Doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.)
The doctoral program in school psychology, accredited by
APA and NASP/NCATE, is broadly conceived to prepare leaders
in the field who will be able to apply the principles of
educational psychology, psychology, and child psychology to
the professional practice of school psychology within school
and community settings.
A total of eight to ten students are accepted into the
doctoral program each year. The majority of students who are
admitted to the Ph.D. program major in educational
psychology (Department of Educational Psychology).
Approximately one student per year is admitted into the
program through the Institute of Child Development and,
generally, one student per year is admitted through the
Psychology Department of the College of Liberal Arts.
The student's major dictates the nature of some academic
coursework, prelim exam requirements, and other policies
regarding graduate status and candidacy for degrees.
Irrespective of major, all doctoral students within the
school psychology program share core program requirements
while also provided opportunities to develop their areas
of specialization and interest by drawing on resources
across departments. The Ph.D. program in school psychology,
including coursework, field placement experiences, and
research experience, is designed to develop leaders in
program development, consultation, and research and
evaluation.
The doctoral program, generally involving five years of
graduate study including a full year of internship, accepts
students with undergraduate training in psychology, child
psychology, special education, education, other social
sciences, and the biological sciences. Experiences in public
school teaching or other educational specialty areas
also are characteristic of some students' backgrounds. An
attempt is made to select persons of promise for the field
of school psychology, both for university training and
research positions and for high level professional positions in
the field, who are committed to facilitating the process of
educational change within schools and other community
settings and promoting the educational and developmental
competence of children and youth.
General information
| Time to completion |
5-6 years |
| Program costs |
Resident |
Non-resident |
| |
Per credit: $811.67
6-14 credits: $4,870.00
Each credit over 14: $811.67 |
Per credit: $1403.17
6-14 credits: $8,419.00
Each over 14: $1403.17 |
| Internships |
Obtained internships: 100%
Obtained paid internships: 100%
Obtained APPIC internships: TBA
Obtained APA/CPA accredited internships: TBA
Obtained internships conforming to CDSPP guidelines:
100%
Obtained two half-year internships: 1% |
| Attrition |
11.71 |
| Licensure |
TBA |
Program areas
The program of study and field experiences includes the
following areas:
- General psychology background
- Developmental
psychology, normal patterns of development, and
psychopathology of childhood and adolescence
- Psychology
of human learning, cognition, and motivation
- Personality
theories and social psychology (including cultural
diversity)
- Individual differences, behavior genetics,
and biological bases of behaviors
- History and systems
of psychology
- Techniques of psychological practice
- Assessment
procedures, including the ecological study of community,
home, and school; classroom behavior observation;
individual psychoeducational testing; social-emotional
appraisal; and the study of interpersonal and group
behaviors including family interactions
- Intervention
techniques including systems intervention and school
consultation, program development, early childhood
intervention and preventive mental health interventions,
and alternative educational programming
- Research
skills
- Theory and principles of educational and
psychological measurement
- Statistics, research design,
and research methodology
- Program evaluation strategies
- Implementation
of programs of research
- Professional standards and
ethics
- Supervised practicum
- Observation of
classroom teaching and school-wide administrative
operations
- Observation and participation in special
services in the schools and in clinical and other
community services for children
- Supervised
experience in carrying out diagnostic studies of children
and youth
- Supervised experience in implementing
child and system-oriented intervention procedures
including academic and social-emotional programming
inservice, and preventive programs
- Consultation
involving school personnel at varying levels
- Supervised research experience which may be taken as an
optional practicum, in lieu of or in addition to the
clinically oriented practicum
- Supervised teaching
and clinical supervision experiences at the college level
- Internship experiences
A minimum of 2,000 hours of
supervised internship in an approved placement
Urban Education Initiative
The College of Education and Human Development has initiated a focus on
urban education issues, both in research and coursework opportunities.
Students in the school psychology program have an opportunity to
specialize in psychological service delivery in urban education
settings.
The program has close
ties with both the Minneapolis and St. Paul school
districts, which are ethnically diverse. In fact, the
student population for both districts is over 50% nonwhite.
Between the districts, school psychology students have an
opportunity for field experiences with individuals (students
and staff) from African-American, Asian-American,
Euro-American, Hispanic, and Native American backgrounds.
The heterogeneity of the schools within the districts is
illustrated by the fact that in 1995, St. Paul elementary
schools' nonwhite population ranged from 34% to 68%.
In
addition, field experiences with ethnic and cultural
diversity are not restricted to the urban school districts.
School districts in the metro area are becoming increasingly
diverse, which provides additional opportunities for our
students to develop their competence in working with diverse
student populations.
Additionally, current research at the
University of Minnesota provides much experience with
students and parents from diverse ethnic and cultural
backgrounds. Because of the close ties between the school
psychology program and the St. Paul and Minneapolis school
districts and the commitment of the College to urban
education, applicants interested in cultural and ethnic
diversity will find many exciting opportunities at the
University of Minnesota.
Resources available through the Graduate School
Graduate Student Handbook
Doctoral degree requirements for graduation
The degree program form can be downloaded from this page.
Registration, readmission and change of status
Ph.D. dissertation
samples
You will find the thesis titles of previous graduates in the
School Psychology Student
Handbook [.pdf].
Graduate program support for students of color
|
