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SCPSPHD - School Psychology

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Disability & Psychoed StudiesGraduate Degree SeekingPHD - Doctor of Philosophy

Overview

Program Requirements

Requirements

Completion requirement

102

Completion requirement

Ph.D. Coursework

The School Psychology Ph.D. Program requires a minimum of 75 units in the school psychology major, a minimum of 9 units in a minor area, and 18 units of dissertation. The courses listed below---with the exception of practicum, internship, and dissertation---may not need to be repeated if completed within five years of a student’s previous graduate degree program in the field of psychology. Students who plan to transfer credits from a previous degree program should consult their academic advisor.

Courses in Psychological Foundations and School Psychology (minimum of 54 units)

  • PSYC 560: Advanced Social Psychology (3)

  • SERP 511A: Academic Assessment of Students with High Incidence (3)

  • SERP 512: Violence in School & Community (3)

  • SERP 517: Behavior Modification in Schools (3)

  • SERP 549: Introduction to School Psychology (3)

  • SERP 559: Cultural Diversity in School Psychology (3)

  • SERP 601: Cognition and Development (3)

  • SERP 602: Early Childhood Assessment and Intervention (3)

  • SERP 696B: Neuropsychological Bases of Learning & Behavior (3)

  • SERP 685: Child Behavior Disorders and Adjustment (3)

  • SERP 686: Child Psychotherapy (3)

  • SERP 638: Psychological Consultation and Supervision (3)

  • SERP 674B: Cognitive Assessment (3)

  • SERP 679: Educational & Psychological Assessment of Children (3)

  • SERP 696C: Professional Standards, Ethics, & Issues in School Psychology (3)

  • SERP 677: Personality Assessment (3)

  • SERP 693C: College Teaching and Supervision (3)

SERP 694-017: Psychotherapy Practicum (3)

​​​​​​Research Design and Statistics Courses (minimum of 12 units)
Three required courses:

  • EDP 641: Advanced Statistical Methods for Research** (4)

  • SERP 695P: Research Methods and Measurement in School Psychology (3)

  • EDP 646: Multivariate Analysis (3)

** Students without a solid understanding of elementary statistics or a graduate-level course may need to take EDP 541 prior to enrolling in EDP 641. They should discuss this need with their academic advisor.

One of the following statistics/methodology courses in consultation with their Qualifying Examination committee:

  • HDFS 606: Topics in Methodology and Data Analysis (3)

  • HDFS 617a: Advanced Data Analysis: Structural Equation Modeling (3)

  • HDFS 617b: Dyadic Analysis (3)

  • HDFS 617c: Advanced Data Analysis: Multilevel Modeling (3)

  • EDL 605: Qualitative Methods in Education Survey Research (3)

  • HED 605: Qualitative Methods in Education (3)

  • HED 616: Managing and Manipulating Data Using Stata (3)

  • HED 696: Statistical Programming for Data Manipulation (3)

  • HED 696c: Introduction to Multivariate Regression (3)

  • SERP 590: Single Subject Research Design (3)

Practicum and Internship Courses (minimum of 9 units)

  • SERP 694B: Practicum in School Psychology (3)

  • SERP 693B: Internship in School Psychology, (3 or 12*)

  • SERP 694: Externship in School Psychology** (3+)

*3 units for APPIC internship; 12 credits for non-APPIC internship.

**Students need to accrue a minimum of 1000 pre internship hours, which will require registration for SERP694; Number of units may vary.

Dissertation (18 units)

  • SERP 920: Dissertation Research (18)

Completion requirement
Completion requirement

Additional Requirements in the Ph.D. Degree

Qualifying Examination
Students are required to complete a Qualifying Examination by the end of their third semester in residence. This examination should be scheduled in consultation with a student’s academic advisor.

Doctoral Comprehensive Examination
Students are required to submit to the Comprehensive Examination Committee a portfolio that is a systematic and organized collection of evidence concerning their professional competencies and personal growth that are tied to the program goals, objectives, and competencies. Following the review of portfolio by the committee members, the oral examination will be scheduled in consultation with a student’s academic advisor. The examination typically takes place towards the end of the third year of full-time study.

Dissertation
Following the passing of the Doctoral Comprehensive Examination, students must prepare and have approved by their Dissertation Committee a dissertation research proposal. Prior to collecting data for the dissertation research, students must obtain approval of the proposed research study from the university’s Institutional Review Board (Human Subject Committee).

Oral Defense of the Dissertation
Students shall complete an oral defense of their dissertation. This examination should be scheduled in consultation with the Chair of the student’s Dissertation Committee.

Ph.D. Program Exit Requirements

  1. Completion of the Minimum Required Course Work in the Ph.D. Program

  2. Completion of the Minor Specialization Courses

  3. Minimum GPA of 3.0 in all Course Work in Student’s Plan of Study filed with the Graduate College

  4. Completion of the Full-time Residency Requirement

  5. Passing of Qualifying Examination

  6. Passing of the Doctoral Comprehensive Examination

  7. File for Ph.D. Candidacy with the Graduate College

  8. Completion of the Dissertation

  9. Passing of the Oral Defense of the Dissertation

  10. Achievement of Competencies associated with all Program Goals

Completion requirement

Minor Specialization (minimum of 9 units)
Minor course work shall be taken in a related discipline selected by the student with approval by the doctoral committee. Some graduate programs may require more than 9 units for minor.

Completion requirement