Temple University located in downtown Philadelphia is known for its great educational programs. They have a fabulous choice of Masters Programs and one of the programs is the Educational Psychology Masters of Education (Ed.M.). This Masters program is diverse and allows you to concentrate in the field of psychology within the world of education.

This Masters program is devised of two options for specialization. One option is to focus on general educational psychology, which allows the student to gain a broad concentration of psychology in education. The three main areas of learning are: learning and conceptual processes, human development, and applied data analysis and research methodology. This concentration is often used as a bridge to complete a doctoral program in psychology or other related fields.

Another option is to focus on professional development for teachers. This option is designed for current teachers who want to hone their skills in the area of educational psychology. This concentration is flexible and is catered to the each individual’s needs. Half of the course load is designed to serve the purpose of the individual with the remaining half designed to work on the same areas of concentration as the general education psychology option.

The program requirements include that each student successfully completes a minimum of 30 semester hours of course work. Each student in the educational psychology concentration must also pass an examination before obtaining their Masters degree. Those who are a part of the professional development for teachers’ concentration are required to complete a portfolio. Almost all of the courses are offered in the evening in order to allow working professionals the time and space to attend classes. You may enroll full-time or part-time, and the length of time necessary to complete this Master’s program varies depending on how many classes you take each semester.

The classes required at Temple in order to receive your Masters of Educational Psychology include a combination of core courses, psychology courses, as well as elective courses. The core courses include a total of 18 credit hours and the following classes: Introduction to Statistics and Research, Tests and Measurements, Intermediate Educational Statistics (although this class is not required for those who are in the development of teachers’ concentration), and Introduction to Research Design. Students must also take Learning Theories and Education, and Concepts in Human Development. In addition 12 credit hours of electives must be completed.

In order to apply for admission to this program you must first fill out an application from the graduate school of Temple. You must also obtain official transcripts from every post-secondary institution that you have attended. Official score reports from the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or from the Miller Analogies Test are also required. The test scores must be current, within five years of the date of application. You must also complete a written essay from two to three pages in length that outlines your specific goals and objectives for completing a Masters Degree program. Two letters of recommendation and a current professional rsum are also required.

It is no surprise to see the continued dominance of US based universities in the top 10 universities in the world. Institutions such as Harvard, Yale and MIT have become synonymous with academic superiority within the global lexicon, and have long represented the ultimate learning experience and aspiration for students in the USA and abroad.

Though not all league tables draw identical conclusions, the usual suspects are largely present in a similar order of ascension. However, one report published in September 2010 concluded that Harvard – which has long occupied the #1 spot – was second to the University of Cambridge. The QS Table addresses factors such as the quality of research, graduate employability and internationality of faculties and student bodies.

While Harvard remains on top within many other rankings – such as the Times Higher Education World University Rankings and the ARWU – it was decided that the quality of research carried out at Cambridge was unrivalled, as voted for by 15,000 academics.

Although the top position is one of a largely unchanging nature, the 99 other university rankings are subject to significant fluctuation. While the QS survey ranks Yale as number 3 overall, the ARWU does not consider the university within the top 10.

The University of Edinburgh, ranked 5th in the UK and 40th in the world by the THE, comes in at 54th within the ARWU listing, whilst it receives its best result in the QS survey where the Scottish university comes in at number 22.

The difference is in the metrics used to define the overall performance of university institutions. Whilst ARWU results are informed by a criteria of indicators and weights focusing on the academic propriety of staff – including the proportion of staff who have won a Nobel Prize or Field Medals – THE focus on the learning environment, research influence, and the international mix of staff and students.

For many secondary school students preparing to move on into further education at university, the plethora of ranking tables will serve as a benchmarking tool which will help them in their selection process. For the majority of state school pupils, the top ranking universities will seem out of their reach, if not on an academic basis then certainly on class-based perceptions of inaccessibility.