School Psychology EdS Program

Brigham Young University’s school psychology programs are approved by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) through 2019.  

The EdS (specialist) program requires three years of full-time study leading to eligibility for credentialing as a school psychologist.  It prepares candidates to work in the schools  (a) providing consultation with teachers, parents, and administrators, (b) designing, implementing, and monitoring interventions, and (c) promoting prevention activities and system level services that include evidence-based strategies.

Graduates typically work in K-12 schools, consulting with teachers and facilitating childrens’ emotional/behavioral, academic, and cognitive abilities and development.  For information about the profession of school psychology, click here. 

Program Emphasis

  • The program supports students in becoming school psychologists who demonstrate professional skills in the 10 domains identified in the NASP Practice model.
  • The focus is on applying theories to develop and master skills of consultation, counseling, and assessment for creating  interventions and monitoring progress. The overarching purpose is to ensure positive educational outcomes for all students.

Courses

The program requires foundational courses, which include the following:

  • Ethics and Professional Roles and Standards
  • Learning Theory
  • Human Development
  • Counseling Theory
  • Research Methods

A few of the applied courses include these topics:

  • Consultation
  • Academic interventions
  • Behavioral, social, emotional interventions
  • Individual and group counseling
  • Bilingual assessment
  • Multicultural issues

Field Experiences

During the second year of the program, students complete 300 practicum hours under the close supervision of a credentialed school psychologist.  They complete a variety of assessments, then design, implement, and monitor interventions.  A full-time (1200 hours) supervised school-based internship is completed during the third year in the program.  Graduating students gain the necessary skills and experiences to be endorsed for state licensure as a school psychologist.