Admission Procedures

An applicant for admission to the Specialist in School Psychology program must meet all the requirements stated in one of the following categories:

Regular admission to pre-candidacy is granted to the applicant who

a. completes an application for admission to graduate studies (a student may not apply for admission to candidacy for the Specialist in School Psychology degree program without having qualified for regular admission to graduate study at the University),

b. files all necessary transcripts,

c. submits acceptable scores on the aptitude portion of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) equaling V=400, Q=400 for a total of 800 points, and

d. fulfills the following: in addition to the general University requirements for admission to graduate study, all applicants for admission to the Specialist in School Psychology degree program must have earned an overall undergraduate grade point average of at least 2.75.

a. completes an application for admission to graduate studies (a student may not apply for admission to candidacy for the Specialist in School Psychology degree program without having qualified for regular admission to graduate study at the University),

b. files all necessary transcripts,

c. has registered to take the aptitude portion of the Graduate Record Examination and has requested that scores be sent to the Dean of the College of Education at the University, and

d. meets all regular admission requirements except the GRE/GPA scores requirement if other substantial evidence of capacity to do satisfactory work is presented.

Admission to Candidacy for the Specialist in
School Psychology Program

A student enrolled in the Specialist in School Psychology curriculum may be admitted to candidacy for the Specialist Degree in School Psychology after meeting the following standards:

a. earn at least 12 but not more than 24 semester hours credit toward the graduate degree in this institution, including PSYC 710 (Introduction to School Psychology), with a grade point average of 3.00 or better.

b. complete an application for admission to the Specialist in School Psychology program.

c. secure three references (forms available in Psychology Department office): one from a current or former employer or supervisor, one from a faculty member, and one from a person of the student's choice, to be addressed to the School Psychology Training Committee, Department of Psychology, LSU in Shreveport, One University Place, Shreveport, Louisiana 71115.

d. complete the required prerequisites in Introduction to Psychology or Educational Psychology, Introductory Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences, Introduction to Psychometrics, and Behavior Modification.

e. provide evidence of freedom from emotional and physical disabilities that would be prejudicial to success in professional school psychology.

The admission to candidacy procedure will be coordinated by the School Psychology Training Committee, which will make its recommendations for candidacy to the Chair of the Department of Psychology. However, due to limited space in the program, approval for candidacy in the program is on a competitive basis. All students, who meet requirements, may not be approved for candidacy. Upon review of the recommendation, the Chair of the Department of Psychology may recommend approval of the candidate to the Dean of the College of Education and the University graduate officer for admission to candidacy for the Specialist in School Psychology degree. The PSYC 710 student who is registered in the Specialist in School Psychology program is given an application form and information for applying. Forms may be secured from the Department of Psychology office at any time. The student may file the form applying for admission to candidacy upon completion of the standards stated here.

Formal admission to candidacy may be granted following the student's completion of a minimum of 12 semester hours of work toward the graduate degree, including PSYC 710, and should be sought before the student has earned 24 semester hours toward the graduate degree at LSU in Shreveport. An advanced standing candidate for the Specialist in School Psychology who transfers from another institution may be granted regular admission during the first semester at LSU in Shreveport.

The advanced standing candidate may apply up to 30 hours of transfer credit at the discretion of the School Psychology Training Committee and the Chairman of the Psychology Department. The admission to candidacy in the Specialist in School Psychology degree program requires the recommendations of the Chairman of the Department of Psychology and the Dean of the College of Education, and the approval of the graduate officer.

Course Requirements

The Specialist in School Psychology Degree is a 75-semester-hour graduate program which has as its objective the training of professional school psychologists. The method in the first academic year is largely didactic in nature with the objective of providing a general foundation in psychology and education. In the second year didactic methodology is supplemented by the supervised demonstration of professional skills, including a practicum in the fall and spring semesters. The third year emphasizes field learning experiences, including a year-long internship supervised by university-based staff as a supplement to supervision in the school setting.

A student in the specialist program in school psychology must complete twelve semester hours of undergraduate foundation coursework in Introduction to Psychology or Educational Psychology, Introduction to Statistics, Psychometrics, and Behavior Modification, unless these courses were completed as part of his or her undergraduate degree program. All students in the graduate program in psychology shall complete a core curriculum that shall consist of twelve semester hours of work, in addition to other requirements stipulated in the curriculum for the Specialist in School Psychology degree. The core requirements include History of Psychology, Principles and Theories of Learning, Intermediate Statistics, and Introduction to Methodology and Research Design.

Grade Policy--Suspension from Program

The School Psychology Training Committee expects students in the Specialist program to maintain a minimum 3.00 GPA. Students may make one C in a course and remain in the program if they have a grade of A to maintain their 3.00 GPA. If a student receives a second C in a course, that course must be repeated and a grade of B or better be achieved to remain in the program. If a grade of B or better is not achieved when the course is repeated, the student will be dismissed from the program. A student has this option only once during his/her course work. Since most courses in the program are taught only once a year, if a student decides to continue course work, then any additional C in a course will result in immediate dismissal from the program.

Comprehensive Examination

Before beginning an internship, students in school psychology must pass a comprehensive written examination, usually scheduled by the School Psychology Training Committee for the Monday following spring break. Students become eligible for the examination when they have completed all work except the practica and two of their academic courses, but they must apply in the Department of Psychology for permission to take it. The examination has two parts: essay and objective.

Three faculty members from the Department of Psychology and/or the Department of Education read the essays in blind review. To be considered satisfactory, an essay must receive a "pass" from at least two readers. The Psychology Training Committee considers these responses along with the objective scores in determining whether a student has passed the examination. The committee then mails students the results, which may, at the committee's discretion, include a requirement to rewrite selected essays and/or repeat the objective portion of the examination.