School Psychology Doctoral Studies
Graduate Degrees - Ph.D. School Psychology
The Ph.D. in Educational Psychology with specialization in School Psychology is based on the scientist-practitioner model with emphasis on theoretical and empirical foundations for clinical practice. A primary focus is extending the knowledge base of the profession through scholarly inquiry, and students are expected to generate new knowledge for the psychology profession with particular attention to mental health service in school-based practice.
Coursework provides training in:
Many students admitted for the Ph.D. School Psychology Specialization strand have completed their Ed.S. from a NASP-approved program, or its equivalent, as evidence of the knowledge base of a professional school psychologist. Students without this background are considered for admission with understanding that their programs of study will include content from our Ed.S. program
Residence Credit Requirement:
A minimum of 50 percent of the total credits required to complete the doctoral degree not including transferred and dissertation credits must be earned at UNLV after admission to the doctoral degree program.
Course Requirements:
The required coursework for the PhD-School Psychology Specialization Strand, including 6 credits for doctoral internship, is minimum of a 73 credits beyond the master's degree. Specific programs of study are determined by a number of factors, including the area of emphasis chosen by the student and doctoral committee. Individual programs of study frequently exceed these minimum requirement. Click here for an illustrative course sequence.
Program Completion Requirements:
All specialization strands within the Ph.D. in Educational Psychology share some common program completion requirements. Click here for general information about these requirements, including the preliminary examination, and the dissertation.
| Required Courses are: | |||
| Course Number | Title | Credits | Category |
| EPY 718 | Qualitative Research Methodologies | 3 cr. | Research Design |
| EPY 722 | Inferential Statistics and Experimental Design | 3 cr. | Statistics |
| EPY 723 * | Human Measurement | 3 cr. | Psychometrics |
| EPY 730 | Advanced Research Methods | 3 cr. | Research Design |
| Select one to complete core: | |||
| EPY 716 | Evaluation Research Methods | 3 cr. | Research Design |
| EPY 719 | Advanced Qualitative Research | 3 cr. | Research Design |
| EPP 750 | Test Analysis and Inquiry in School Psychology | 3 cr. | Research/Statistics |
| EPY 724 | Human Measurement II | 3 cr. | Psychometrics |
| EPY 787 | Individual Research | 3 cr. | Research Design |
| EPY 790 | Research Design in Education | 3 cr. | Research Design |
| EPY 733 | Multivariate Statistics | 3 cr. | Statistics |
* EPP 750, Test Analysis & Inquiry in School Psychology, often completed as a part of the specialist degree, can be substituted for EPY 723.
| Course Number | Title | Credits | Category |
| EPY 757 | Theory/Philosophy of Educational Psychology | 3 cr. | History and Systems |
| EPY 767 | Human Learning and Cognition | 3 cr. | Individual Differences |
| EPY 777 | Cognitive Development | 3 cr. | Individual Differences |
| Course Number | Title | Credits | Category |
| EPP 723 | Diagnos/Prescrip Strategies: Psychopathology | 3 cr. | Individual Differences |
| EPP 760* | Psychoeducational Issues: Diversity | 3 cr. | Social Behavior Bases |
| EPP 764* | School Psychology Seminars | 2 cr. | Ethics/Research |
| EPP 765* | Adv. Assessment Seminar: Neuropsychology | 3 cr. | Biological Bases |
| EPP 765 | Adv. Assessment Seminar: Technology | 2 cr. | Individual Differences |
| EPP 765 | Adv. Assessment Seminar: Clinic Research | 2 cr. | Research |
| EPY 784** | Teaching Practicum | 3 cr. | Supervised Experience |
| OR | |||
| EPY 793** | Advanced Doctoral Practicum | 3 cr. | Supervised Experience |
* Consistent with accreditation/approval standards, these courses, or equivalent, frequently completed in the specialist program may be applied to the 18 credits required in the PhD-School Psychology specialization strand.
** Students preparing for university faculty and clinical practice employment are encouraged to complete both EPY 784 and EPY 793.
Click here for a listing of all required post-bachelor's degree school psychology content coursework.
In addition to the required specialization courses, each student, in consultation with advisor and doctoral committee, selects an individual emphasis area and determines the specific courses to be completed. A minimum of 12 post-master's credits is required for the emphasis area. Some examples of possible areas include:
Standards of the National Association of School Psychologist and the American Psychological Association require a culiminating doctoral supervised internship. This internship is in addition to the internship required at the Ed.S. level and can be completed in a variety of approved settings, including school, hospital, and mental health centers. The doctoral internship in school psychology requires a minimum of 1800 hours completed over no more than a two year period. It follows the completion of all doctoral coursework.
After successfully completing Review I (satisfying the scholarly product requirement) and Review II (passing the preliminary examination), the student may then submit a dissertation proposal to her/his doctoral committee and submit the accompanying "Dissertation Prospectus" form to the Graduate College. The doctoral committee will meet and determine whether to accept or reject the prospectus. A prospectus can be accepted provisionally given that the student follows the committee's suggestions in the dissertation.
A dissertation is an original contribution to current knowledge in the field and a demonstration of sufficient mastery in the field to pursue independent research and scholarship.
When the dissertation is complete, a defense will be scheduled and conducted in accordance with the Graduate College's policies for thesis and dissertation completion. It is the responsibility of the student to file the required "Notification of Oral or Written Examination" form with the Graduate College in a timely manner.
DO NOT USE THIS ILLUSTRATION TO SELF-ADVISE:
Doctoral study in the School Psychology specialization strand is based on a mentoring model, and consultation with your advisor is crucial before selecting courses for any semester. The listing below is not prescriptive and is included only as a general guideline for course planning.
To meet the residence requirement, you must have two consecutive semesters of full-time enrollment. This can be either a fall-spring or a spring-fall combination. If you are working full-time, you may want to limit the number of credits in your first semester of enrollment and use the spring-fall combination to meet the residence requirement.
As you move through the program, your advisor will often suggest the addition of 1-credit individual research courses to encourage your linking with program faculty for guidance on planning and conducting research studies.
1st year : Fall Semester: 9-10 credits
EPY 701 Proseminar in Educational Psychology: 1 credit (unless completed during Ed.S. studies)
EPY 757 Theory & Philosophy of Educational Psychology: 3 credits
Research Methods core course requirement: 3 credits
School Psychology core requirement: 2-3 credits
1st year : Spring Semester: 8-9 credits
Research Methods core course requirement: 3 credits
EPY 767 Human Learning & Cognition: 3 credits
or
EPY 777 Cognitive Development: 3 credits
School Psychology core requirement: 2-3 credits
2nd year : Fall Semester: 8-9 credits
Research Methods and/or Emphasis Area: 6 credits
School Psychology core requirement: 2-3 credits
2nd year : Spring Semester: 8-9 credits
Research Methods and/or Emphasis Area: 3 credits
EPY 767 Human Learning & Cognition: 3 credits
or
EPY 777 Cognitive Development: 3 credits
School Psychology core requirement: 2-3 credit
3rd year : Fall Semester: 8-9 credits
Emphasis Area electives: 6 credits
School Psychology practicum requirement: 2-3 credits
3rd year : Spring Semester: 6 credits
EPY 799 Dissertation Research 6 credits
4th year : Fall Semester: 9 credits
EPY 799 Dissertation Research 6 credits
EPY 794 School Psychology Internship 3 credits
4th year : Spring Semester: 3 credits
EPY 794 School Psychology Internship 3 credits
1 This illustrative sequence assumes prior credit for several courses typically completed as a part of the Ed.S. degree. Your sequence will vary from the above contingent on specific courses completed as a part of your specialist level training. See your advisor for details.
Minimum Total: 73 credits
Paul Jones, Ed.D., Department Chair 895-3937 | Scott Loe, Ph.D., Graduate Coordinator 895-2949
Deirdre Lupher, Administrative Assistant IV 895-3253 | Marty Koch, Administrative Assistant II 895-4362
Department Office: Carlson Education Building Room 221 | Phone: (702) 895-3253 | Fax: (702) 895-1658
University of Nevada, Las Vegas | College of Education | 4505 S. Maryland Parkway | Las Vegas, NV 89154-3003