Degree: PhD
Career Path: Certified School Psychologist; Licensed Psychologist

Start Semester: Summer or Fall
Campus: Lincoln Center
Full-time/Part-time: Both

The mission of Fordham’s doctoral school psychology program is to educate professional psychologists who are capable of linking knowledge, gained through psychological science, to educational effects in contemporary society.

The program emphasizes training that applies a scientist-practitioner model to maximize the educational and social-emotional development of children in urban settings, especially children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

The major impact of the program occurs in the New York metropolitan area, a diverse community of people ranging from the economically disadvantaged to the wealthy. It is a large community that demands many varied psychological and educational services. Through coursework and field experiences, the program attempts to provide students with a sensitivity and understanding of the special needs of those whose cultural backgrounds and/or language skills make their quality of education a particular challenge.

The School Psychology doctoral program is fully accredited by the American Psychological Association, approved by the National Association of School Psychologists, and registered with the New York State Department of Education for purposes of school psychology certification and professional Licensing in psychology.

Program Prerequisites

Students must have courses in General Psychology, Child/Developmental Psychology, Educational Psychology, Abnormal Psychology and Personality Psychology.

Students who have not completed all prerequisites prior to admission must complete them during the first part of their studies. Prerequisite coursework may be completed at either the graduate or undergraduate level. One prerequisite may be met through coursework in the program/cognate.

Application Deadline

January 15

Browse the Admissions section for more about the application and financial aid processes.

Fieldwork Requirements

Required field work includes: completion of 3 practica, one externship, and a one year supervised internship.

Practica
Each practicum requires the student to complete approximately 150 hours at an off campus site (i.e., school, clinic, hospital) learning and honing their skills in consultation, counseling and assessment of children and adolescents.

• Clinical Practicum: supervised experience in counseling/clinical intervention with children and youth
• Consultation Practicum: supervised experiences in consultation Integration of Assessment Techniques: supervised experiences to students in psycho-educational assessment

Externship
Externship requires students to complete 200 hours of experience in a school, hospital, clinic, or research setting in one semester.

Students often decide to extend their externships beyond the required semester to gain more skills, experience and direct service hours to help make them more competitive candidates for internship or future employment.

Students receive a minimum of 1 hour per week of on-site supervision from a certified School Psychologist or licensed psychologist.

Internship
The internship consists of providing psychological services under qualified supervision. The length of the internship is one full academic year or a minimum of 1500 hours.

Students may also choose complete their internship at APA accredited sites, which are usually based in hospitals, clinics or schools, through the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC).

Doctoral Proseminar
The Doctoral Proseminar provides an orientation to the research expertise among faculty for all entering doctoral students.

These bi-monthly gatherings of students and faculty provide a forum for all faculty and students in the division to exchange ideas about psychology and the application of scientific methods to a study of human behavior.

Doctoral Residency
Doctoral students spend one year in residence. The residency program consists of two parts.

• Research Apprenticeship: Under the supervision of the professor(s), students in residence become involved in designing and executing research.
• Residency Seminars: Seminars in which researchers and leaders in education discuss their work with the assembled residency students and professors.

Program Curriculum

The doctoral curriculum is designed as a five-year full-time experience of 96 credits (excluding dissertation seminar, and mentoring) for students entering with a bachelor's degree and the appropriate prerequisite competencies.

Students entering the program with advanced standing must complete a minimum of 60 graduate credits at Fordham.

Browse course schedules and descriptions.

Doctoral Psychology Core (12 credits)

All doctoral students must complete graduate studies in the Division’s psychology core which includes coursework in the biological aspects of behavior, social aspects of behavior, cognitive and affective aspects of behavior. Students also complete a course in either advanced developmental psychology (PSGE7301) or personality and individual differences (PSGE6341) depending on the area in which they choose to specialize.

• Advanced Developmental Psychology OR Psychology of Personality and Individual Differences (PSGE7301 or 6341)
• Foundations of Neuropsychology (PSGE7435)
• Multicultural Issues in Professional Psychology or Race and Multicultural Education (PSGE6603 or EDGE6101)
• Psychology of Cognition and Affect (PSGE6312)
• Psychology: History and Ethics (PSGE7444)
• Social Psychology (PSGE6435)

Doctoral Research Core (12 to 18 credits)

Students are required to take advanced research, measurement, and statistics courses. If students need the introductory level courses in these areas, those courses would also be part of this core. The number of required credits in the research core, accordingly, ranges from 12 to 18.

• Application of Multivariate Techniques in Education and Psychology (PSGE7213)
• Correlational Design and Analysis (PSGE7211)
• Experimental Design (PSGE7210)
• Fundamentals of Educational and Psychological Measurement (PSGE6702) (or demonstration via competency exam)
• Proseminar in Psychological and Educational Services (PSGE7900) (0 credits)
• Psychometric Theory (PSGE7711)
• Statistical Methods in Education and Psychology I (PSGE 5210) (or demonstration via competency exam)

Advanced Studies

Exceptional Developmental Differences (6 credits)

• Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities (PSGE6417)
• Emotional Disorders of Childhood and Adolescence (PSGE6418)

Professional School Psychology Cluster (54 credits)

Assessment (12 credits)

• Advanced Personality Assessment (PSGE7609)
• Cognitive Assessment (PSGE7508)
• Non-Biased Assessment and Decision-Making (PSGE7418)

Intervention (15 credits)

• Applied Behavior Analysis in Educational Settings (PSGE6311)
• Instructional Consultation (PSGE7422)
• Therapeutic Interventions in Schools (PSGE7423)
• Theories of School Based Consultation (PSGE7445)
• Theories of Counseling (PSGE7620)

Professional Issues (3 credits)

• Role and Function of the School Psychologist (PSGE7442)

Field Work (16.5 credits)

• Bilingual School Psychology (PSGE7503)
• Clinical Practicum in School Psychology (PSGE7500) or Clinical Practicum in Bilingual School Psychology (PSGE7501)
• Consultation Practicum in School Psychology (PSGE7502) or Consultation Practicum in
• Doctoral Externship in School Psychology (PSGE7520)
• Doctoral Internship in School Psychology I and II (PSGE7490-92)
• Integration of Assessment Techniques (PSGE7429)

Evaluation (3 credits)

• Evaluation of Psychological Services Delivery Systems (PSGE7456)

Supervision (3 credits)

• Clinical Supervision of School Psychologists (PSGE 7452)

Research Seminar (3 credits)

• Research Seminar in the Practice of Professional School Psychology (PSGE 7507)

Cognate Area of Studies (9 credits)

Students are required to study in a cognate area such as Preschool Psychology, Educational Evaluation and Intervention, Therapeutic interventions or Bilingual School Psychology. The cognate provides advanced study in an area of student interest and need.

Students who enter the program with a related master's degree can fulfill this requirement by taking one course from their cognate area. Students who have a master's in School Psychology are exempt from this requirement.

Contact

Admissions
212-636-6400
gse_admiss@fordham.edu

School Psychology Program Directors
GSESPDirector@fordham.edu