Last year, ALL school psychology students, Ph.D., and SSP, who sought graduate assistantships, received graduate assistantships (GAs) which included full tuition waivers. Those students who did not seek GAs were awarded tuition waivers. The Department strives to fully fund doctoral students for four years and specialist students for two years. Click on the Financial Support link for more information on financial aid.

The Ph.D. and SSP degree programs in school psychology have received all major national and state level accreditations/program approvals including the American Psychological Association (APA), National Council of Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).

Graduation from either the Ph.D. or SSP programs leads to automatic certification as a school psychologist from ISBE allowing the graduate to work as a school psychologist in Illinois public schools.

Graduation from the either the Ph.D. or SSP programs allows the graduate to sit for the exam leading to the credential of Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) which allows for easier transition to other states.

Graduation from the APA-accredited doctoral program allows students, with appropriate post-doctoral experience, to sit for the exam leading to the state credential of Licensed Clinical Psychologists. This is the credential for independent practice in psychology.

Illinois State University has one of the largest school psychology faculties in the nation with seven full-time school psychology faculty leading to much individualized attention due to a low student-faculty ratio.

In the program, there is a low student-to-faculty ratio. Students have access to a 40-member psychology faculty with expertise in developmental, clinical/counseling, experimental, social/industrial organizational, and quantitative psychology—the largest psychology faculty of any Illinois public or private university/college outside of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. No matter what students’ interests—from child maltreatment to diversity - from childhood anxiety and depression to children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, from adolescent pregnancy to early childhood issues and alternative service delivery system, there is a faculty member with a similar interest and with expertise in this area.

Illinois State University is one of the oldest and largest public universities in the state with approximately 20,000 students and is located in the twin cities of Bloomington-Normal, an easily accessible community with a population of approximately 100,000.

Students in school psychology begin their field experiences their first semester in the program with all first year students assigned to a local public school and Head Start classroom. Students participate in multidisciplinary student support/problem solving teams in local schools.

All Ph.D. and SSP students provide important services as staff members of the Psychological Services and Multidisciplinary Psychoeducational Centers, on-campus clinics serving the academic, social, and emotional needs of children and families in the community.

Individualized field experiences are provided to match students’ interests in settings including hospitals, school-based health centers, mental health centers, and elementary, secondary and specialized schools and services provided through the Psychological Services Center (e.g., autism, academic intervention and consultation service, and college learning assessment services). Click on Practicum Experiences to learn more about the wide variety of practicum sites available to students in the program.

The school psychology program encourages the expansion of the role of school psychologists through diverse interests and career goals. SSP students receive training in psychoeducational assessment, psychotherapeutic and academic interventions, consultation, and research. Doctoral students receive this core training and, depending on their career goals, have the opportunity to specialize in one of five skill sequences (assessment, counseling/psychotherapeutic interventions, consultation/program evaluation, or supervision/administration). There is also the option in the doctoral program to choose an “open skill sequence,” such as infancy and early childhood assessment or developmental psychopathology.

Doctoral students are educated to work in a variety of settings depending on students’ career goals, such as in an elementary or secondary school, in independent practice, in a medical setting, in a mental health center, at a university, or elsewhere. Faculty are willing to tailor doctoral students' experiences and education to their career goals.

Students are represented in program governance. Each year, students elect a Ph.D. and SSP program student representative to serve on the School Psychology Coordinating Committee which is the policy making body for the program. Students have also formed their own association. Click on Graduate Association of School Psychology (GASP) for more information.