Program Overview

PhD in School Psychology Program Overview

The Doctoral program in School Psychology at Howard University is designed to prepare competent graduate candidates in the study and practice of professional psychology with specific emphasis on cultural competence. The program espouses a scientist-practitioner model of training along with a behavioral-ecological approach for service delivery.

Program Mission, Goals, and Objectives

The major goal of the program is to develop School Psychologists who meet the vision of a professional as outlined by Bardon and Benett (1974). The program has established three broad training goals:

• To "diversify the profession" by increasing the representation of African American and minority individuals in the field of School Psychology
• To produce culturally competent School Psychology scientist-practitioners who are prepared to respond to the educational and mental health needs of ALL children
• To produce psychologists who are competent consumers and producers of culturally responsive research

Program Objectives and Competencies

Based on the program beliefs and goals, as well as the standards set forth by NASP and APA, the training objectives of the program are to recruit, train, and prepare students who:

• Goal #1: Recruit, retain, and graduate highly qualified graduate students from diverse backgrounds
  • Objective 1-A: Attract and recruit qualified candidates
  • Objective 1-B: Recruit highly qualified and diverse faculty
• Goal #2: Produce culturally competent psychologists
  • Objective 2-A: Produce psychologists knowledgeable of psychological foundations
  • Objective 2-B: Produce school psychologists who engage in data-based, culturally competent assessment and diagnosis
  • Objective 2-C: Produce culturally competent school psychologists who engage in empirically-based intervention and consultation
  • Objective 1-D: Produce psychologists competent in remediation and proactive/preventive methods
  • Objective 2-E: Produce psychologists who possess strong professional identities as school psychologists
• Goal #3: Produce scholars who have a firm knowledge of scientific psychology
  • Objective 3-A: Produce scholars who can use research as a means of problem solving
  • Objective 3-B: Prepare informed researchers who produce culturally responsive research

Program Requirements

The doctoral program in School Psychology at Howard University requires the completion of five years of specialized training (118 credit hours), including field-based experiences. The minimum course of study for the doctorate degree in School Psychology includes:

• Completion of an Admission to Candidacy form
• Passing the Comprehensive Examination
• Demonstrating expository writing proficiency
• Receiving approval of a dissertation topic
• Completing the Responsible Conduct of Research Training
• Securing the approval of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for the dissertation research project

Course Sequence and Benchmarks

The program follows a structured course sequence over five years, including:

• First Year: Introduction to School Psychology, Individual Assessment of Cognitive Ability, Human Development, and more
• Second Year: Applied Behavior Analysis, Psychoeducational Assessment, and Multivariate Analysis
• Third Year: Developmental Psychopathology of Childhood, Child Abuse and Neglect, and Consultation in School Psychology
• Fourth Year: Evaluation Methodology, Group Processes, and Neuropsychological Assessment
• Fifth Year: Internship in School Psychology and Dissertation Research

Admission Requirements

Admission to the doctoral program requires:

• A Bachelor's Degree from an accredited institution
• GRE scores (minimum 1000 old scale or 300 new scale combined Verbal/Quantitative & Analytical)
• Graduate transcripts with a minimum GPA of 3.0
• 3 letters of recommendation
• Completed Graduate School Application
• Autobiographical Statement and Statement of Interest/Professional goals
• TOEFL scores for international applicants

Residence Requirements

A minimum of six credit hours per semester constitutes full-time residency. A student must be in residence in the Graduate School for at least four semesters to be recommended for a degree. Credits transferred from other accredited graduate institutions may not be used to meet the residency requirement.