A three-year, cohort-based program culminating in the degree, state certification, and the National Certified School Psychologist credential.
School psychologists have specialized training in both psychology and education. They use their training and skills to team with educators, parents, and other mental health professionals to ensure that every child’s academic and social-emotional and behavioral needs are met in a safe, healthy, and supportive environment. School psychologists understand school systems, effective teaching, and successful learning. They provide educational and psychological services in schools that include various combinations of assessment, academic and behavior consultation, individual and group counseling, and development and evaluation of prevention and early intervention programs. School Psychology consistently has been ranked among the top 10 of all professions for many years. In addition to being an exciting and rewarding career, the field has highly favorable supply and demand ratios, as retirement rates have exceeded graduation rates in recent years. Consequently, the job prospects are excellent, especially for specialist level school psychologist practitioners and doctoral level university faculty.
School psychologist certification in Missouri and most other states requires completion of an Educational Specialist in School Psychology (Ed.S.) degree. The Ed.S. degree is a 60-hour, three-year, full time program that includes a yearlong internship. To work as a school psychologist, one must be certified by the state in which services are provided. In most states School Psychologist certification is granted by the state’s Department of Education and supports practice within school or educational settings. The provision of independent psychological services via private practice or community mental health agencies requires a doctoral degree in Clinical or Counseling Psychology and licensure by the State Board of Examiners in Psychology as a Psychologist. The UMSL Ed. S. in School Psychology degree has been a program of National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) Recognition with full NASP-Approval since 2009. Our current full NASP-Accreditation is effective through Fall 2030. For more information, see the Program Annual Report and Student Outcomes Data.
Admission requirements include a 3.0 undergraduate GPA, three letters of recommendation, a personal statement describing personal goals (not to exceed five double-spaced typed pages) and a curriculum vitae detailing relevant experience with children, adolescents, and families. Prerequisite coursework in the areas of Developmental Psychology, and Psychological Statistics is required for admission. Following initial screening, finalists will be invited for an on-campus interview with the School Psychology Program faculty and current Ed.S. candidates. All required application materials will be considered equally when making admission decisions.
Applications are reviewed annually with a January 15 deadline. The program may review additional applications until all spaces in the cohort are filled.
Plan of Study
Non-Missouri Residents: Prospective students are responsible for reviewing the UMSL state authorizations page to see if this program is offered in their state throughout their program and to review the licensure or certification requirements for the state in which they reside.
Deadline to Apply:
January 15
Questions?
Ask an advisor:
Kristy Brann
(314) 516-4773
