School Psychology (PhD)
Work directly with students, while also publishing change-making research that will help disrupt inequities in our education system with a PhD in School Psychology.
Accreditation
Loyola's PhD in School Psychology has been accredited by the American Psychologist Association (APA) and approved by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP).
Curriculum
The PhD in School Psychology requires 99 credit hours, 600 hours of school-based practicum, a minimum 900 hours of advanced practicum, a Doctoral Culminating Portfolio (which serves as the major comprehensive exam), a dissertation, and completion of a full-time yearlong APA-accredited internship. The PhD in School Psychology is organized to facilitate and maximize academic, research, and clinical experiences.
Required Coursework
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Psychological Foundations | 21 | |
| Psychopathology & School Mental Health | ||
| School Psychology Special Topics | ||
| Biological Foundation: Behavior in Schools | ||
| Selected Topics in Counseling | ||
or PSYC 401 | History & Systems of Psychology | |
| Human Development: Cognitive, Aff & Phys Bases | ||
| Multiculturalism for Social Justice in Higher Education | ||
| Cognitive Development | ||
| Assessment and Intervention | 30 | |
| Evidence Based Interventions | ||
| Assessment of Bilingual Students | ||
| Prevention, Assessment & Intervention: Academic | ||
| Assessment School-Age Students & Adults | ||
| Prevention, Assessment & Intervention: Behavior | ||
| Prevention, Assessment & Intervention: Social-Emotional | ||
| Prevention, Assessment & Intervention: Advanced Skills | ||
| Theory Counseling & Psychotherapy | ||
| School-Based Consultation | ||
| Advanced Systems Consultation | ||
| Professional, Legal and Ethical | 6 | |
| Legal Issues - Educating Exceptional Children | ||
| Ethics and Professional School Psychology | ||
| Research Methods and Statistics 1 | 15 | |
| Educational Research I: Building a Body of Evidence With Qualitative Method * | ||
| Educational Research II: Building a Body of Evidence Quantitative Method | ||
| Psychological Measurement | ||
| Multivariate Statistics | ||
| Seminar in Tests & Measurements | ||
or CPSY 530 | Research Seminar in Counseling Psychology | |
| Dissertation Supervision | ||
or CIEP 610 | Doctoral Study | |
| Research Methods Elective | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Discourse Analysis and Documentary Research | ||
| Survey Research | ||
| Introduction to Educational Statistics | ||
| Single Subject Design | ||
| Case Study Research | ||
| Introduction to Linear Models | ||
| Hierarchical Linear Models | ||
| Factor Analysis | ||
| Meta-Analysis | ||
| Seminar:Advanced Mixed Methods | ||
| Advanced Practicum | 21 | |
| Practicum in School Psychology I | ||
| Practicum Schl Psychology II | ||
| Proseminar: Educational Psychology/School Psychology | ||
| School Psychology Advanced Practicum | ||
| Doctoral Internship: School Psychology | ||
| One Graduate Level Elective | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 99 | |
- 1
Students must have previously completed an undergraduate or graduate level course in statistics with a grade of B or better, or take such a course before entering the program or in Fall of the first semester.
Students must also participate in a faculty research team during years one through four.
Practicum and Internship
In the second year of the program, students complete two semesters of a structured school-based practicum, in which they spend two days a week in a school setting and complete structured activities under the supervision of a credentialed school psychologist. In the third and fourth years of the program, students complete two advanced practica in a school or clinical setting while working on the dissertation proposal. In the fourth year of the program, students apply for a calendar-year-long doctoral APA-accredited internship in health service psychology through the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) matching system. The internship must be under the direction of a licensed psychologist and certified school psychologist. The Director of Clinical Training approves internship applications submitted by doctoral students
Candidates in all programs leading to Illinois certification are required to pass an Illinois State Criminal Background Check.
Comprehensive Assessment
Doctoral students complete their major comprehensive examination (Doctoral Culminating Portfolio) prior to accepting an internship and typically during the fourth year of study.
Dissertation
A dissertation and oral defense is required. Upon completion, the dissertation is submitted for publication in a publicly accessible database per Graduate School policy.
Responsible Conduct of Research
All PhD students and students in thesis-based Master's degree programs must successfully complete UNIV 370 Responsible Conduct in Research and Scholarship or other approved coursework in responsible conduct of research as part of the degree requirements. It is strongly recommended that students complete this two-day training before beginning the dissertation/thesis stage of the program.
Graduate & Professional Standards and Regulations
Students in graduate and professional programs can find their Academic Policies in Graduate and Professional Academic Standards and Regulations under their school. Any additional University Policies supersede school policies.
Learning Outcomes
The School Psychology PhD program has three aims:
- To develop scientist-practitioners who have a professional identify as socially just school psychologists who are guided by the ethical and legal principles of the profession;
- To develop scientist-practitioners who understand and can implement evidence-based, assessment, intervention, and consultation practice from a social justice perspective; and
- To develop scientist-practitioners who can evaluate, produce, and disseminate research
To achieve these aims, the program is scoped and sequenced to build students’ knowledge, attitudes, and skills such that they can enter the profession with the foundational and functional competencies needed to effectively provide services.