Area Coordinator: Dr. Christine Malecki
Application deadline is now December 15. See Admissions.
Interview Day for invited students will be held on Friday, February 19th. Save the date!
Welcome! The School Psychology Program offers a 60-hour, full-time M.A. degree (leading to Specialist-level certification) and a 90-hour, full-time Ph.D. program that provides comprehensive training in general psychology as well as specialized training in the applied area of school psychology.
Instituted in 1978, the NIU school psychology certification program received full approval from the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) in 1992 and has maintained this status. Our program is actively pursuing our initial American Psychological Association (APA) accreditation and has an upcoming APA site visit. Ask us for more information! (Please contact the APA Commission on Accreditation with any questions at 202-336-5979.)
The primary goal of the program is to train professional psychologists to work in schools, state agencies, clinical practice, and university settings. Coursework and practica experiences provide a synthesis of essential theoretical and applied approaches across developmental, cognitive, social, and behavioral areas. Graduates of the program are prepared to function in multiple practitioner roles including treatment, assessment, and consultative modalities, as well as teaching and research roles.
To learn more about what a career in school psychology might involve, please check out the NASP website page "Who are School Psychologists?"