Overview

Program Chair: Susan Eldred · (858) 642-8372 · seldred@nu.edu
Faculty Advisors:
San Diego: Michael Anderson · (858) 642-8353 · manderso@nu.edu
Bakersfield: Bill Matthew · (661) 393-2110
Costa Mesa: Diana Wheeler · (714) 429-5129 · dwheeler@nu.edu
Fresno: Carol Cerioni · (559) 256-4949 · ccerioni@nu.edu
Los Angeles: Linda Smedley · (310) 662-2148 · lsmedley@nu.edu
Sacramento: Joe Cunha · (906) 855-4303 · jcunha@nu.edu
Internship Coordinator Larry Johnson · (858) 541-7762 · ljohnson@nu.edu

The Department of Pupil Personnel Services-School Psychology offers a graduate degree leading to the Master of Science in School Psychology. This program is aligned with national standards and prepares students for the position of school psychologist. Graduates of this program generally seek employment as a school psychologist in K-12 school districts and must hold a PPSP credential for public school employment.

Admission Requirements

  • Complete all program prerequisites
  • All students need to have their previous work evaluated by the PPS lead faculty advisor.
  • Attend PED 604, (Orientation and Field Experience in School Psychology), attendance at all sessions and completion of all required assignments is mandatory.
  • Receive a credential packet and complete a "candidate statement" that is reviewed and signed by the faculty advisor for admission to the School of Education.
  • Return the credential packet to the credential advisor by the end of PED604, otherwise students will receive an "I" for the course.

Program Advisement

Students who are absent for a period of 12 months or more must re-enroll and be re-evaluated under a new catalog. All coursework must be completed within seven years with a 3.0 GPA.

All PPSP students will be assigned a faculty advisor. All students are expected to meet with their assigned faculty advisor at the following times: (1) upon admission into the program, (2) at several designated checkpoints, (3) before starting their internship, (4) after completion of coursework and (5) at the completion of internship hours.  All coursework must be completed within seven years with a 3.0 GPA. Students who are absent for a period of 12 months or more must re-enroll and be re-evaluated under a new catalog.

Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA. Students who receive a grade of a "C" in two or more courses will be evaluated by the faculty and will be required to repeat the coursework at their own expense before being allowed to continue in the program. A grade lower than B- is not accepted in CED 600, PED 665, PED 680 and PED 667.

It is strongly recommended, but not required, that applicants have one year of related professional experience working with school age children, preferably in a public school setting.

Program Outcomes

A student who has successfully completed this program:

  • Demonstrates adept/advanced skills in all aspects of psycho-educational assessment; keeps current with technology in the field; presents information and teaches others new assessment techniques; becomes expert at aspects of various disabilities/ learning problems of children and teaches others ways to evaluate
  • Demonstrates outstanding leadership skills; well-versed in communicating results and information to others; demonstrates and applies consultation/collaboration techniques and models, and teaches those to others
  • Independently researches cutting edge technologies related to learning and learning problems; fully aware of current theories and is adept at instructing others; presents information on advances in the field; is completely competent in practice.
  • Demonstrates full implementation of school-wide programs for social/behavioral needs of children; keeps up to date on emerging interventions and techniques; provides in-service training and expertise in the area of social and behavioral interventions
  • Demonstrates advanced training and competence in working with individuals with diverse backgrounds; teaches other techniques and concerns for working with individuals of specific backgrounds.
  • Demonstrates expertise in school systems knowledge and practice; works at both local and district level in programming and planning for effective schools; is knowledgeable about cutting edge technologies and programs for effective schools and teaches that material to others
  • Demonstrates expertise in crisis prevention and intervention; consults with others in developing and implementing programs; demonstrates extensive knowledge in specific health related disorders and school-related safety issues; provides education and training in working with specific student populations
  • Demonstrates expertise in collaboration skills; consults with others in developing programs and obtaining resources; acts as a resource to the school and community
  • Demonstrates expert knowledge and ability in research; consults with others in developing and evaluating intervention or research plans; continues with independent research; produces published, or publishable, material
  • Demonstrates in-depth knowledge of legal issues and shows the highest ethical standards in practice; educates others in developing ethical decision-based models for practice
  • Demonstrates in-depth knowledge and understanding of technologies related to the field; can instruct others in the uses available; and can assess and make program or system-wide decisions for technology use.

Requirements

Degree Requirements
(30 courses; 123 quarter units)

To receive a Master of Science in School Psychology, students must complete at least 103.5 quarter units of graduate work.  A total of 13.5 quarter units of graduate credit may be granted for equivalent graduate work completed at another institution, as it applies to this degree and if the units were not used in earning another advanced degree.  Students are not awarded the master's degree until they have completed all graduate and credential coursework, including internship and action research (PED637) or thesis (PED694).  Course equivalence cannot be granted for life experience.  Students must complete all coursework with a GPA of 3.0 or better within seven years.  Any courses taken more than seven years ago must be repeated.

Advancement to Candidacy

After admission as a degree and credential seeking student, a student must advance to candidacy. To qualify for candidacy, a student must:

  • Complete prerequisite coursework or equivalent
  • Complete PED 604 and the next four graduate PED courses successfully.

Candidacy review is one of several evaluative steps to help ensure that program objectives are met and that student outcomes are attained.

Program Prerequisites
(4 courses; 18 quarter units)

MTH 210 Introduction to Probability and Statistics
 (Prerequisite: Placement Evaluation)
PSY 430 Introduction to Psychopathology
 (Prerequisites: ENG 100/101 and PSY 100)
PSY 301 Child Development
 (Prerequisite: ENG100/101)
EXC 625 Exceptional Children in the Classroom

Note: Only PED 604 and prerequisites can be taken prior to admission.  Before being formally admitted into the program students must complete the prerequisite coursework.

Required Courses
(21 courses; 87.0 quarter units)

PED 604 Orientation and Field Experience in School Psychology (1.5 quarter units)
CED 600 Advanced Child and Adolescent Development
PED 665 Tests and Measurements
PED 680 Roles, Issues and Ethics in School Psychology
 (Prerequisite: Advancement to Candidacy)
PED 667 Graduate Seminar in Child/Adolescent Psychopathology
CED 610 Advanced Counseling Theories and Techniques
 (Prerequisite: PED 600)
PED 666 Graduate Seminar in Human Neuro-psychology
 (Prerequisite: PED 604)
PED 683 Program Evaluation
CED 601 Consultation in the Schools
PSY 653 Psychopharmacology
PED 670 Graduate Seminar in Social Psychology
 (Prerequisite: Advancement to Candidacy)
PED 671 Assessment of Cognitive Abilities
 (Prerequisites: PED?604, PED 665, PED 680)
PED 672 Advanced Psycho-Educational Assessment
 (Prerequisite: PED 671)
PED 673 Emotional/Behavioral Assessment
 (Prerequisite: PED 672)
PED 674 Preschool/Low Incidence Assessment
 (Prerequisite: PED 673)
PED 675 Alternative Assessment for Multicultural Populations
 (Prerequisite: PED 674)
PED 676 Introduction to Applied Behavior Analysis
PED 677 Graduate Seminar in Curriculum Assessment and Interventions (1.5 quarter units)
PED 678 Practicum in School Psychology (3 quarter units)
 (Prerequisites: all assessment courses)
ILD 625 Educational Research
Choose either:
PED 694 Thesis
 (Prerequisite: ILD 625 and successful completion of an undergraduate or graduate statistics course. Students must have written permission of lead faculty to enroll in the course.)
or
PED 637 School Psychology Action Research
 (Prerequisite: ILD 625)

Practicum (450 hours)

  • Students should refer to the current PPS Graduate Handbook for School Psychology for specific information about the practicum and internship requirements.
  • Students are required to complete 450 hours of practicum prior to starting their internship. Students must complete the practicum experience under the supervision of a credentialed and experienced (two years) school psychologist. National University school psychology students will complete school-based practicum during the PED 678 course.
  • In PED 678 (Practicum in School Psychology) students will do their practicum hours and experiences only in school based settings. Student performance will be evaluated by program faculty and a school site psychologist through completion of course requirements.

Internship Prerequisites

Before students can begin the internship, they must:

  • Complete PED 678
  • Provide proof of Certificate of Clearance
  • Provide verification of a TB Clearance
  • Complete prerequisite coursework, all PED courses (except PED 685)
  • Complete 450 hours of logged, approved practicum
  • Submit an Internship application to the Internship Coordinator/Lead faculty and be assigned a University Supervisor.
  • Pass the Basic Skills Requirements

Internship is then scheduled by the lead faculty or internship coordinator.

Note:Students interested in a district-paid internship need to contact a credential advisor for prerequisite and process information.

Internship
(1200 hours/2 levels)
(5 courses; 21.0 quarter units)

PED 685 Best Practices Seminar in School Psychology (3 quarter units)
 (To be taken concurrently with internship)
PED 687 School Psychology Internship Part I (300 hours)
PED 688 School Psychology Internship Part II (300 hours)
PED 689 School Psychology Internship Part III (300 hours)
PED 690 School Psychology Internship Part IV (300 hours)

****Exit Interview with University Supervisor

Exit Requirements

In order to receive a Master of Science degree in School Psychology and/or a PPSP credential, students must complete courses within seven years and do the following:

  • Successful completion of graduate coursework, portfolio, practicum and internship
  • Successful completion of thesis or action research project
  • Submit completion of the ETS National Praxis examination scores in School Psychology (passage score is 590)
  • Submit written evaluations of performance in internship experiences by site supervisor to university supervisor
  • Schedule and pass exit interview with faculty advisor and university supervisor
  • Complete online program evaluation form-School Psychology
  • Schedule an exit appointment with credential advisor for final clearance and credential documents
  • Have a zero account balance

 

Degree Program Locations
Bakersfield Campus
Costa Mesa Campus
Fresno Campus
Los Angeles Campus
Sacramento Campus
Spectrum Business Park Campus