Doctoral Program

Students typically complete the coursework in three years and spend a fourth year applying for internships and completing their dissertations. The internship takes place in the fifth year. The program of study for the Ph.D. in school psychology has been established through careful consideration of the current trends in the field, needed foundations and skills, and requirements of the School of Education, The University Graduate School, and various accrediting and licensing entities. The individual program is a collaborative product of the student and the Advisory Committee, based upon the student's areas of interest and program requirements. The following outline should provide the potential student with a detailed overview of the nature of the coursework and associated experiences of the doctoral program.

Education and Training Outcomes 2000-2007

The Ph.D. program has Full Accreditation by the American Psychological Association and has Full Approval by the National Association of School Psychologists.

Major Core: School Psychology (Minimum: 55 hours)

• P680 Ethical, Legal, and Professional Issues in School Psychology 3 hrs.
• P681 Psychological Issues in Cultural Diversity 3 hrs.
• P591 Cognitive Assessment and Intervention 4 hrs. (must be taken concurrently with P595)
• P592 Academic Assessment and Intervention 4 hrs. (must be taken concurrently with P595)
• P595 Practicum in School Psychology 4 hrs.
• P570 Managing Classroom Behavior 3 hrs.
• P691 Personality Assessment and Intervention 3 hrs.
• P692 Seminar in Therapeutic Interventions with Children 3 hrs.
• P695 Practicum in Personality and Behavioral Assessment 2 hrs.
• P696 Practicum in Therapeutic Interventions with Children 2 hrs.
• P697 Advanced Practicum in School Psychology 1 hr.
• P623 Advanced Child Development 3 hrs.
• P624 Brain Research Applied to Educational and Clinical Practice 3 hrs.
• P526 Theory and Method in Educational Psychology 3 hrs.
• P566 Social Psychology in Education OR P622 Social Development 3 hrs.
• A course in learning and cognition, e.g., P540 Learning and Cognition
• A course in educational foundations from one of the following program areas: (History and Philosophy of Education, Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies)
• A course in the nature of exceptional children e.g., K780 Seminar in Special Education
• P699 Internship in School Psychology II 2 hrs.

Inquiry Courses in Major:

• Early Inquiry Course (first year, second semester): P682 Developmental Psychopathology of Childhood and 3 hrs.
• Adolescence Advanced Inquiry Course (second year, second semester): P692 Seminar in Therapeutic Interventions with Children 3 hrs.

Practicum experiences are incorporated into the program from the first semester of matriculation through the third year of study. Courses in Educational Psychology, Counseling Psychology, Special Education, and other areas are included to bring the total to the minimum of 39 semester hours. Although not specifically required, the faculty strongly suggests that students have at least six hours of additional course work/practicum in counseling/therapeutic interventions. Many internships, licensing boards, and state departments of education require courses in counseling on an applicant=s transcript. The minimum hours required by the University for the Ph.D. degree are 90, but a program is likely to total 95-100 hours, due to student interest in specific courses or areas of study. For the student who is planning to complete an internship in a clinical setting, it is suggested that a course in psychopharmacology be considered as an elective. For students intending to seek an APA/APPIC internship site, several hours of counseling or a minor in counseling as well as related practica are highly suggested.

1. Statistics
   • Y502 Intermediate Statistics Applied to Education (required) 3 hrs. (must be taken concurrently with Y500)
   • Y603 Statistical Design in Educational Research 3 hrs. or Y604 Multivariate Analysis in Educational Research (must be taken concurrently with Y500)
2. Alternative Inquiry 3 hrs.
   • Y520 Strategies of Educational Inquiry or courses such as H520, Y535, or Y611
3. Inquiry Electives 6 hrs.
   • P527 Educational Measurement
   • P617 Psychometric Theory
   • Y535 Evaluation Models and Techniques
   • Y603 Statistical Design in Educational Research (if not used under A)
     (must be taken concurrently with Y500)
   • Y604 Multivariate Analysis in Educational Research (if not used under A)
     (must be taken concurrently with Y500)
   • Y611 Qualitative Inquiry in Education (if not used under B)
   • Y635 Methodology of Educational Evaluation
   • K512 Multivariate Statistical Analysis
   • Z634 Seminar in Applied Behavioral Measurement
   • Y530 Topics in Computer Analysis of Educational Data
4. Inquiry Linkage
   • Students have early and advanced course work experience in linking research methodology to the major field of study. The School Psychology Program meets this requirement when students take Developmental Psychopathology of Childhood and Adolescence during the second semester of the first year of study. The advanced linkage experience is met with enrollment in the Seminar in Therapeutic Interventions with Children in the second semester of the second year.

Minor (Minimum: 15 hours)

Dissertation (Total: 15 hours)

• P795 Dissertation Proposal Preparation 3 hrs.
• P799 Doctoral Thesis in Educational Psychology 12 hrs.

A sample outline shows a typical Ph.D. program for a student in the School Psychology Program at IU.

Links to Other Programs:

• International School Psychology Programs Listed by Country
• United States School Psychology Program Listed Alphabetically
  • APA Accredited School Psychology Programs
  • APA Accredited Programs in Combined Professional - Scientific Psychology
  • NASP Approved Doctoral Programs in School Psychology
  • NASP Approved Specialist Programs in School Psychology