits, fully online, in Spanish or Catalan.

North America. The specialism is taught in faculties of education at graduate level. McGill University in Montreal lists M.A. programmes in Educational Psychology (Human Development, Learning Sciences), M.Ed. programmes such as Inclusive Education, and Ph.D. programmes including School/Applied Child Psychology. In the United States, the Bureau of Labor Statistics states that school psychologists typically need at least a master's degree in school psychology, and that in most states practising psychology or using the title of psychologist requires a licence.

Costs in Spain

Public prices are set by each region and charged per credit. The Universidad de Sevilla lists €13.68 per credit for its psychopedagogy master's degree, €820.80 in total. The Universidad Autónoma de Madrid gives an approximate price of €4,087 for its 90-credit master's degree at first enrolment, and €7,601 for non-resident students from outside the EU. Confirm the current amount with the university before applying.

Where to study

SpainExchange lists 22 active schools for educational psychology: 11 in Spain, six in the United States, and one each in Canada, New Zealand, Denmark, Ethiopia and Russia. In Spain the list includes the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, the Universidad de Murcia, the Universidad de Sevilla, the Universidad de Almería, the Universidad de Huelva, the Universidad de La Laguna and the Universidad de Navarra. Abroad it includes McGill University, Massey University, Aarhus University, Temple University, Texas Tech University, Wayne State University and the University of Minnesota. Programmes in Spain are taught mainly in Spanish; those in North America and New Zealand in English.

Careers and recognition

Graduates work in school guidance services, early intervention teams, learning support and special education, educational assessment, instructional design and research. What a qualification allows you to do depends on the country and on your first degree:

  • In Spain, teaching posts in secondary education, vocational training and language schools require a bachelor's degree plus an official one-year teaching master's degree of 60 credits. The UOC warns that the career options of its psychopedagogy master's degree are determined by the bachelor's degree used for admission, and that students should check with the education department of their region.
  • Whether a master's degree in this field allows you to practise as a psychologist depends on national rules. Ask the university and the professional body of the country what the qualification allows.
  • Recognition abroad follows each country's law. The UOC notes that the validity of its official degrees outside Spain is determined by the education laws of each country.

For the United States, the Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 64,000 school psychologists in 2025 and projects employment of psychologists as a whole to grow 6 percent from 2025 to 2035.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a psychology degree to study educational psychology?

It depends on the programme. Each university sets its own admission rules, so check which bachelor's degrees it accepts. The UOC warns that the career options of its psychopedagogy master's degree depend on the bachelor's degree used for admission.

What is the difference between educational psychology and psychopedagogy?

They overlap. Educational psychology is a branch of psychology; psychopedagogy, the term used in Spain and Latin America, combines it with school guidance, curriculum advice and special education.

How long does a master's degree take in Spain?

One year for a 60-credit master's degree and a year and a half for a 90-credit one, after a four-year bachelor's degree.

Can I study it online?

Yes. The Universitat Oberta de Catalunya teaches its psychopedagogy master's degree fully online, and the Universidad de Murcia uses a blended format.