School Psychologist Program Overview
The role of the school psychologist in Washington State
is a challenging position. It is at the center of many
issues surrounding the restructuring of public education.
The Washington State University/Eastern Washington
University School Psychology Certification Program can
prepare you to assume these responsibilities.
Program description
The mission of the WSU/EWU School Psychology
Certification Program is to prepare professionals to
become certified school psychologists in the state of
Washington. The program is a post-master’s degree
certification program approved by the Washington State
Office of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction,
and is designed to help alleviate a critical shortage of
school psychologists.
Coursework
Classes originate at the Riverpoint Campus in Spokane;
however, this is a statewide program. Students do not
have to live in Spokane to participate because classes
are also offered via video conferencing to select sites
across the state including Pullman, Puyallup, Longview,
Everett, Yakima, Wenatchee and Tri-Cities. Summer classes
are offered during the day; while fall, winter and spring
classes are offered in the evening.
Internship
Coursework is taken during the first year of the program,
followed in the second year by a 180-hour practicum and a
1200-hour internship. The internship is an intensive
comprehensive experience through which the student is
required to integrate the knowledge and applied skills of
school psychology in a public school setting. All
placements involve extensive involvement in special
education programs. The internship is a major step toward
professional independence.
While it is possible to hold a job outside of the program
during the first year, when classes are held in the
evenings, it is not possible to hold a job and perform
the internship requirements. Some students are able to
secure paid internships, but this is not universal and is
not guaranteed.
Program completion
Eastern Washington University and Washington State
University jointly administer the School Psychology
Certification Program. The program incorporates courses
from the curricula of both institutions, taking advantage
of faculty expertise at each university. Once accepted
into the program, students will take classes from both
institutions. Candidates typically take approximately 24
to 34 quarter credit hours from EWU, and approximately
16-22 semester credit house from WSU faculty. Coursework
is documented on official transcripts from both
universities.
The length of time required to complete the program
varies depending on several factors, including when
students begin the program. Typically, students will
require a year-and-a- half to complete the program from a
January start, and two years to complete the program from
a June start.
The WSU/EWU School Psychology Certification Program
confers certification-only; this is not a master’s
degree program. Applicants for this program must already
have earned a master’s degree in school counseling,
mental health counseling, clinical psychology, or
special/general education.
Application process
The WSU/EWU School Psychology Certification Program
offers two admission periods from which students may
choose:
Applications must be submitted by March15 for a
June (summer session) start.
Applications must be submitted by October 15 for a
January (spring/winter session) start.
Application to the WSU/EWU School Psychology
Certification Program is a multi-step process: students
must apply to the graduate school of either Eastern
Washington University or Washington State University, and
they must apply directly to WSU/EWU School Psychology
Certification Program.
First, apply to the university graduate school of your
choice: (There are no programmatic or cost differences in
applying to either university. Both universities require
a completed graduate school application, an application
fee, and a set of official transcripts sent directly to
the university graduate school from previous colleges and
universities.
Application to EWU graduate school is
at:
www.ewu.edu/x8656.xml or by calling (509)
359-6297
Application to WSU graduate school is
at:
www.gradsch.wsu.edu/howtoapply.htm
or by calling (509) 335-1446
Second, concurrent with application to the graduate
school, students must provide supplemental information
materials to the department including:
- A letter of interest describing your reason for wanting to become a school psychologist,
- A completed Supplemental Information Form for the School Psychology Certification Program,
- Three letters of recommendation from persons qualified to comment on your ability to complete school psychology certification at the graduate level, and
- A current resume detailing professional employment
history.
If applying to WSU, send the supplemental program
materials to:
Kelly LaGrutta, Academic Coordinator
WSU Spokane
College of Education
PO Box 1495, Spokane, WA 99210-1495
(509) 358-7942
lagrutta@wsu.edu
If applying to EWU, send supplemental application
materials to:
Jaime Seaburg, Ph.D.
EWU Riverpoint
Department of Education
PO Box 1495
Spokane, WA 99210-1495
(509) 358-7690
Waiver process
Candidates who can verify completion of graduate credits
in their master’s degree that are substantially the
same as the classes required in this school psychology
program may have these credits waived, concurrent to
their acceptance into the program. Waivers are only
granted if documentation of contents of graduate credit
class can be verified through course syllabus or catalog
description. Coursework less than 10 years old will be
considered current for admission purposes. Extension
courses, workshops and correspondence courses will not
receive transfer credit. “Experience” in a
subject area does not count towards course waivers.
Links for additional information
| Contacts |
|
|
Program support -----------------------
Mailing Address |