School Psychology EdS

Major: School Psychology
Degree Awarded: Education Specialist (EdS)
Calendar Type: Quarter
Minimum Required Credits: 90.0
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 42.2805
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 19-3031

About the Program

The Drexel University School Psychology Educational Specialist (EdS) Program embraces a scientist/practitioner model of training. The program will develop school psychologists to use scientific inquiry, problem-solving, and a parsimonious approach to data analysis and outcome interpretation in their research and practice. The program follows a full-time, hybrid cohort model. With the cohort model, all students are expected to be within commuting distance of the Philadelphia area and will begin practicum in the first year, through our partnerships with local Philadelphia schools. All core school psychology (EDSP) courses are in-person, and the remaining coursework is online, utilizing both synchronous and asynchronous learning activities. In the third year of the program, students apply skills learned through coursework by completing a 1200-hour internship under the supervision of a certified school psychologist in an approved school district. 

The program adopts an ecological/behavioral orientation in psychology, focusing heavily on the identification of behavioral and ecological variables that facilitate or impede academic success and behavioral health functioning. The program also has a strong emphasis on providing educational supports and enhancing behavioral health across settings with a focus on hands-on work with children and their families as they function within family, school, and community systems. A primary goal of the program is to train school psychologists who are agents of positive growth and change in children’s lives. The development of evidenced-based assessment and intervention practices, consultation knowledge and skills, and use of behavior analytic technology are central to the program's mission and are informed by behavioral and developmental frameworks. 

The training program has been approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) for School Psychology certification in Pennsylvania. 

Additional Information

For more information about this program, visit the School of Education's website.

Admission Requirements

• Bachelor's degree
• 2 letters of recommendation
• GRE scores of 1100 recommended but not required
• Undergrad GPA exceeding 3.0
• Letter indicating interest in school psychology

Degree Requirements

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Students will take EDSP 600 Fall, Winter & Spring terms during Year 1

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Students will take EDSP 601 Fall, Winter & Spring terms during Year 2

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Students will take EDSP 700 Fall, Winter & Spring terms during Year 3

Sample Plan of Study

Program Level Outcomes

Upon completion of the program graduates will be prepared to:

• Administer, score, and interpret cognitive (IQ), achievement, social/emotional and adaptative assessment batteries to aid in special education eligibility and programming.
• Use curriculum-based measures to screen students for “at-risk” academic performance prior to special education evaluation and develop interventions for academic skill deficits.
• Use direct observation, interview and behavior rating scales, in addition to functional behavior assessment methodologies, to identify students in need of behavioral health support and develop interventions in consultation with relevant stakeholders to improve internalizing and externalizing behavioral concerns.
• Effectively utilize various consultation strategies to engage teachers, parents, and administrations in a collaborative problem-solving process that focuses on student support across school and community settings. 
• Work effectively within diverse social and cultural environments and demonstrate understanding of the relative impact on academic skill acquisition and behavioral health presentation and need. 
• Apply the multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) model in using both response-to-intervention (RTI) and positive behavioral interventions and support (PBIS) to identify at-risk students and intervene early.
• Possess the ability to strengthen reciprocal relationships between the school and community by collaborating with parents and community agencies.
• Show awareness and sensitivity to the diverse populations served in schools and be able to work effectively with all student populations and their families.  
• Be active consumers of research and understand the role of evidence-based assessment, intervention and consultation technologies to ensure that all students, staff and administration are presented with research supported strategies.
• Behave in a manner consistent with the legal and ethical principles that govern the practice of professional school psychology.