School Psychology FAQ

General Information and Overview

What programs does Fordham offer in School Psychology?

Fordham offers three programs in school psychology; two at the advanced certificate level (ADV CER, ADV CER BIL), and one at the doctoral level. Both advanced certificate programs are approved by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). The only difference between our two ADV CER programs is that the ADV CER BIL is intended for people who have fluency in English and another language. Students who complete the regular ADV CER are eligible for New York State certification and national certification (NCSP), whereas students who complete the ADV CER BIL are eligible for NYS certification as a school psychologist "with a bilingual extension" as well as NCSP. The doctoral program is fully accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA), approved by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), and registered with the New York State Department of Education for purposes of school psychology certification and professional licensing in psychology. 

Do all programs lead to certification and/or licensure in New York State?

All of our advanced certificate programs lead to certification as a school psychologist in New York. Graduates of our certificate programs are also eligible to become certified at the national level (NCSP). These programs do NOT lead to licensure. The Ph.D. program in school psychology is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA). As such, students who graduate from our Ph.D. program are eligible for licensure as a psychologist in New York State once they pass the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) and complete two years of post-doctoral work. Students in our Ph.D. program are also recommended for certification as a school psychologist (with or without the bilingual extension) in New York State. In addition, Ph.D. students are eligible for national certification.

What is the difference between “Advanced Certificate” and Ed.S. programs?

New York State does not recognize Ed.S. (“educational specialist") degrees. Rather, to be certified as a school psychologist in New York, you must have a M.S.E. degree and an “advanced certificate” in school psychology or bilingual school psychology. Our advanced certificate (ADV CER) and advanced bilingual certificate (ADV BIL CER) programs will lead to certification in New York as long as students have a master’s degree. All students who enter our certificate level programs without a relevant master’s degree can obtain a captured master’s degree en route to completing the certificate program. Students will not need to apply separately to the master’s program. Students who enter the certificate programs with a relevant master's degree will be exempt from master’s courses. Students who enter our Ph.D. program without a master’s degree will also pick up a master’s degree en route to the Ph.D.

What master’s degrees do you offer?

All students accepted to our school psychology programs are automatically accepted to the captured masters option of their choice. The masters options are considered "captured masters" -- they are only open to students in the ADV CER, ADV CER BIL, or Ph.D. programs. Students who enter the program with a related master’s degree are exempt from completing a captured M.S.E. We have four captured M.S.E. tracks from which students may choose:

  1. Psychology of Bilingual Students*
  2. Therapeutic Intervention
  3. Educational Evaluation & Intervention
  4. Preschool Child Psychology

*Students seeking the ADV CER BIL must select the Psychology of Bilingual Students track in order to earn the credits needed for the bilingual extension. 

As a Ph.D. applicant, do I need to contact a faculty member in advance to see if they are accepting new doctoral students?

Although you are always welcome to contact any faculty member in the program, we do not admit students based upon the possibility of working with a particular faculty member, but to the program itself. We welcome your application! During the first year in the program, you will have the opportunity to hear about the research of all faculty members in the program, as well as those in the Division of PES, before selecting a faculty member as your research mentor. Find a list of our faculty members and their research interests here.

What time are classes?

Classes are either from 4:50-6:50 p.m. or 7-9 p.m., Mon-Thurs. During the first year only, there is a proseminar class that starts at 3:15 p.m.

Is it possible to do the program and work full-time?

Faculty can provide an endorsement letter for your employer detailing course schedules to excuse you, but you would have to negotiate hours with your employer. See above for when courses are typically held. There are fieldwork requirements that students typically do at school sites one-two days a week, and school hours are usually 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. A year-long, full-time internship is required at the end of the program for all students.

How long will it take to complete the program?

For the certificate programs, if you attend the program full-time, the expected time to completion is three years (roughly two years of coursework and one year of internship). For the Ph.D. program, average completion rate is around six years. For those interested in the APPIC or APA-accredited internships, it will take six years to complete the program. For those who complete a local internship at a school that is not part of the APPIC match, it is possible to complete the program in about five years if you attend full-time, although this depends on satisfactory progress on a dissertation. Students can attend the program part-time; however, that will extend the time for completion. Regarding maximum time for completion, advanced certificate students must complete the program in five years and Ph.D. students must complete the program in eight years.

Is the GRE required? How much importance is given to the GRE test scores?

Taking the GRE is optional for applicants to the Ph.D. program. The GRE is not required for ADV CER or ADV CER BIL applicants. Please note that all applications are reviewed holistically, and we therefore do not prioritize the GRE score over other indicators. We take into consideration one’s educational history, background and experiences, references (particularly those that speak to academic potential), and test scores (where applicable). Given the writing-intensive nature of our Ph.D. program, we do consider the writing score of the GRE, in addition to a history of research experience.

Is the TOEFL or IELTS required?

All applicants for all programs whose native language is not English and who did not attend an undergraduate institution in a country where the official language is English must submit an original TOEFL or IELTS test score report (TOEFL Code: 2252). IELTS scores can be sent to 45 Columbus Ave., 2nd Floor, New York, NY, 10023. Please review further information here. 

What are the required prerequisite courses?

Prerequisite Courses:

  • General Psychology
  • Child/Developmental Psychology
  • Educational Psychology
  • Abnormal Psychology
  • Personality

Admitted students are encouraged to take prerequisites before starting the program (either at a local college or online), but any remaining courses can be taken early in the program. Prerequisite coursework may be either at the graduate or undergraduate levels. One prerequisite may be met through coursework in the program. Any student who has not completed all prerequisite coursework prior to admission must complete it during the first part of his/her studies with us. One prerequisite can typically be met by a required program course (so even though we have five prerequisite courses, you technically only have to fulfill four out of the five).

Is there a test required for the Advanced Certificate Bilingual program?

Students who seek the bilingual extension must sit for the New York State Bilingual Education Assessment (BEA), which assesses knowledge and skills in the foundations of bilingual education, including listening and reading comprehension and written and oral expression. The BEA is offered in the target language of the certificate extension sought, and consists of multiple-choice questions, audiotaped listening and speaking components in English and the target language, and reading and writing components in the target language. To be considered for the NYC DOE PIT program (see below), students are required to pass the BEA by the summer of their first year in the program. For those applicants interested in pursuing the DOE scholarship (see below) for bilingual students, the BEA must be taken before starting the program. For more information about the New York State Certification examinations, including online test registration, study guides, testing schedules, and more, go to nystce.nesinc.com.

TRANSFERRING PROGRAMS

Do you accept advanced standing students (who already have a school psychology degree) into your Ph.D. program?

Yes, we do accept students with advanced standing. However, all doctoral students in our programs must complete at least 60 graduate credits at Fordham and complete a doctoral level internship (as per APA accreditation standards). As with all APA accredited programs, you would need to complete a doctoral internship (even if you have completed a certificate or specialist level internship already). When students are accepted to the doctoral program, we will review your past training and coursework to determine whether we will exempt you from taking our professional core courses. Exempted courses are replaced with advanced level training. Generally, the time to completion is less (four-five years), but it is useful to note that tuition is by credit (not semester) so students who come with advanced standing often have a couple of semesters with fewer credits as they work to write a dissertation proposal.

Is it possible to start in the ADV CER program and transfer into Fordham’s Ph.D. program?

Yes, it is possible but you will have to start a new application, as these are two different programs. Yes, we encourage students to take courses in our program as a non-matriculated student to see if we are a good fit for you. To register as a non-matriculated student, you will have to apply for walk-in registration. Please contact the admissions office for more information. Common courses taken by non-matriculated students include:

  • PSGE 7442, Role & Function of School Psychologist - The purpose of this course is to explore and analyze major issues related to the role and function of the school psychologist, both in terms of historical antecedents, status, and future directions. This would be a good course to take to develop a further understanding of what the field of school psychology entails and requires.
  • PSGE 6311, Applied Behavioral Analysis - This course goes over the technical skills and related behavior theory necessary to design, implement, and evaluate applied behavior analysis programs. This would be a good course to take to learn about this specific behavior theory/technique/therapy.

FINANCING YOUR EDUCATION

What is the typical funding structure for students in the program?

For information regarding the Graduate School of Education’s financial aid, please visit our financial aid and scholarship pages. There are additional scholarships and other opportunities available. Information can be found here.

For information regarding financial aid for persons employed as full-time professionals in Catholic or other religiously affiliated nonpublic schools, click here.

For information regarding our ADV CER program in school psychology, click here.

For information regarding our ADV CER program in bilingual school psychology click here.

For information regarding our Ph.D. program in school psychology, click here.

Find more information in the GSE Bulletin, including program overviews, admissions information, and program requirements, by clicking here.