Program Overview

School psychologists help children and youth succeed academically, socially, and emotionally. They collaborate with educators, parents, and other professionals to create safe, healthy, and supportive learning environments for all students that strengthen connections between home and school.

The 60-credit M.S.Ed. Program in School Psychology provides students with core knowledge and skills necessary to work in today’s schools. Specifically our program has outlined eleven competencies based on those competencies laid out by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). Those include: data-based decision-making; consultation and collaboration; effective instruction; socialization and the development of life-skills; student diversity in development and learning; school and systems organization; policy development and the development of appropriate school climate; prevention, crisis intervention and mental health interventions; home-school collaboration; research and program evaluation; individualized professional development; and information technology. Our 60-credit MSED Program in School Psychology is registered with the New York State Education Department as satisfying the educational requirements for provisional certification as a school psychologist.

In addition to the requirements for the general School Psychology degree, students may elect to take one or both of two specializations, each of which entails another 6 credits of course work:

• Early Childhood Specialization prepares school psychologists to work with infants, toddlers and preschoolers and their families. This sequence consists of two three-credit courses: one that covers the administration and interpretation of infant assessment instruments, and one that explores current theory and research in infant development. This specialization does not lead to a separate New York State certification, but is designed to help our graduate students acquire the knowledge base and practical skills for working with a particularly sensitive population.
• Bilingual Specialization prepares school psychologists to work with linguistically diverse children and their families. It includes two three-credit courses: a course in bilingual education and a course in bilingual assessment. Students who wish to be certified as bilingual school psychologists must also receive passing scores on the Bilingual Education Assessment Test (BEA) of the New York State Teacher Certification Exams (NYSTCE), or the previously administered Target Language Proficiency Assessment (TLPA).