School Psychology

The School Psychologist

The primary role of the school psychologist is to assess the needs and abilities of school children and provide consultation to teachers and parents. Although most school psychologists work in the schools, some may work in hospitals, mental health centers or other agencies the focus on the education and treatment of children. Some school psychologist may be self-employed in a private practice. A career in school psychology requires either a Master’s degree or Doctorate and a year-long internship. Completing the psychology major at BSU is a good way to prepare for admission to graduate programs in school psychology. The employment outlook for school psychologists has been very good.

Recommended Plan of Study

While at BSU, students interested in school psychology should major in psychology and strive to earn a grade point average of 3.0 or greater. In addition to the required core requirements of the major, student interested in school psychology would also benefit from taking the following elective courses.

• PSY 2200 Human Sexuality (3 credits)
• PSY 3332 Counseling and Crisis Interventions (4 credits)
• PSY 3337 Group Processes (3 credits)
• PSY 3437 Cognitive Psychology (3 credits)
• PSY 4328 Behavioral and Cognitive Intervention (4 credits)
• PSY 4347 Psychological Measurement (3 credits)
• PSY 4459 Psychophysiology and Perception (4 credits)
• PSY 4588 Multicultural Psychology (3 credits)
• PSY 4870 Pre-Internship Seminar (1 credits)
• PSY 4970 Psychology Senior Internship (6-12 credits)

Many of our students will choose to do an undergraduate internship working with a school psychologist in the schools.

Regional Graduate Programs in School Psychology

There are several school psychology graduate degree programs in our region, and many more nation-wide. Some of the local programs are listed here.

• Minnesota State University – Mankato http://sbs.mnsu.edu/psych/psyd/
• MSU Moorhead – https://www.mnstate.edu/schoolpsych/
• University of Minnesota – Twin Cities http://www.cehd.umn.edu/edpsych/programs/schoolpsych/
• University of Wisconsin – Madison https://edpsych.education.wisc.edu/academics/school-psychology/
• University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee http://uwm.edu/education/academics/school-psychology/
• University of Wisconsin – River Falls https://www.uwrf.edu/Academics/GraduatePrograms/SchoolPsychology.cfm
• University of Wisconsin – Stout http://www.uwstout.edu/programs/edssp/

Other Resources

To learn more about the practice of school psychology, visit the website of the National Association of School Psychologists. https://www.nasponline.org/about-school-psychology/who-are-school-psychologists