Mason School Psychology

The George Mason University School Psychology Training Program was founded in 1978 and fully approved by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) for Specialist Level training in 1992. The program currently consists of a 62 semester hours, three-year program of graduate study designed to meet standards set by NASP and the National Council for Accreditation in Teacher Education (NCATE). The training program also meets the requirements for state licensure as a school psychologist in Virginia (Virginia Standards), and the program has been approved for the training of school psychologists by the Virginia State Board of Education. Although George Mason's program is designed to meet licensure requirements in the state of Virginia, students may design their own plan of study to meet the requirements of other states. While program graduates typically are employed as school psychologists in public schools and related human service settings, students seeking licensure for independent practice as a school psychologist must meet the educational, residency, and examination requirements of the Commonwealth of Virginia Board of Psychology.

School Psychology students earn both a Masters of Arts (M.A.) degree in Psychology with specialization in School Psychology and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies (CAGS) specialist degree in School Psychology. Those who complete the GMU School Psychology are eligible to take the NASP exam and apply for certification as a Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP).

The program philosophy emphasizes competency in the delivery of practical and empirically supported services to a wide range of exceptional students in diverse learning environments. The curriculum imparts foundational knowledge in psychology, education, intervention and problem solving, statistics and research methodology, and professional school psychology. The program is designed so students gain practical experience with children and adolescents in the education system throughout their program. For example, students learn diverse methods and models of assessment through three sequential assessment courses (Measurement of Intelligence, Psychological Assessment, Personality, and Advanced Child Assessment), each with clinical experiences and limited class size. During the Advanced Child Assessment and subsequent School Psychology Practicum courses, licensed school psychologists individually supervise students as they evaluate and prescribe interventions for clients in the GMU Psychological Clinic.

A carefully selected sequence of courses provides knowledge of diverse approaches to direct and indirect interventions (such as counseling, behavior management, academic interventions, and consultation) culminating in School Psychology Practicum courses and Internship. In addition to providing students with expertise in evaluation and intervention for exceptional children, the GMU program also emphasizes methods to improve the educational outcomes for all school children including pre-referral intervention, consultative and counseling roles.

The GMU School Psychology Training Program requires successful completion of curriculum, practicum, and internship requirements, as well as completion of a research project and a student/professional portfolio. The School Psychology Committee affords every student ongoing supervision and evaluation. Students must receive a grade of B or better in all academic courses. Coursework must be completed before the internship. An unsatisfactory evaluation at any time by the School Psychology Committee may result in separation from the School Psychology Program.

The School Psychology Training Program consists of a total of 62 graduate semester hour credits. The school psychology program requires a minimum of 38 semester hours of graduate course work for the M.A. and 24 semester hours for the Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies (CAGS) specialist degree. Coursework and related field experiences account for 56 credit hours and 6 credit hours are obtained through a supervised 1,200-hour internship. Students obtain their M.A. degree prior to start of the internship. School Psychology students are required to enroll full time. Students complete the full-time training program in three years..