Program Overview

Educational Psychology PhD: School Psychology

The doctoral specialization in School Psychology adheres to a scientist-practitioner model of training and is designed to fully integrate psychological theory with rigorous research and professional practice skills. The program is committed to training multi-culturally competent school psychologists. The PhD program is accredited by the American Psychological Association and approved by the National Association of School Psychologists.

Program Goals

The School Psychology program has five major goals. It aims to prepare school psychologists to:

• Design and implement evidence-based therapeutic interventions that meet the mental health and educational needs of children, adolescents, and families
• Engage in problem-solving consultation within and across schools and community settings with families and professionals to enhance the competencies and resilience of youth and to promote healthy home, school, and community environments
• Conduct comprehensive assessments that are directly linked to interventions aimed at improving understanding and outcomes of youth, families, and schools
• Provide service delivery and to conduct research that reflects APA and NASP ethical and professional standards
• Conduct, interpret, critique, and disseminate high-quality scientist-practitioner research that advances the field of school psychology

Educational Psychology PhD

The goal of the Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Psychology is to prepare psychologists, researchers, and educational professionals to effectively work on the unique challenges of promoting education, learning, and mental health in urban environments. The four areas of emphasis in the doctoral program are:

• Counseling Psychology
• Cognitive and Developmental Sciences
• Educational Statistics and Measurement
• School Psychology

Admission Requirements

To be considered for admission to the program, applicants must complete the Graduate School online application and satisfy all UWM Graduate School admission requirements, in addition to the following program requirements:

• Undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0
• A letter outlining the applicant's academic and professional background, declaration of School Psychology as the Area of Concentration, as well as specific research interests and goals for the PhD program
• Three letters of recommendation from individuals familiar with the applicant's intellectual achievement and potential
• Resume or curriculum vita

Credits and Courses

The program requires a total of 104-110 credits, including:

• Discipline-Specific Knowledge
  • Category 1: History and Systems of Psychology
  • Category 2: Foundations of Science
  • Category 3: Advanced Integration
• Research Methods Core
  • Research Methods
  • Statistical Analysis
  • Psychometrics
• School Psychology Concentration: Profession-Wide Competencies
  • COUNS 805: Consultation Strategies for Counselors and School Psychologists
  • COUNS 814: Professional, Ethical and Legal Issues in Counseling Psychology
  • ED PSY 710: Child and Adolescent Mental Health Issues in Schools
  • ED PSY 732: Cognitive Behavioral Intervention Strategies in Education
  • ED PSY 751: Professional and Historical Issues in School Psychology
  • ED PSY 755: Cognitive Assessment: School Age Children
  • ED PSY 760: Academic Intervention and Alternative Assessment
  • ED PSY 851: Assessment and Interventions: Personality, Social and Emotional Functioning
  • ED PSY 952: Pediatric Psychology in Urban Settings
  • ED PSY 955: Advanced Therapeutic Interventions
  • ED PSY 959: Seminar in School Psychology
  • ED PSY 974: Beginning Practicum in School Psychology
  • ED PSY 975: Advanced Practicum in School Psychology
  • ED PSY 977: Advanced Practicum in Intervention
  • ED PSY 978: Advanced Practicum in Supervision
  • ED PSY 986: Doctoral Internship in School Psychology
• Applied Research Methods and Practicum
  • ED PSY 790: Research or Thesis
  • ED PSY 838: Research Practicum in Educational Psychology
  • ED PSY 990: Research or Thesis

Additional Requirements

• Advising and the Major Professor: Students are assigned a temporary advisor and must select a Major Professor
• Residence: Students must meet minimum Graduate School residence requirements of one continuous academic year of full-time graduate studies at UWM
• Practicum: Students are required to complete practicum requirements to become licensed
• Internship: Students are required to complete a year-long internship in order to be licensed
• Publishable Paper: Students are required to work with faculty to have a "publishable" paper within 30 credits after admission to the program
• Minor: A minor is an option
• Master's Degree: Students may apply to receive the master's degree upon completion of 30 credits
• Doctoral Preliminary Examination: The examination is taken at the end of a student's coursework
• Proposal Hearing: A doctoral student qualifies as a "doctoral candidate" upon completion of the doctoral Student Academic Plan, successful completion of the Doctoral Preliminary Examination, and successfully passing a dissertation proposal hearing
• Dissertation Defense: The candidate must write a dissertation that demonstrates the ability to pursue independent research and pass an oral exam in defense of the dissertation
• Exit Requirements: Contingent upon satisfactory completion of program requirements, passage of the preliminary qualifying examination, and successful oral defense of the dissertation
• Time Limit: It is expected that most students will complete all degree requirements within six years of initial enrollment in the doctoral program

Educational Psychology PhD: School Psychology Learning Outcomes

School Psychology doctoral students will be able to:

Research

• Demonstrate competency in the integration of science and practice
• Demonstrate the substantially independent ability to conduct research or other scholarly activities
• Critically evaluate and disseminate research or other scholarly activity via professional publication or presentation

Ethical and Legal Standards

• Be knowledgeable of and act in accordance with APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct
• Recognize ethical dilemmas as they arise and apply ethical decision-making processes to resolve the dilemmas
• Conduct self in an ethical manner in all professional activities

Individual and Cultural Diversity

• Demonstrate an understanding of how their own personal/cultural history, attitudes, and biases may affect how they understand and interact with people different from themselves
• Demonstrate knowledge of the current theoretical and empirical knowledge base as it relates to addressing diversity in all professional activities
• Demonstrate the ability to integrate awareness and knowledge of individual and cultural differences in articulating an approach to working effectively with diverse individuals and groups

Professional Values and Attitudes

• Behave in ways that reflect the values and attitudes of psychology
• Engage in self-reflection regarding one's personal and professional functioning
• Actively seek and demonstrate openness and responsiveness to feedback and supervision

Communication and Interpersonal Skills

• Develop and maintain effective relationships with a wide range of individuals
• Produce and comprehend oral, nonverbal, and written communications that are informative and well-integrated
• Manage difficult communication well

Assessment

• Demonstrate current knowledge and application of knowledge of diagnostic classification systems
• Select and apply assessment methods that draw from the best available empirical literature
• Interpret assessment results, following current research and professional standards and guidelines

Intervention

• Establish and maintain effective relationships with the recipients of psychological services
• Develop and implement evidence-based intervention plans specific to the service delivery goals
• Evaluate intervention effectiveness and adapt intervention goals and methods consistent with ongoing progress evaluation

Supervision

• Demonstrate knowledge of supervision models and practices
• Demonstrate knowledge of contemporary evidence-based supervision literature

Consultation and Interprofessional/Interdisciplinary Skills

• Demonstrate knowledge and respect for the roles and perspectives of other professions
• Demonstrates knowledge of consultation models and practices