Third Year Courses 12 hrs.
Courses may occasionally be taken in a different sequence if circumstances permit or if course offerings are modified. In addition to the courses listed, students may be expected or required to take additional courses in Pupil-Personnel Services, Foundations of Education or School Organization/Administration. Students with a master’s degree from an institution other than Radford University who apply for the Ed.S. degree must submit an application to the Graduate College for admission to graduate study. The application will not be considered complete until it contains the following:
- Completed application form;
- Graduate Record Examination;
- At least two letters of reference. If an applicant has been employed by a school system since completing his or her master’s degree, at least one letter must be from a supervisor in the school system;
- A letter stating the applicant’s reasons for applying for admission to graduate study in school psychology;
- Current resume´;
- Graduate transcript.
The Educational Specialist degree in School Psychology requires a minimum of 71 hours or a minimum of 41 hours past the master’s degree. A student who enters the program with a master’s degree in psychology or a closely related field will have a program of study that designates the 41 required hours and any other courses needed for the Ed.S. degree subject to transcript review and approval by the School Psychology Committee. Students entering the program without a master’s degree in psychology or closely related field may earn a Master’s of Science degree in psychology from Radford University by completing all requirements for the Ed.S. degree, completing a total of 77 hours (36 hours applied to the master’s degree and 41 hours applied to the Ed.S. degree) and passing the comprehensive examinations for the Ed.S. degree. For these students, the master’s degree and Ed.S. degree will be awarded simultaneously. Students are required to complete two consecutive semesters of full-time (9 hours/semesters) graduate study prior to their internship year.
Students with a master’s degree from Radford University who have not registered for graduate courses at Radford during the three years preceding application for admission to the Ed.S. Degree program in School Psychology must reapply to the Graduate College for admission. The application will not be complete until it contains all of the items specified above.
If an applicant completed the last course in his or her master’s degree program within six years of completion of the Ed.S. degree, hours earned toward the master’s degree (to a maximum of 30 hours approved by the School Psychology Committee) will apply toward the Ed.S. degree. If the last course in an applicant’s master’s degree program was completed more than seven years before completion of the Ed.S. degree, none of these hours will apply toward the Ed.S. degree, unless the applicant has been substantially employed as a school psychologist or the equivalent during the interval between completion of the master’s degree and admission to the Ed.S. degree program.
Students who have been admitted to the Educational Specialist program will receive a list of program requirements with their admission letter which specifies all requirements, including deficiencies, necessary for completion of the degree. Of the 71 semester hours (or 41 hours past the master’s) required for the Ed.S. degree, no more than 12 hours may be outside psychology. Students entering the Ed.S. program without a master’s and desiring to simultaneously be awarded the M.S. degree in Psychology and the Ed.S. in School Psychology should consult their advisors for assistance in choosing the six additional hours required to earn both degrees.
The practicum sequence is integrated with other coursework during the second year of the student’s program. Each practicum course involves weekly on-site experience in local public school settings under the direct supervision of a qualified school psychologist. An application for practicum must be made in the spring of the first year (See School Psychology Training Program Handbook for criteria that must be met prior to admission to practicum.).
One academic year of full-time internship (or similar supervised work experience) is required by the Virginia State Department of Education for permanent certification in school psychology. (In some states, a provisional certificate may be issued when all requirements other than the internship have been completed.
The School Psychology Training Program at Radford University requires two successive semesters of full-time internship under the direct and continuous supervision of a fully certified, experienced school psychologist, who is approved by the School Psychology Committee to be qualified to render supervision. The School Psychology Program requires a minimum of 1,200 clock hours internship experience (600 hours per semester for two semesters) before the intern will be recommended for certification.
Prerequisites for the school psychology internship include: approved application for the internship (forms available in the department office) proposed site, supervisor’s name and when the internship will begin; completion of all coursework, including practicum courses with at least B average overall with no more than two grades of C or lower in attempted graduate work and Pass in the practicum courses; and permission of the school psychology coordinator at least four weeks prior to registration. The cooperating school system generally pays the intern for services during this period.
The Radford University School Psychology Program adheres to the standards for internship recommended by the National Association of School Psychologists.
The internship is a full-time experience, closely approximating the on-the-job characteristics of the certified school psychologist. A written plan of internship goals and objectives is prepared prior to the internship and agreed to by representatives of the local educational agency, the intern supervisors, Radford University faculty supervisor and the intern. Such plans present internship objectives and approximate experiences for the achievement of and evaluation of each objective. Sample plans may be obtained from the school psychology coordinator.
The Virginia State Department of Education requires that all public school personnel have certain courses at the undergraduate or graduate level before certification can be obtained. Two specific required courses which students often have not had at the undergraduate level are American History and Personal Health. School psychology students should examine their undergraduate and graduate course work carefully with certification requirements in mind and should work closely with their advisors in the development of a program that will meet all of the certification requirements.
At the completion of the year’s internship, when all required courses (graduate and undergraduate) have been successfully completed and at least 71 semester hours of graduate credit (or 41 hours past the master’s) have been passed, provided that the student has a B average or better and no more than two grades of C or lower in any work attempted after matriculation as a graduate student to Radford University, the student will be awarded the Educational Specialist degree in School Psychology (Ed.S.). The student will also be endorsed by the State Department of Education in Virginia with full certification as a school psychologist.
Each candidate for the Educational Specialist degree must apply for the degree within the first two weeks of his/her final semester. Unless the necessary forms are filled out by the student before the stated deadline, graduation will be delayed. Graduate standing is a prerequisite to all 600-level courses.
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