Academic Areas & Divisions

Educational Psychology

School Psychology

Program Overview | Application Procedures | Degree Program Overviews | Financial Assistance | School Psychology Faculty

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Overview

School psychologists assess, consult, and provide prevention and direct intervention services for school learning, behavior and mental health problems. The graduate program in School Psychology at the University of Washington stresses the expanded role of the school psychologist beyond testing for special education and offers formal course work and practica in assessment, consultation and intervention/counseling. In addition, the program is grounded in the scientist practitioner model and offers a strong background in the scientific foundations for the practice of school psychology as well as training in applying current research knowledge and theory to educational practice.

The University of Washington’s School Psychology Specialization is a program within the Educational Psychology Area of the College of Education. The Masters degree program (M.Ed.) is approved by the State of Washington and meets requirements for initial certification (Educational Staff Associate) as a school psychologist in Washington. The Masters Program also has approval from the National Association of School Psychologists; graduates qualify for national certification as a school psychologist. The Doctoral degree program (Ph.D.) is APA-accredited and NASP-approved and meets requirements for licensure as a psychologist and for college teaching and research positions. The masters program also serves as the first three years of the doctoral program for those who pursue advanced study. Only students who have completed requirements for a masters degree or certification in school psychology are admitted to the doctoral program. We encourage practicing school psychologists in other states to come to Washington state for graduate study.

Application Procedures

Admission to our graduate degree programs is competitive with space limited by faculty size and resources. For application materials and more information, please consult the COE Admissions web page which explains the process, and also provides the opportunity to enter your application online.

Financial Assistance

The College of Education endeavors to provide some financial support for graduate students, especially doctoral students, though the availability of resources is limited. Specific information on paid appointments, amounts or stipends, application procedures and deadlines is available from the Office of Student Services. Doctoral students support themselves through part time work in the schools or research assistantships on faculty research projects when they are available.

Degree Program Overviews

Masters of Education

(For a complete overview of the M.Ed. degree program, click here)

The course of study leading to a masters degree with a specialization in School Psychology is a 3-year program. In the first year students take courses in the scientific foundations for the practice of school psychology:

human learning,
development during early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence,
personality theory,
individual differences,
multicultural issues,
families
research methods, and
statistics.

In addition, they take courses that introduce them to the:

field of school psychology,
ethical, legal, and professional standards of practice, and
consultation (indirect service delivery) and interdisciplinary collaboration.
group and behavioral intervention

The second year is designed as an integrated on-site practicum experience at the University in which students provide direct and indirect services (birth to 21) under the supervision of the University faculty. Students learn to:

administer and interpret intellectual, cognitive, academic, and neuropsychological tests,
assess social and emotional functioning and adaptive behavior,
interview parents, children, and teachers,
observe children in the classroom,
test clinical hypotheses,
generate recommendations for interventions,
write psychological reports,
provide oral feedback and consultation, and
counsel individual children and their parents.

The entire third year is designed as a field-based internship in the schools where interns are supervised by certified school psychologists but also receive additional supervision once a week at the University. Altogether the program requires 118 credit hours.

Doctor of Philosophy

(For a complete overview of the Ph.D. degree program, click here)

The Ph.D. program has been accredited by the American Psychological Association since 1992 and approved by the National Association of School Psychologists since 1995. It is designed to prepare school psychologists for leadership roles in:

school settings
graduate training programs in school psychology
teaching hospitals and other health agencies providing outpatient services for patients with school-related problems
research settings where investigations are conducted related to learning, development, and behavior of school-aged children.

Altogether the program requires approximately 100 credit hours beyond the Masters degree and takes approximately four years to complete. The requirements consist of:

Course work in the biological bases of behavior, the cognitive/affective bases of behavior, the social bases of behavior, individual differences, measurement, statistics, research design, professional writing, the history of psychology, and neuropsychological and personality assessment
Research and inquiry seminars and formal presentations
General examination in the area of specialization, two cognates (area of interest to the individual student), and an area of specialization outside education
Continuous conduct of research and scholarly inquiry culminating in a dissertation
One year internship in school or mental health setting

Each student works under the close supervision of a committee chaired by a faculty advisor who is a Core or Collaborating Faculty member in School Psychology. A Core Faculty member serves on all committees chaired by a Collaborating Faculty member. Core Faculty teach professional preparation courses in assessment, consultation, and intervention for school psychologists. Collaborating Faculty teach courses in the scientific foundations of school psychology.

Core Faculty

Janine Jones

Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin, 1999

jjones2@u.washington.edu

James Mazza
Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, 1993
Coordinator of School Psychology Program
mazza@u.washington.edu

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At A Glance

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Giving

Academic Areas & Divisions

Educational Psychology

School Psychology

Resources

Overview

Application Procedures

Financial Assistance

Degree Program Overviews

Masters of Education

Doctor of Philosophy

Core Faculty

Educational Psychology

Faculty