School Psychology, Ed.S.

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Program Overview

The Ed.S. in School Psychology is a full-time program based in Charlottesville, VA. The program is grounded in the scientist-practitioner model of training. Graduates become nationally-certified school psychologists in preK-12 schools. An M.Ed. is earned en route to earning the Ed.S., helping fulfill national certification requirements. Graduates deliver comprehensive, culturally responsive school psychological services (i.e., prevention, intervention, assessment, and consultative services) to diverse student populations in educational settings.

Program Requirements

To be awarded a Ed.S. in School Psychology, students must complete the following requirements (73 credits).

Core Coursework (49 credits)

EDHS 5040 - Academic Assessment Lab Credits: 1
EDHS 6010 - Diversity Issues in Clinical Psychology Credits: 3
EDHS 7010 - Academic Interventions Credits: 3
EDHS 7630 - Seminar: Issues in Professional Psychology Credits: 3
EDHS 7640 - Cognitive Assessment Credits: 3
EDHS 7680 - Psychopathology Credits: 3
EDHS 8640 - Psychotherapy I: History, Systems, and Introductory Theory Credits: 3
EDHS 8670 - Behavioral, Emotional, and Social Assessment of Children Credits: 3
EDHS 8710 - Psychological Consultation and Supervision Credits: 3
EDHS 8750 - Psychological Intervention and Consultation in Schools Credits: 3
EDHS 8772 - Psychotherapy II: Advanced Topics in Psychotherapy Credits: 3 OR EDHS 8660 - Personality Assessment I Credits: 3
EDHS 9761 - Child Therapy Credits: 3
EDIS 5000 - The Exceptional Learner Credits: 3
EDLF 5040 - Education and Neuroscience Credits: 3
EDLF 5060 - Research Methods for Education & Human Development Credits: 3
EDLF 5330 - Quantitative Methods and Data Analysis I Credits: 3
EDLF 7806 - Family and Community Engagement Credits: 3

Field Base Learning Requirements (24 credits)

EDHS 8690 - School/Clinical Psychology Practicum Credits: 1 to 6 (students enroll in 3 total credits)
EDHS 8700 - Clinical Psychology Practicum Credits: 1 to 6 (students enroll in 9 total credits)
EDHS 9000 - School Psychology Ed.S. Internship I Credits: 1 to 12
EDHS 9001 - School Psychology Ed.S. Internship II Credits: 1 to 12

Description of Practica

Students are required to complete two field-based practica in public schools under the supervision of program faculty and certified school psychologists. Practica placements will be facilitated by the program and students will work with program faculty to locate and confirm suitable placement locations. The School of Education and Human Development has established sites that will offer placements for students, and students may research and locate other suitable placements, as well. The practica will entail supervised practical application of knowledge and skills gained in coursework. Students will be required to engage in a minimum of 100 contact hours in EDHS 8690, and 500 hours in EDHS 8700, bringing the total field-based training hours to 600 hours by the end of the second year. Students will be evaluated by both their faculty advisor and their school supervisor. Grades will be based on supervisor ratings and quality of work products produced (e.g., psychoeducational assessments, academic and behavioral progress monitoring data). If a student fails, they will be allowed to retake the failed portion. A second failure will result in dismissal from the program.

Description of Internship

The school psychology internship is the culmination of students’ coursework and applied training in the proposed Ed.S. program. The internship is designed for students to attain professional competency through carefully planned, structured, and supervised activities. Internships are a full-time experience of one academic year. Student interns will be supervised on-site by a certified school psychologist with at least three years of experience. Interns will be required to receive an average of 2 hours of supervision per week. Interns will also take part in an advanced seminar (6 credits in fall, 6 credits in spring). Students will be evaluated by both their school-based supervisor and their seminar instructor. Grades will be based on supervisor ratings and quality of work products produced (e.g., case studies, comprehensive psychoeducational reports, portfolio). If a student fails, they will be allowed to retake the failed portion. A second failure will result in dismissal from the program.

Total Required Credits: 73

Program Specific Policies

Degree milestones:

All students are required to take and pass the Praxis School Psychologist Exam (#5403). Students must send a copy of the official score report to the program.
All students must completed 1,200 hours of field-based internship training (minimum of 600 hours completed in a K-12 school setting) during the third year in the program.

Public Professional Licensure Disclosure

As a member of the State Authorizations Reciprocity Agreement, the University of Virginia (UVA) is authorized to provide curriculum in a distance learning environment to students located in all states in the United States except for California. Although California does not participate in SARA, it allows students to enroll in out-of-state programs. Additional information is available on the NC-SARA website (34 CFR 668.43(a)(6)& 34 CFR 668.72(n)).

Upon completion of the Education Specialist in School Psychology program at the UVA School of Education and Human Development, graduates may be eligible for initial professional licensure in another U.S. state by applying to the licensing board or agency in that state.

Please visit the University’s state authorization web pages to make an informed decision regarding which states’ educational requirements for initial licensure are met by this program. (668.43(a)(5) (v)(A) - (C))

Enrolled students who change their current (or mailing) address to a state other than Virginia should update this information immediately in the Student Information System as it may impact their ability to complete internship, practicum, or clinical hours, use Title IV funds, or meet licensure or certification requirements in the new state. (34 CFR 668.402).