School Psychology
Welcome
Welcome to the Graduate Programs in School Psychology. We are very proud of our doctoral and specialist programs and our long history of educating school psychologists since the 1950s. Our Graduate Programs were the first in Illinois to receive approval from the State Teacher Certification Board. Our training emphasizes the scientist-practitioner model in preparing trainees to fulfill all of the major roles and functions of school psychologists. We have over 600 alumni working throughout the United States.For more information, see our Mission, Vision, and Training Philosophy .
The Doctoral Program strives to educate health service psychologists within the specialty of school psychology who demonstrate discipline specific knowledge pertinent to the field of psychology and professional competencies necessary to deliver high quality services in a range of settings.
Aim I: To prepare competent entry-level school psychologists who possess foundational and integrated knowledge across the basic areas of the discipline of psychology, , which will demonstrated by using basic psychological principles to understand and explain human behavior
Aim II: To educate school psychologists with the necessary profession-wide entry-level competencies to deliver effective psychological health services to children, adolescents, and families.
These services include assessment, intervention, consultation, prevention, and clinical and administrative supervision. The competencies in these areas are exhibited in settings chosen by the graduate, which may include schools, hospitals, university-based clinics, mental health settings or independent practice.
Our Graduate Programs have all available accreditations and approvals based on state and national standards for the education of professional service providers in school psychology. The doctoral program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association (750 First Street, NW, Washington, DC 20002-4242, 202/336-5979). APA accreditation reports are available for review in the Psychology Department Graduate Office (DeGarmo Hall 448) or from the program coordinator. The doctoral and specialist degree programs are approved by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) and the Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). The doctoral and specialist programs are also approved by the Illinois State Board of Education.
Program accreditation and approval suggests high quality training, comprehensive curricula, and properly supervised field experiences. Our alumni are eligible to sit for the examinations leading to the credentials of Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP), licensed school psychologists in illinois and,with a doctorate degree and appropriate post-doctoral experience, as licensed clinical psychologists in Illinois. Accreditation approval also facilitates the transfer of credentials for employment in other states.
Historically our Graduate Programs have been able to support our graduate students, during on-campus training, with graduate assistantships. Assistantships may include work in the department as teaching or research assistants, on faculty research grants, and practicum or pre-professional opportunities. Graduate assistantships include a monthly salary and tuition waiver for the academic year.
Nondiscrimination and Equal Opportunity Policy
The Graduate Programs in School Psychology have adopted the NASP Nondiscrimination and Equal Opportunity Policy. Our Graduate Programs are committed to this policy of nondiscrimination and the promotion of equal opportunity, fairness, justice, and respect for all persons. We work to ensure that our Graduate Programs provide an environment that is safe and welcoming and an equal opportunity to all persons regardless of actual or perceived characteristics, including race, ethnicity, color, religion, ancestry, age, national origin, immigration status, socioeconomic status, language, disability, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, chronic illness, or any other personal identity or distinguishing characteristics. Discrimination is defined as acting toward people in a manner that results in adverse impact because they share similar characteristics or because they are from specific groups. Review the NASP nondiscrimination policy .
School psychologists are identified as the best social services job by U.S. News and World Reports .
According to U.S. News:
The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that this profession will grow at a rate of 20 percent between the years 2014 and 2024, which will result in 300 jobs for school psychologists. Rising school enrollment and a heightened awareness of the stresses and disabilities that students face is driving the demand for more school psychologists. However, this demand is tempered by state and local funding for schools, which is inadequate in some cases. School Psychologists rank #1 in Best Social Services Jobs. See the full U.S. News and World Report article .
Doctoral Program in School Psychology is ranked 10th in the nation out of the top 50 doctoral programs (2017) (Doctoral programs identified in the list are both APA accreditation and NASP approved, and based on statistical information reported as Student Admissions, Outcomes, and Other Data. The Student Admissions, Outcomes, and Other Data report for Illinois State is available in the top row menu of this website.)
Contact Dr. Brea Banks if you are interested in scheduling a campus visit or talking to a faculty member about our Graduate Programs in School Psychology.
Future Events:
Doctoral and Specialist Applicants Interview Days
Invited applicants must complete interviews with the school psychology faculty to be considered for Fall 2024 admission.
Doctoral Interview Day: Thursday, February 8th & Friday, February 9th
Specialist Interview Day: Friday, February 23rd