School Psychology -- Certification Program
The professional training program in school psychology subscribes to the scientist-practitioner model and prepares individuals to engage in a broad range of activities as psychologists in schools and other educational settings.
Students may enroll in the school psychology certification program at pre-doctoral or the doctoral level. At the pre-doctoral level, students need to complete the M.Ed. or M.S.Ed. in Educational Psychology and the Ed.S. degree in School Psychology. Students interested in obtaining the doctoral degree may apply to the doctoral program upon completion of the master's degree. (Please also see information about the Educational Psychology Doctoral Program/School Psychology Option on page 118 of the catalog.) Students in both the pre-doctoral and the doctoral levels must apply to the School Psychology certification program and complete all School Psychology certification requirements to be eligible for the state of Illinois School Psychology certification.
Individuals who have completed a B.A. or B.S. degree in psychology, education, or a related field apply first to the School Psychology program and to the M.Ed. or M.S.Ed. degree in Educational Psychology. Please see Entrance Requirements below for information about applying to the School Psychology program at both the master's and educational specialist level. Upon completion of the master's requirements, students submit an application to the Ed.S. degree. Students may enroll in Ed.S. level courses only after admission to the Ed.S. degree.
Individuals who apply to the School Psychology program after having completed a master's degree in education, psychology or a related field do not need to complete another master's degree. They apply directly to the Ed.S. degree. However, individuals who did not complete their master's level studies at our School Psychology program will still need to take all courses required for School Psychology certification. The School Psychology program coordinator evaluates their transcripts and may approve prior course work as meeting the School Psychology program's requirements if they are equivalent in content and if they have been taken within ten years of admission. Exception to this may be granted if the individual has taken courses more than ten years prior to admission, but has maintained his or her knowledge in the content area through on-going work, Undergraduate level courses will not be accepted as meeting the School Psychology program requirement.
All students must complete a research thesis as part of the School Psychology certification program. Students who completed a research thesis in other programs or institutions may submit it to the program for review. A prior thesis will be accepted if it meets the School Psychology certification program's thesis requirements.
After admission to the School Psychology certification program, students meet with their advisor to complete the School Psychology Certification Requirements form and the Graduate Study Plan. Both the School Psychology Certification Requirements form, and the Graduate Study Plan must be signed by the student, the student's advisor, and the coordinator of the school psychology program. Waivers and substitutions for required School Psychology certification program courses must be approved by the coordinator of the School Psychology program. Students work closely with their advisors in planning their program to assure that it meets both degree and School Psychology certification requirements.
Entrance Requirements
Applicants to the School Psychology certification program need to submit the following application materials:
- Completed application
- Scores from the General Aptitude Section of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) taken within the last five years
- Letters of recommendation
- Official undergraduate and graduate transcripts
Applications are reviewed by a faculty committee twice a year, in October and in February. All application documents, including the GRE scores, must be received by the Graduate Admissions Office by the October 1 and February 1 application deadlines
Residency Policies
Students may attend the School Psychology certification program on a full- or part-time basis. A full-time course of study in School Psychology consists of two years (including summers) of course work and practical and one academic-year-long, full-time internship. Students enrolling in part-time studies complete their course work in three to four years prior to undertaking a full-year, full-time internship. All students work closely with their advisors to design an approved course sequence in accordance with guidelines provided in the School Psychology handbook.
Retention Policies
Students who receive two or more " C " or lower grades will be dropped from the program. Students may appeal such decisions to the Graduate Admission and Retention Council.
School Psychology Certification Requirements
Psychological Foundations 15 SH
EPS5001 Contemporary Survey of Child Development 2
EPS5031 Neuropsychology of Behavior and Learning
EPS5071 Abnormal Psychology 3
EPS517 Theory and Research in Personality and Social Psychology 3
EPS541 Cognition and Instruction 2
EPD648 Human Development: Adulthood or 3
EPD649 Human Development: Adolescence or 3
EPD650 Human Development: Infancy & Early Childhood 3
Educational Foundations 7-8 SH
FND504 History and Philosophy of Education 2
SPE500 Introduction to Exceptional Children and Adolescents 3
Methods Course 2-3
Interventions/Problem-Solving 19 SH
EPS520 Theories and Practices of Guidance and Counseling 3
EPS530 Diagnostic Testing/Individual Educational Assessment 3
EPS531 Assessment of Personality 1 3
EPS532 Assessment of Cognitive Abilities 3
EPS535 Assessment of Infants and Preschool Children/School Psychology 3
EPS539 Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention in Schools 2
EPS561 Theory and Practice of School-Based Consultation 2
Statistics and Research Methodologies 8 SH
ESR506 Graduate Research: Interpretive/Critical 2
ESR507 Graduate Research: Empirical/Quantitative 2
EPS599 Thesis in Educational Psychology 4
Professional School Psychology, Practica, and Internship 19SH
EPS540 Introductory Seminar in School Psychology 2
EPS593 Legal and Professional Issues in School Psychology 2
EPS562a,b,c Practicum in School Psychology 1: Reflective
Observation of School Practices (1 sh each) 3
EPS562d,e,f Practicum in School Psychology 11:
Integrating Clinical Services (2 sh each) 6
EPS590* Internship in School Psychology 6
*Internship
Each student must complete the equivalent of one academic-year-long, full-time internship in an approved site as a school psychologist. This may be completed as one year of full-time activity or two consecutive years of half-time activity. The intern is supervised by an approved on-site supervisor and a faculty member from the School Psychology program. The internship occurs at the completion of the program sequence as the culminating experience. The intern, in conjunction with the on-site supervisor and the university faculty supervisor, writes the internship plan outlining the internship experience.
M.Ed. Course Requirements for Students
In the School Psychology Program 34SH
FND504 Perspectives on Contemporary Issues 2
ESR506 Graduate Research: Interpretive/Critical 2
ESR507 Graduate Research: Empirical/Quantitative 2
EPS500 Contemporary Survey of Child Development 2
EPS503 Neuropsychology of Behavior and Learning 2
EPS507 Abnormal Psychology 3
EPS517 Theory and Research in Personality and Social Psychology 3
EPS530 Diagnostic Testing/Individual Education Assessment 3
EPS532 Assessment of Cognitive Abilities 3
EPS535 Assessment of Infant and Preschool Children 3
EPS539 Cognitive-Behavioral Interventions in Schools 2
EPS540 Introductory Seminar in School Psychology 2
EPS541 Cognition and Instruction 2
EPS562a,b,c, Practicum in School psychology 1: Reflective
Observations of School Practices (1 each) 3
Ed.S. Degree Requirements 34-35SH
SPE500 Introduction to Exceptional Children and Adolescents 3
EPD648 Human Development: Adulthood or 3
EPD649 Human Development: Adolescence or 3
EPD650 Human Development: Infancy and Early Childhood 3
EPS520 Theories and Practices of Guidance and Counseling 3
EPS531 Assessment of Personality 1 3
EPS561 Theory and Practice of School-Based Consultation 2
EPS562d,e,f Practicum in School Psychology 11:
Integrating Clinical Services (2 sh each) 6
EPS593 Legal and Professional Issues in School Psychology 2
EPS599 Thesis in Educational Psychology 4
Methods course 2-3
EPS590* Internship in School Psychology 6
*Internship: Please see the School Psychology Certification Program section above for a description of the Internship.
