UKZN’s Educational Psychology programme is designed to transform our understanding of learning, development, and psychosocial support in educational settings. The Master’s in Educational Psychology trains students to assess, diagnose, and intervene in learning and behavioural difficulties, while being sensitive to the multiple intersecting challenges that affect children and adolescents, such as domestic instability, hunger, loss, violence, or discrimination. Students are taught to view the learner not as a problem to be fixed, but as a developing human being embedded in a web of family, school, community, and cultural history. This programme draws heavily on the biopsychosocial model, allowing Educational Psychologists to work at the intersection of emotional, cognitive, environmental, and cultural factors. Students develop skills in psychometric assessment, systemic consultation, intervention planning, teacher support, and inclusive education strategies.

Graduates are eligible for registration with the HPCSA and work in schools, education departments, child welfare settings, clinics, and private practice. They also lead research, training, and advocacy efforts to build just, affirming, and enabling educational environments, often pursuing PhDs in developmental psychology, psychoeducation, or child and adolescent well-being.

Students complete a defined sequence of core modules, a dissertation, and a full-year internship. The following modules are on offer:

Year 1

• Psychological Interventions: African and Global Approaches (16C)
• Psychology of Personality & Abnormal Behaviour (16C)
• Assessment in Psychological Practice (16C)
• Community Interventions in Professional Psychology (16C)
• Theory & Practice of Educational Psychology (32C)
• Research Methods in Psychology (16C)

Year 1 and 2: Short Dissertation: Educational Psychology (96c)

Year 2: Internship Module (Non-Credit Bearing)