PsyD Program Requirements
The PsyD program in School-Community Psychology is designed to take at least four years of full-time study for both beginning and advanced-standing students. Advanced students are given transfer credit based on an individual analysis of their prior graduate academic record, as shown on official transcripts. The median length of time to complete the program is 4.2 years. This time frame includes course completion, field experiences, and research requirements.
One hundred (100) semester hours are required to earn the PsyD in School-Community Psychology, with a cumulative grade point average of B or better. Students must maintain a B average each semester, receive no more than one grade of C per semester, and receive no more than three Cs in total toward the PsyD, or the student may be dropped from the program. All instances involving program termination can be appealed. The appeals process is detailed in the PsyD Student Manual. Candidates receiving a D in a course will be placed on probation, and a remedial plan will be developed. A grade of F in any course in the program is grounds for termination.
The PsyD Program in School-Community Psychology follows a Scholar-Practitioner Model and, as such, has significant field placement and research requirements. Students in the PsyD Program participate in school-based practica, specialty clinics, on-campus clinic (Psychological Evaluation, Research and Counseling Center, externships, and a one-year pre-doctoral school psychology internship. Completing the PsyD in School-Community Psychology requires a satisfactory performance evaluation at all practica, externships, specialty clinics, and school internships. Our evaluation process is fair and transparent, ensuring that all students have an equal opportunity to demonstrate their skills and knowledge. See the section on Field Experiences for more details.
Students must complete two research projects as part of the PsyD Program in School-Community Psychology. The Second Year Research Project is an original empirical study completed by PsyD Students working in pairs under the guidance of a research supervisor, who provides support and ensures the quality of the study. The dissertation is the second research requirement for the PsyD program in School-Community Psychology. All dissertations are unique empirical studies designed to contribute meaningfully to the science of school or community psychology.
The doctoral qualifying examination is taken at the end of the third year of the PsyD Program. All sections of the doctoral qualifying examination must be passed. The qualifying exam is a multiple-essay test covering assessment, interventions, childhood exceptionalities (psychopathology), consultation, community psychology, statistics, research methodology (program evaluation), and ethics. All sections of the doctoral qualifying examination must be passed. In addition, students must sit for the school psychology praxis examination as part of their qualifying examination. Information about the Praxis Test can be found at https://praxis.ets.org/test/5403.html.
For students who experience difficulty with program requirements, remediation plans are implemented to assist them with their challenges.
Students with documented reports of unethical or unprofessional conduct may be terminated from the PsyD Program School-Community Psychology.
Plan of Study
Following is a listing of the courses required for completion of the PsyD degree. The typical student requires approximately 4.5 years to complete the program, including the oral defense of their doctoral dissertation. A number of students have completed the program in four years. We carefully select motivated and capable students and, as such, our graduation rate exceeds 90%.
FIRST YEAR (32 credits)
| Fall | Spring |
|---|---|
| 201 Graduate Statistics I (3 s.h.) | 202 Graduate Statistics II (3 s.h.) |
| 227 Interviewing and Counseling in Professional Psychology (3 s.h.) | 220 Consultation in Schools and Health Service Settings (3 s.h.) |
| 231 Theory and Practice of Intellectual Evaluation (3 s.h.) | 232 Intellectual, Academic, and Vocational Evaluation (3 s.h.) |
| 253 Advanced Developmental Psychology (3 s.h.) | 254 Psychology of the Exceptional Child (3 s.h.) |
| 258A Social Psychology and the School System (3 s.h.) | 245 Practicum Supervision Course I, continued (1 s.h.) |
| 244 Practicum Supervision Course I (1 s.h.) | 251 Fundamentals of School Psychology ( 3s.h.) |
| Winter | |
|---|---|
| 274 Ethics and Professional Practices in Psychology (2 s.h.) | |
SECOND YEAR (29 credits)
| Fall | Spring |
|---|---|
| Summer I | |
| 210 Current Literature in Psychology (3 s.h.) | 207 Cognition and Perception (3 s.h.) |
| 224 Research Design for Health Service Programs (3 s.h.) | 223 Research Design II (3 s.h.) |
| 233 Assessment and Intervention Strategies (3 s.h.) | 240 Personality Assessment (3 s.h.) |
| 280 Community Intervention Programs (3 s.h.) | 275 Cross-Cultural and Ethnic Issues in Psychology (3 s.h.) |
| 246 Practicum Supervision Course II (1 s.h.) | 247 Practicum Supervision Course II, continued (1 s.h.) |
| 251 Special Topics (1 s.h.) | |
| PsyD candidates begin assessments at PERCC and continue through summer and fall of the third year. | |
THIRD YEAR (24 credits)
| Fall | Spring |
|---|---|
| 349 Community Externship and Supervision I (3 s.h.) | 350 Community Internship and Supervision II (3 s.h.) |
| 257 Psychology of the Emotionally Disturbed Child (3 s.h.) | 214 Neural Bases of Behavior (3 s.h.) |
| 269 Psychology and the Criminal Justice System (3 s.h.) | 282 Preventive Mental Health (3 s.h.) |
| Elective (3 s.h.) | 601 Dissertation Seminar (3 s.h.) |
| QUALIFYING EXAMINATION | |
FOURTH YEAR (15 credits)
| Fall | Spring |
|---|---|
| 602 Dissertation Proposal Preparation (3 s.h.) | 604 Dissertation Advisement (3 s.h.) |
| 330 School Psychological Services Internship I (3 s.h.) | 331 School Psychological Services Internship II (3 s.h.) |
| Elective (3 s.h.) |
Electives
Students are permitted to take 6 semester hours of electives from a wide variety of courses that are relevant to school-community psychology. All electives must be approved by the Program Director. Among the possible electives are the following:
- Psychology: Psychology of Addictions (PSY 213), Clinical Neuropsychology (PSY 215), Applied Behavior Analysis in Industry (PSY 218), Individual Counseling (PSY 229), Group Counseling (PSY 230), Personality Evaluation I and 11 (PSY 235, PSY 236), Special Topics Seminar (PSY 251, PSY 252), Theories of Counseling (PSY 256), Behavior Deviations (PSY 260), Psychology of Aging (PSY 263), Aging and Human Behavior (PSY 264), Advanced Workshop for Training of Group Leaders (PSY 268), Psychometric Theory (PSY 278), Surveying, Sampling, and Scaling (PSY 279), Current Theory and Research in Rehabilitation (PSY 281), Sexual Behavior and the Treatment of Sexual Disorders (PSY 285), Measurement of Work Performance (PSY 286), Training and Development (PSY 287), Work Motivation (PSY 288), Marital and Family Therapies (PSY 329), Theoretical Orientations to Human Development (PSY 353), Psychotherapy with the Deaf via Total Communication (PSY 399)
- Anthropology: Fundamentals of Anthropology (ANTH 200)
- Education: Administration and Supervision of Special Education (SPED 200), Philosophy and Principles of Vocational Rehabilitation (REHB 230), Medical Information in Rehabilitation (REHB 232), Education of the Gifted (SPED 250)
- Educational Administration: Theories and Practice of Supervision (EADM 214), Supervision of Instruction and Curriculum Development ( EADM 241), Public School Finance (EADM 243), Selected Issues in School Administration (EADM 245), Management Technology (EADM 249)
- Elementary Education: Elementary School Curriculum (FLED 227)
- Foundations of Education: Contemporary Educational Movements (FDED 210), Aesthetic Education (FDED 220), Qualitative Research Methods (FDED 222 ), Seminar on Alternative Education (FDED 244), Multicultural Education in the Metropolitan Area (FDED 248)
- Reading: Psycholinguistics, Sociolinguistics, and the Processes of Reading and Writing (READ 256)
- Rehabilitation Counseling: Philosophy and Principles of Vocational Rehabilitation (REHB 230), Medical Information in Rehabilitation (REHB 1 32 ), Sign Language I (REHB 291), Sign Language II (REHB 292)
- Secondary Education: Perspectives on Secondary Education (SED 205)
- Special Education: Administration and Supervision of Special Education (SPED 200), Introduction to Young Children with Disabilities (SPED 207), Vocational Rehabilitation (SPED 230), Nature and Needs of Students with Neurological Impairments/Learning Disabilities (SPED 246), Nature and Needs of Individuals with Physical Impairments: Psychology of the Disabled (SPED 249), Education of the Gifted (SPED 250), Education of the Disadvantaged Youth (SPED 260), Teaching in Resource Rooms (SPED 262), Issues in Infant, Toddler, Preschool, Parent, and Family Involvement Programs (SPED 310)
- Speech: Pediatric Communication Disorder (SPCH 241), Aphasia (SPCH 242), Language Disorders and Learning Disabilities (SPCH 243)
- Sociology: Sociology of Juvenile Corrections (SOC 272)