Department of Psychology

Admission Requirements
Contact Information

PROGRAM: School Psychology

Degree: MA in Psychology

Campus Location: New Rochelle

Pending accreditation: Applying for NASP accreditation (National Association for School Psychology) in 2007

Does the program lead to certification?
Yes, graduates receive initial (provisional) certification upon successful completion of the program and other New York State requirements. Permanent certification is granted after two years of full-time (360 days) post-graduate supervised practice in a school setting.

Clinical hours toward licensure provided within the degree program:
Internship experience of 1,200 hours is required to complete the program. These hours are separate from the 2 years of postgraduate hours required for permanent certification.

Specific Focus of program: School psychology

Key features:

• Program has been structured with rigorous requirements that meet NASP accreditation standards (program will apply for NASP accreditation in 2007, and it is anticipated that upon accreditation, Iona will have one of the few NASP approved programs between Westchester and Rochester)
• Students are provided with many campus resources, including testing kits and materials available for training at no cost (many other programs require students to buy testing kits)
• Applied terminal master’s but provides strong foundation for PhD or PsyD programs
• Emphasis on strong quantitative and computer education
• Students frequently present their studies at professional psychology conferences such as the Eastern Psychological Association or the New York State Psychological Association
• Excellent faculty, with virtually all courses taught by full-time faculty
• State-of-the-art computing environment

Sample job titles of alumni:
Alumni work as school psychologists for various districts in the greater New York metropolitan area

Calendar:
Semester
Two hours, one evening a week
Many classes begin at 4:15 pm, and it is not possible to finish the program without taking some classes at this time.

Entry terms:
Fall, spring (spring entry may be limited by program capacity)

Average course load per term:
Years 1 & 2: 4 courses (3 credits each)
Year 3: 3 courses (3 credits each)
Part-time study is possible but will lengthen the time to complete the degree. The degree must be completed within 5 years of the commencement of the program.

Credits to completion: 64

Average time to complete degree: 3 years

Internship/practicum required for degree completion:
A practicum is completed in the second year of study. This is an opportunity for students to practice skills in the areas of assessment, counseling and consulting/collaboration. An internship is required during the student's final year. A total of 1,200 hours must be completed over the course of two semesters if the student plans on doing an internship full-time. Students have the option of doing an internship on a part-time basis, which will extend the amount of time required to complete 1,200 hours. Both practicums and internships must be done in a school setting and as such are Monday - Friday during school hours.

Preferred academic preparation or background experience:
Degree in Psychology or by permission of the faculty

Application deadline:
February 1 is strongly suggested.

Admission requirements:

• Application for admission
• Official transcripts from all colleges attended
• Two professional letters of recommendation
• Minimum GPA of 3.0 (admission with undergrad below 3.0 by permission of the faculty)
• Acceptable performance in statistics and research methods/experimental research design courses at the undergraduate level
• One upper level psychology course

Cross reference:

• MA in Mental Health Counseling (licensure eligible)
• MA in Psychology - Industrial/Organizational
• MA in Psychology - Experimental

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