School Psychology Doctorate

A doctoral level degree offering varied professional opportunities

The PsyD program in School Psychology at Alfred University follows a practitioner-scientist model. It is designed to prepare psychologists to practice advanced skills in schools and other child and family settings, and to prepare graduates for positions in applied research, administration and supervision, mental health agencies, hospitals, higher education, and private practice.

School/Division

Campus Locations

Main Campus - Alfred, NY

Degrees

Doctor of Psychology (MA, PsyD, CAS)

Program Contact

Andrea Burch

burcha@alfred.edu

607-871-2212

Educational Environment

We are part of a small university that provides individualized attention in a student-centered, close-knit environment. Faculty and students develop close working relationships that foster student growth. Through a process of individual feedback and goal-setting, students acquire the applied skills and self-awareness to become successful professionals. We do this within an educational context that promotes respect and appreciation for individual, family, and cultural diversity.

Program Accreditation

Our doctoral program involves three years of full-time coursework and practica; a year-long, full-time doctoral internship; and the completion of a doctoral dissertation. The program is approved by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) and is accredited by the New York State Psychology Licensing Board and the New York State Education Department.  Therefore, our graduates can become licensed psychologists and certified school psychologists.

APA OFFICE OF PROGRAM CONSULTATION & ACCREDITATION

First Year

First Semester

  • PSYC 601 Foundations of Cultural Diversity (1)
  • PSYC 603 Foundations of School Psychology (3)
  • PSYC 607 Learning and Cognition (3)
  • PSYC 626 Psychological and Educational Measurements (2)
  • PSYC 627 Norm-Referenced Testing I (2)
  • PSYC 636 Foundations of Interpersonal Effectiveness (3)
  • PSYC 637 Introduction to Group Dynamics (1)
  • PSYC 656 Field Experience in School Psychology (1)

Total Credits 16

Second Semester

  • PSYC 606 Advanced Developmental Psychology (3)
  • PSYC 629 Social-Emotional Assessment (3)
  • PSYC 632 Norm-Referenced Testing II (2)
  • PSYC 638 Psychotherapy and Behavior Change (3)
  • PSYC 639 Exceptionality in Learning and Behavior (3)
  • PSYC 657 Field Experience in School Psychology II (1)

Total Credits 15

Second Year

Third Semester

  • PSYC 628 Academic Functioning (3)
  • PSYC 641 Introduction to Family Therapy (3)
  • PSYC 646 Consultation and Prevention (3)
  • PSYC 658 Clinic Practicum I (3)
  • PSYC 671 Statistical Analysis and Research Design I (3)
  • Elective (3)

Total Credits 18

Fourth Semester

  • PSYC 609 Physical Bases of Behavior (3)
  • PSYC 642 Clinical Seminar: Advanced Topics in School Psychology (3)
  • PSYC 651 Academic Interventions (2)
  • PSYC 659 Clinic Practicum II (3)
  • PSYC 664 Practicum in Academic Interventions (1)
  • PSYC 672 Statistical Analysis and Research Design II (3)
  • PSYC 695 Professional Practice Seminar (3)

Total Credits 18

Third Year

Fifth Semester

  • PSYC 673 Statistical Analysis and Research Design (3)
  • PSYC 674 Research in School Psychology (3)
  • PSYC 692 Supervision/Administration off Psychological Services (3)
  • PSYC 699 Dissertation (6)
  • Elective (3)

Total Credits: 18

Sixth Semester

  • PSYC 602 Seminar in Cultural Diversity (2)
  • PSYC 608 Social Psychology and Behavior (3)
  • PSYC 611 History and Systems of Psychology (3)
  • PSYC 699 Dissertation (6)
  • Elective (3)

Total Credits: 17

Forth Year

Seventh Semester

  • PSYC 669 Pre-Doctoral Internship in School Psychology I (9)

Eighth Semester

  • PSYC 670 Pre-Doctoral Internship in School Psychology II (9)

Fifth Year (if applicable)

Beginning in Year 5, you must enroll each semester for a minimum of 3 credits until the completion of all program requirements.

Minimum Total Credit Hours Required for the Program: 120

Our APA-accredited doctoral program involves three years of full-time coursework and practica; a year-long, full-time doctoral internship; and the completion of a doctoral dissertation. After two years in the program, our students receive their Master of Arts degree.

All requirements for the PsyD degree must be completed within seven years of matriculation into the program.

Doctoral Handbook

Admissions Criteria

Admission to the program is based upon a holistic assessment of your academic and professional accomplishments.

You must present evidence of successful completion of undergraduate coursework in the following subject areas:

  • Introduction to Psychology
  • Statistical and/or Experimental Methods

And at least one of the following areas:

  • Developmental (Child and Adolescent) Psychology
  • Personality Psychology
  • Abnormal Psychology

Other courses, such as Tests and Measurements, Learning or Educational Psychology or other courses in Education are looked upon favorably.

Practical experiences in Psychology or Education, as well as any other relevant experiences, are seen as valuable preparation for the program.

We accept applicants with their bachelor's degree, master's in other areas of Psychology, and advanced-standing students who have a Master's Degree in School Psychology.

If you have a master’s degree in School Psychology from programs other than Alfred University, you should contact Andrea Burch to discuss admission to the program.

To apply, the following must be submitted to the Graduate Admissions Office:

  • Application form and fee
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate coursework
  • Scores from the GRE general test
  • Brief personal statement of your program interest
  • Statement of research interests (for the Psy.D. program only)
  • Because of the high level of maturity, sensitivity, independence, and flexibility necessary in the program, an on-campus interview is required. You will be contacted for an interview once all application materials have been reviewed.

Application Deadlines

Doctoral Program: January 15

For More Information

Sara Love
Assistant Director of Admissions

Financial Support

All full time students entering graduate programs in School Psychology, Counseling, College Student Development and Education at the University are granted a general graduate assistantship for $3,000, which requires the student to work 5 hours per week for a professor or university division. Students are responsible to the faculty or staff member to whom they are assigned. Letters offering the assistantships are sent to all accepted students with their acceptance letters. The first year positions may involve working for faculty members or in university offices. Second and third year positions are more likely to make use of student's school psychology-related skills.

There are a small number of competitive assistantships providing 100% of tuition that are earmarked for students their second and third years of the program.

Finally, incoming doctoral students are considered for a small number of fellowships that provide additional funding during their first year of enrollment.

The Office of Student Financial Aid assists graduates in obtaining additional forms of assistance whenever possible.

Field Experience

PsyD Practicum and Internship

Reflecting the rapid growth in the knowledge base in professional psychology, as well as the accreditation guidelines of American Psychological Association (APA), the program at AU blends a substantial foundation in the basic science of psychology with its longstanding tradition of extensive field experience and practical skills development.

In the Schools

Beginning in the first semester of the program, you will participate in extensive fieldwork in Alfred-area school systems. You are placed in a local public school one day per week for the entire school year, where you gain graduated experience working with both regular education children as well as those with special needs. Such practical experience assists you in developing an understanding of the complexities of the school environment and allows you to begin to acquire valuable skills in communication, consultation, assessment, and intervention. These practica lay a foundation of knowledge and experience that better prepares you for the challenges you will encounter as a professional school psychologist. School psychology faculty members closely coordinate with on-site supervisors to facilitate this fieldwork. On-site supervisors formally evaluate you each semester on the competencies specified by program faculty.

In the Child and Family Services Center

During the second year, you have experience in the Child and Family Services Center, a recently renovated spacious on-campus facility with a state-of-the-art communication/observation system. Not only does this practicum expose students to the environment of a community clinic, but gives them direct experience in intake assessment, psycho-educational assessment, consultation, and intervention with children and their families.

Licensed psychologists from the school psychology faculty directly supervise this work through closed-circuit television, two-way mirror observation, audio and video taping, and individual and group case conferencing.

In the Community

Advanced doctoral students continue to develop their applied skills through individually designed practicum placements during their third year of coursework. These practicum placements may take place in counseling and mental health agencies, in schools or agencies serving specific client populations, or in public school settings. Doctoral students participate in professional roles under the close supervision of field and university supervisors.

During the Internship

You must complete at least one year of full time internship. This experience is the culmination of your classroom and previous fieldwork and allows you to perform the duties of a professional psychologist under the supervision of an on-site doctoral level licensed psychologist. Faculty members coordinate with internship sites to insure quality control and consistency with the goals and objectives of the program. Interns are compensated with a stipend from the internship site during this year of fieldwork.

Research Experience

The program at Alfred University is strongly committed to training practitioner-scientists. Thus, we expect our students to be both knowledgeable consumers and active practitioners of research.

Research apprenticeship

During the first year of the program, you will work as an apprentice to a faculty member. You may develop your own study or work on a study developed by a faculty member or a more advanced doctoral student. Through this orientation, you gain experience in planning and conducting research, analyzing data, and writing manuscripts or presentations.

Statistics and research sequence

Across the second and third years of the program, doctoral students take three courses in Statistical Analysis and Research Design. Thus, you will understand a broad range of research methodologies, as well as basic and advanced statistical techniques.

Dissertation

The dissertation is the culminating student research experience. Through this experience, you conduct an independent research project on a topic you select related to the practice of psychology with children and families. This project is supervised by a sponsoring committee of faculty members. Students and faculty members regularly work on additional research projects with one another.

Here are some examples of recent presentations:

  • Prevalence of Mindfulness Literature Intervention in School Psychology Journals from 2006-2016
  • Facilitating Successful Field-Based Experiences for School Psychology Practicum
  • Strategies for Developing Trauma Informed Schools
  • Steps to Success in Treating Comorbid Intellectual and Psychosocial Disabilities
  • Making the Connection Between Applied Behavior Analysis and Academic Success
  • Promoting Wellness or Promoting Weight-Loss: Obesity Prevention in Schools

The mission of the PsyD program at Alfred University is the preparation of psychologists for applied professional practice in schools and other child and family oriented settings.

In pursuing its mission, the program pursues goals for its students in the areas of personal, professional, and research competencies.

Training is organized around the following three broad goals:

  • To produce professional psychologists with the personal qualities, interpersonal skills and awareness, and the ethical sensitivity predictive of success in a broad array of social, economic, and political contexts.
  • To produce psychologists competent to access a broad range of theoretical and practical approaches with sufficient depth to be effective, flexible practitioners.
  • To produce professional psychologists competent in the conduct, comprehension, and application of research to professional practice.

Questions related to the program’s accredited status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation: Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation American Psychological Association 750 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002 Phone: 202-336-5979

Time to Completion for all students entering the program

The PsyD Program in School Psychology at Alfred can be completed in a minimum of four years, inclusive of the internship and dissertation for students beginning with a Bachelor’s Degree. Most students take longer, as many elect to take additional practicum or internship options which extend the timeline while greatly enriching the experience gained by students. The following table presents data from all program graduates within the past seven years, illustrating program completion rates.

Outcome Year in which Degrees were Conferred (2008-2009 through 2012-2013)
2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013
Total number of students with doctoral degree conferred on transcript 3 6 7 4 6
Mean number of years to complete the program 5.17 4.9 5.8 7.9 7.9
Median number of years to complete the program 5 5 5 6 6.5
Time to Degree Ranges N % N % N % N % N %
Students in less than 5 years 0 0 3 50 2 29 0 0 0 0
Students in 5 years 3 100 1 17 2 29 2 50 0 0
Students in 6 years 0 0 1 17 1 14 0 0 3 50
Students in 7 years 0 0 0 0 1 14 1 25 1 17
Students in more than 7 years 0 0 1 17 1 14 1 25 2 33
Outcome Year in which Degrees were Conferred (2013-2014 through 2017-2018)
2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018 Total
Total number of students with doctoral degree conferred on transcript 7 3 7 3 6 52
Mean number of years to complete the program 6.4 5.3 7.4 7.2 6.9 6.487
Median number of years to complete the program 7.5 5 7.5 7 5.5 6.2
Time to Degree Ranges N % N % N % N % N % N %
Students in less than 5 years 2 29 1 33 1 14 0 0 3 50 12 23
Students in 5 years 0 0 1 33 1 14 1 33 0 0 11 21
Students in 6 years 1 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 17 7 13
Students in 7 years 0 0 0 0 2 29 0 0 0 0 5 10
Students in more than 7 years 4 57 1 33 3 43 2 67 2 33 17 33

Students entering the program with previous graduate-level coursework may be able to gain transfer credit. Such credits must be in courses in which the student earned a grade of B or better, and which duplicate coursework in Alfred University's School Psychology Program in breadth and depth. Students must complete at least half of their required coursework at Alfred University and attend for at least two years.

Program Costs

PsyD students at Alfred typically matriculate as full-time students, and are thus eligible for additional financial aid. The estimated costs of attendance for 2016-2017 are listed below.

Description 2018-2019 1st-year Cohort Cost
Tuition for full-time students (in-state) $38,020*
Tuition for full-time students (out-of-state) $38,020*
Tuition per credit hour for part-time students (if applicable enter amount; if not applicable enter "NA") $810
University/institution fees or costs $990
Additional estimated fees or costs to students (e.g., books, travel) $1,800

* Note: Each accepted full-time student is granted an assistantship covering 50% of tuition ($19,010)

Alfred is committed to providing access to our doctoral program through a variety of financial supports. All full-time students are eligible for a graduate assistantship, and many students receive additional funding through competitive opportunities for fellowships and grants. The following supports are available:

  • Doctoral Fellowships providing additional funding for the first year are awarded to three or four incoming students based on evaluation of application credentials.
  • Grants and contracts obtained by the Lea R. Powell Institute for Children and Families are often available to provide additional stipends, as well as offering rich clinical or research experiences.
  • A small number of full-tuition assistantships are awarded beginning in the second year.

Internship Placement - Table 1

Students in the PsyD program at Alfred enjoy a 100% success rate in securing internships. Most students are seeking positions in school sites which offer the range of experiences consistent with their career goals for practice in school settings. Others seek quality internships combining school and hospital or agency experiences. Those students whose career goals involve advanced training for research or academic careers seek internships that are APA-accredited or offered by APPIC members. All internships are high quality and meet the guidelines established by the Council of Directors of School Psychology Programs (CDSPP). Nearly every student secures a funded internship.

Outcome Year Applied for Internship (2008-2009 through 2012-2013)
2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013
N % N % N % N % N %
Students who obtained APA/CPA-accredited internships 1 11 0 0 1 14 0 0 0 0
Students who obtained APPIC member internships that were not APA/CPA-accredited (if applicable) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 11
Students who obtained other membership organization internships (e.g. CAPIC) that were not APA/CPA-accredited (if applicable) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Students who obtained internships conforming to CDSPP guidelines that were not APA/CPA-accredited (if applicable) 8 89 5 100 6 86 4 100 8 89
Students who obtained other internships that were not APA/CPA-accredited (if applicable) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Students who obtained any internship 9 100 5 100 7 100 4 100 9 100
Students who sought or applied for internships including those who withdrew from the application process 9 - 5 - 7 - 4 - 9 -
Outcome Year Applied for Internship (2013-2014 through 2017-2018)
2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018
N % N % N % N % N %
Students who obtained APA/CPA-accredited internships 1 10 1 10 0 0 1 25 0 0
Students who obtained APPIC member internships that were not APA/CPA-accredited (if applicable) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Students who obtained other membership organization internships (e.g. CAPIC) that were not APA/CPA-accredited (if applicable) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Students who obtained internships conforming to CDSPP guidelines that were not APA/CPA-accredited (if applicable) 9 90 9 90 5 100 3 75 5 100
Students who obtained other internships that were not APA/CPA-accredited (if applicable) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Students who obtained any internship 10 100 10 100 5 100 4 100 5 100
Students who sought or applied for internships including those who withdrew from the application process 10 - 10 - 5 - 4 - 5 -

Internship Placement - Table 2

Outcome Year Applied for Internship (2008-2009 through 2012-2013)
2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013
N % N % N % N % N %
Students who sought or applied for internships including those who withdrew from the application process 9 - 5 - 7 - 4 - 9 -
Students who obtained paid internships 9 100 5 100 4 57 2 50 9 100
Students who obtained half-time internships* (if applicable) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Outcome Year Applied for Internship (2013-2014 through 2016-2017)
2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018
N % N % N % N % N %
Students who sought or applied for internships including those who withdrew from the application process 10 - 10 - 5 - 4 - 5 -
Students who obtained paid internships 10 100 10 100 5 100 4 100 4 80
Students who obtained half-time internships* (if applicable) 0 0 0 0 1 20 0 0 0 0

Attrition

Doctoral students at Alfred have a strong completion rate for the doctoral program. The mentoring and peer support help students to remain engaged and productive during coursework, internship, and dissertation phrases of the program.

Variable Year of First Enrollment
2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013
N % N % N % N % N %
Students for whom this is the year of first enrollment (i.e. new students) 9 - 5 - 7 - 8 - 8 -
Students whose doctoral degrees were conferred on their transcripts 4 44 3 60 3 43 4 50 1 13
Students still enrolled in program 2 22 1 20 3 43 3 38 5 63
Students no longer enrolled for any reason other than conferral of doctoral degree 3 33 1 20 1 14 1 13 2 25
Variable Year of First Enrollment
2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018
N % N % N % N % N %
Students for whom this is the year of first enrollment (i.e. new students) 8 - 6 - 6 - 5 - 6 -
Students whose doctoral degrees were conferred on their transcripts 3 38 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Students still enrolled in program 3 38 4 67 5 83 5 100 6 100
Students no longer enrolled for any reason other than conferral of doctoral degree 2 25 2 33 1 17 0 0 0 0

Licensure

The PsyD Program in School Psychology at Alfred is approved by the State of New York as offering licensure-qualifying training which meets all educational requirements for the License in Psychology. Some of our students seek licensure, which allows them to practice independently, and to bill Medicaid for services offered in schools. Graduates who practice in schools do not need a license, but become certified as school psychologists according to state education regulations.

Outcome 2008 to 2018
The total number of program graduates (doctoral degrees conferred on transcript) between 2 and 10 years ago 43
The number of these graduates (between 2 and 10 years ago) who became licensed psychologists in the past 10 years 25
Licensure percentage 58%

Outcomes

Alfred University's School Psychology graduates are extremely successful in obtaining employment.

Graduates of the program often receive multiple job offers, with recent starting salaries reported to range from $45,000 to $57,000 depending on location. Our graduates are working in New York and over 20 other states, ranging from Florida to California and Hawaii. They are working in rural, urban, and suburban locations.

Our Doctoral graduates have found employment in school settings, mental health agencies, private practice, corporate settings, human resources, employee assistance programs, teaching in university settings, and research settings.

School Psychology graduate students work closely with the AU Career Development Center in seeking employment.

Faculty / Staff

All Alfred Faculty/Staff

Facilities

All Alfred Facilities

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Counseling & School Psychology

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