History of the Department

Why should you choose to study in Educational Psychology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln?
In a word: experience.

Our department has been in existence since 1908. We are one of the founding departments of the College.

As a student in Educational Psychology, you'll find faculty who are ready to assist you in developing your talents and achieving your academic and professional goals. Our department is an eclectic mixture of nationally recognized academic researchers and teachers working within our four specializations:

We invite you to explore our graduate specializations and contact us for additional information.

The University of Nebraska - Lincoln was chartered in 1869 and opened its doors in 1871. In 1896 the Federal Commissioner of Education listed almost 200 institutions offering work in pedagogy, typically in Normal Schools but also in departments at Universities.

The University of Nebraska - Lincoln was one of the institutions on the Commissioner's list. The University listed courses in pedagogy as far back as 1888. Over the next twenty years the area of education grew and culminated with the founding of Teachers College in 1908.

The College was founded with five departments. These departments were the Department of Education headed by Professor Luckey (one of G. Stanley Hall’s students), the Department of Secondary Education, the Department of Educational Theory and Practice, the Department of Agricultural Education, and the Department of Educational Psychology headed by Professor Wolfe (one of Professor Wundt’s students). (Professor Wolfe also founded the Department of Philosophy and was instrumental in the establishment of the Department of Psychology in 1941.) As such, the Department of Educational Psychology is one of the founding departments of Teachers College and the only one that remains with its name intact. Other notables in the history of the Department are Royce Ronning, Don Clifton (Gallup), Warren Baller, Dean Worchester, Barbara Plake, and Terry Gutkin. In 2003 the College of Human Resources and Family Studies and the Teachers College were combined to form the College of Education and Human Sciences.

Old Teachers College
Teachers College founded 1908. Photo circa 1919.