School Psychology (MA/CAGS) Program

Curriculum

This program consists of two years of coursework and a full year of internship, for a total of 66 semester credits. Students earn a Master's Degree (MA) after completing 30 or more credits, and receive the Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (CAGS) after completing the full program. Applicants with a Master’s degree in school psychology or a closely related field (e.g., clinical psychology, counseling, special education) may qualify for advanced standing.

The curriculum is designed to incorporate the 11 competency domains prescribed by the National Association of School Psychologists. The usual sequence consists of the following courses and field experiences:

Year 1—Fall Semester
Instructional Assessment and Intervention
Statistics
Life Span Development
Educating Children and Adolescents with Special Needs
Practicum I: School Environment and Educational Assessment

Year 1—Spring Semester
Psychoeducational Assessment
Behavioral Assessment, Intervention & Consultation
Psychopathology of Childhood and Adolescence
Research Methods and Program Evaluation
Practicum II: Psychoeducational Assessment and Intervention

Year 2—Summer Session
Diversity and Cross Cultural Psychology
Preventative Mental Health in the Schools

Year 2—Fall Semester
Social-Emotional Assessment
Counseling and Psychotherapy in Schools
Group Process and Group Therapy
Diversity and Cross-Cultural Psychology*
Practicum III: Clinical Practice

Year 2—Spring Semester
Legal, Ethical, and Professional Issues in School Psychology
School and Family Systems
Biological Basis of Behavior and Learning
Interest area course or directed study*
Practicum IV: Clinical Practice and Interest Area

Year 3
Internship and Seminar A
Internship and Seminar B

*Students are advised to take these courses in Year 1 Summer Semester to earn the Master’s degree after Year 1 and reduce their Year 2 course load.

Practicum activities provide opportunities to develop the skills taught in specific courses: Instructional Assessment and Intervention; Educating Children and Adolescents with Special Needs; Behavioral Assessment, Consultation, and Collaboration; Psychoeducational Assessment; Research Methods and Program Evaluation; Social-Emotional Assessment; Counseling and Psychotherapy in Schools; and Group Process and Group Therapy. For the fourth practicum, students select an area of specialization in which to develop advanced expertise.

Updated 7/13/09