Mar 29, 2024  
2019-2020 Graduate Catalog 
    
2019-2020 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

School Psychology PsyD


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Program Leader: Bryn Harris, PhD
Office: Lawrence Street Center, 1114
Phone: 303-315-6315
Fax: 303-315-6349
E-mail:  bryn.harris@ucdenver.edu
Website: http://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/colleges/SchoolOfEducation/Academics/Pages/Academic-Programs.aspx

Faculty

Information about faculty in the school psychology program is available online at: http://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/colleges/SchoolOfEducation/FacultyandResearch/Pages/Research.aspx

Degree

The doctor of psychology (PsyD) degree in school psychology is a 100 graduate semester-hour program that leads to eligibility for licensure as a school psychologist by the Colorado Department of Education and licensure as a psychologist by the Colorado State Board of Psychologist Examiners.

The Psy.D. program at CU Denver is currently Accredited, on Contingency by the American Psychological Association (see the APA Accreditation website for further details). The program also aligns with  the Model for Comprehensive and Integrated School Psychological Services endorsed by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). This model and these standards promote the following domains of psychology: data-based decision-making and accountability; consultation and collaboration; interventions and mental health services to develop social and life skills; school-wide practices to promote learning; preventative and responses services; family-school collaboration services; diversity in development and learning; biological bases of behavior; research and program evaluation; and legal, ethical and professional practice.

Consistent with a practitioner-scholar model, the PsyD Program in School Psychology prepares professional school psychologists through rigorous academic study integrated with intensive supervised clinical practice. The Program includes an emphasis on the delivery of culturally-responsive mental health services in schools, as well as the development of advanced level practice skills. The Program stresses the application of scholarly findings to practice, as well as a respect for all aspects of diversity. Graduates of this program are license eligible for independent practice in schools, hospitals, child agencies and clinics, and other settings.

Bilingual School Psychologist Concentration Option

This optional specialization provides School Psychology students with the knowledge and skills to effectively serve bilingual learners in the school setting. In addition to the three required courses and practicum component, the Bilingual School Psychologist concentration consists of language proficiency assessments to ensure that school psychologists are adequately proficient in another language to provide psychoeducational services. CU Denver provides one of the few bilingual school psychology concentration areas in the country making our graduates even more desirable in their future endeavors.

Admission Requirements

Successful applicants to the school psychology (SPSY) program will have obtained a minimum 3.2 undergraduate GPA and a combined score of at least 300 on the verbal and quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) and a minimum score of a 3.5 on the written portion of the GRE. Applicants will also submit a current resume or vita, a personal statement that outlines their reasons for pursuing a degree in school psychology at CU Denver, and three letters of recommendation. The highest ranked applicants will be invited to a full-day group interview that includes a program orientation, a writing assignment, and a campus tour.

Application materials are available at: http://www.ucdenver.edu/admissions/Pages/index.aspx.  All materials must be submitted online by December 1 for fall semester admissions. Application materials include the following:

  • $50 application fee for domestic students, $75 application fee for international students (may be paid via credit card, e-check or by mailing in a check)
  • letter of intent/personal statement
  • resume or vita
  • three letters of recommendation
  • one official transcript from each higher education institution attended (in the original, sealed envelope)
  • official GRE scores sent directly to the University of Colorado Denver. The GRE is a general scholastic aptitude test that yields separate verbal and quantitative scores. A minimum score of 300 (verbal score + quantitative score) with an approximate score of 3.5 on the written portion is required for consideration as an applicant. When taking the GRE use the code number for CU Denver, 4875, to ensure scores will be sent electronically to CU Denver. GRE scores are required for the School Psychology program unless you already hold a Doctoral Degree.

Requirements for the Doctor of Psychology Degree in School Psychology and Licensure

Students will complete course work in affective, biological, cognitive, and developmental aspects of behavior; legal and professional issues; psychological assessment; crisis intervention; counseling and other direct interventions; and consultation. Specific course requirements include two prerequisite courses, 75 credit hours of coursework, 7 credit hours of practica (minimum of 500 hours in the field), 6 credit hours of clinical externship (minimum of 500 clock hours in the field), 8 credit hours of internship (minimum of 1500 clock hours in the field), and 4 capstone project credit hours. Successful completion of the School Psychology Praxis exam during the course of study and passing of comprehensive examinations are also required. Prerequisites include an undergraduate or graduate course in both of the following: measurement concepts and child development. Students may be admitted to the program without first completing these prerequisites; however, these courses must be completed during the first year of study.

Program Requirements

Students will complete the following core course work:

  • RSEM 5100   - Basic Statistics 
  • COUN 5010  - Counseling Theories
  • EDHD 6320   - Mind, Brain, and Education
  • SPSY 7500   -  Biological and Neuropsychological Bases of Behavior
  •   - Historical and Philosophical Foundations of Psychology
  •   - Advanced Social Psychology
  •   - Methods of Qualitative Inquiry
  •   - Methods of Survey Research
  •   - Intermediate Statistics
  •   - Program Evaluation
  •   - Behavior Analysis and Intervention
  •   - School-Based Multicultural Interventions
  •   - School Psychology: Professional and Legal Foundations
  •   - Psychoeducational Assessment I
  •   - Psychoeducational Assessment II
  •   - Applied Developmental Science and Assessment
  •   - School-Based Interventions: Children, Youth and Families
  •   - School-Based Interventions: Groups, Classrooms and Systems
  •   - Psychoeducational Assessment of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students
  •   - Crisis Prevention, Planning and Intervention
  •   - School-Based Consultation for Mental Health Professionals
  •   -  Affective Bases of Behavior and Psychopathology
  •   - Academic Interventions in School Psychology
  • SPSY 6700  - Advanced Seminar in School Psychology
  •   - Clinical Supervision & Admin of Psych Services

Supervised Experiences

  •   - School Psychology Practicum
  •   - Advanced Practicum in Psychological Assessment
  •   - Clinical Externship
  •   - School Psychology Internship

Total:  100 Hours

The doctor of psychology in school psychology degree also requires satisfactory completion of  two comprehensive case studies a passing score (≥ 147) on the ETS PRAXIS specialty exam in school psychology, a passing score on a written comprehensive examination, and completion of a Capstone/applied research project.

Professional Expectations

All students in the SPSY program are expected to show a strong commitment to the program and to maintain a high academic, professional, ethical standards and sensitivity to diversity. Inappropriate or unprofessional conduct is cause for discipline or dismissal from the program.

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