School Psychology - Doctor of Philosophy

The mission of the School Psychology doctoral program is to prepare school psychologists as scientists, practitioners and advocates for mental health and social justice in health service psychology settings, including public schools. The program addresses state and national shortages of personnel fully credentialed to serve the needs of children with disabilities. The primary goal of the school psychology program is to prepare scholars to become problem-solvers with the essential entry-level competencies to serve in the schools and agencies that serve school-age populations.

The program develops three major components: 1) Knowledge of psychological and educational foundations; 2) Skills in data-based decision-making, assessment, consultation, intervention, and research; and 3) The capacity to apply knowledge and skills to promote mental health and development and prevent school failure and other disabling conditions. Specifically, the program will accomplish the following goals.

1. Prepare and graduate highly qualified school psychologists to meet the academic and psychological needs of infants, toddlers, children, youth, and their families from diverse backgrounds (i.e., high-need children with disabilities).
2. Increase the number of personnel who demonstrate the competencies needed to provide high-quality instruction, evidence-based interventions, and services for children with disabilities.
3. Retain scholars in a high quality-training program to increase the numbers of school psychologists including scholars from bilingual and traditionally underrepresented backgrounds.

Annual Application Deadline:  January 15

For more information on program application requirements and process, see School Psychology, Ph.D. program website:  https://cep.nmsu.edu/academic-programs/school-psychology-phd.html

Curriculum

Preparation occurs from a developmental sequence of courses that follow scientifically based research and empirically validated strategies. The school psychology program at NMSU adheres to the scientist-practitioner model. This integrated approach to scholarship and practice promotes development of interlocking skills fostering a career-long process of psychological investigation, assessment, and intervention. Throughout the curriculum, the importance of knowledge and experience with a wide range of individual differences including, but not limited to ethnicity, gender, disability, age, culture, sexual orientation, religion, and race are emphasized. Ethical and legal issues, which guide service delivery, are also stressed throughout the curriculum. The American Psychological Association (APA) and National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) Standards and competencies provide the foundation for the program’s conceptual framework. Candidates will complete 81 credits of coursework, at least 450 clock-hours of practicum (9 total credits) and an 1800 clock-hour doctoral internship. Of the 1800 clock-hour internship, 750 will be expected to be in a school setting.

Program of Study