The School Psychology, Ph.D. program is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA). Validation can be attested by contacting the APA Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation, 750 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242; telephone: 202-336-5979; email: [email protected] .
The Georgia State University School Psychology, Ph.D. program is designed for students pursuing careers as university professors, researchers, clinicians, school-based practitioners, or educational leaders. As one of the nation’s first APA-accredited school psychology programs, our program has an established record of educating highly skilled school psychologists. Our program is focused on preparing future psychologists to deliver mental health and educational services to children and adolescents, families and educators in diverse ethnic, cultural, and geographic settings. Completion of the doctoral program contributes to students’ eligibility to become licensed and practice as a psychologist.
The School Psychology, Ph.D. program curriculum is oriented toward developing highly skilled practitioners who will promote children and adolescents’ academic and social development by delivering school psychology services. Students acquire knowledge and skills relevant to school settings, including assessment, consultation and prevention/intervention strategies. Doctoral students also take coursework to build their expertise in basic research methodologies, measurement and psychometric theories, and various assessment and evaluation strategies.
Doctoral students work to become proficient practitioners and researchers. Program graduates are prepared to be both consumers and producers of research. They learn to evaluate empirical studies critically, conduct original research and contribute to knowledge in school psychology through scholarly publications and presentations. In our program, student and faculty research often focuses on serving minoritized populations through prevention and intervention at the individual, institutional and community levels. Our program has a strong social justice emphasis within a rigorous academic environment.
Our program ranked 5th in the nation in a recent evaluation of APA-accredited doctoral programs.
Georgia State University’s School Psychology, Ph.D. and Ed.S. program are recognized by the National Association of School Psychologists as demonstrating a commitment to diversity issues through the recruitment and retention of students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, multicultural curricular emphasis, faculty members involved in multicultural research and outreach, and participation in related research and training grants.
Program DetailsWhen applying to the School Psychology, Ph.D. program, you will need to submit several documents for review.
Please Note:
Interviews will be conducted by department faculty — you will be notified if you are selected for an interview.
The School Psychology Ph.D. program prepares psychologists for licensure as applied psychologists and focuses on applying psychological knowledge and skills to school-related problems. The American Psychological Association accredits the program. Completing a bachelor’s degree within a major in psychology, education, or a related field or a master’s degree in an area related to school psychology is required for admission to the program.
The program consists of a core area, major area and dissertation totaling a minimum of 74 credit hours (68 credit hours for B.A. to Ph.D. students).
The doctoral core area consists of 18 credit hours (12 credit hours for B.A. to Ph.D. students), with 15 credit hours comprised of research coursework and three credit hours of social foundation of education and psychology of learning coursework.
The doctoral major area requires 41 credit hours, including a 2000-hour predoctoral internship in school psychology.
The dissertation takes 15 credits.
For more information and course listings, view the catalog listing for School Psychology, Ph.D.
Also, view the Additional Information tab for the student handbook and other information.
Cost of attendance and funding opportunities are integral to your decision to attend graduate school. Georgia State University is proud to offer a variety of funding opportunities, from assistantships to fellowships.
Various awards, assistantships and fellowships are available to new and current graduate students. We encourage you to contact your department, college, school or institute of interest to get more information about the assistantships and fellowships that they offer their students.
The Scholarship Resource Center offers guidance and support to students seeking financial assistance through scholarship opportunities, including this scholarship library.
The Office of Graduate Programs’ Fellowship Advisor works with students interested in applying for nationally prestigious and competitive fellowships. The Office of Graduate Programs also coordinates the application process for students applying to the Second Century Initiative, the Provost’s Dissertation Fellowship and the Dissertation Library Travel Awards.
Our calculator can help you get an idea of the costs associated with attending the university.
If an applicant holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology, education, or a related field, he or she can apply to the Ph.D. program in school psychology. Students pursuing the bachelor’s to Ph.D. program of study will complete all master of education and specialists in education prerequisites before beginning the Ph.D. program of study.
Students normally enter the doctoral program in school psychology after completion of requirements for both the master of education and the specialist in education (sixth-year certificate as associate school psychologist) degrees. However, students lacking such certification, but holding the master’s degree in a related field, may be admitted to the program with the provision that sixth-year certification (entry level for Georgia Department of Education state certification as associate school psychologist) is attained promptly.
Ideally, planning for the integration of research training and professional skills training should begin as early as possible for the student who intends to pursue a doctorate. Therefore, students in the M.Ed. or Ed.S. program who anticipate application to the doctoral program should seek faculty advisement toward this goal early in their careers.
