Doctor of Philosophy in School Psychology
For Fall 2025 Admission, two TC school psychology faculty members will be considering external PhD applicants:
Dr. Prerna Arora
Dr. Melissa Collier-Meek
In your personal statement, please specify the faculty member(s) who you are applying to work with. Thank you!
The Ph.D. program is fully accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) and the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). For general information about APA accreditation or specific information about the accreditation status of our program contact:
Jacqueline Remondet Wall, Ph.D.
Director, Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 First Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002-4242
(202) 336-5979 / http://www.apa.org
If you have questions regarding the accreditation of the program by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) contact:
Natalie Politikos, Ph.D.
National Association of School Psychologists
4340 East West Highway
Suite 402
Bethesda, MD 20814
301-657-4155 / http://www.nasponline.org
Our Ph.D. program requires a minimum of 90 points. Attainment of the doctoral degree prepares students for certification as a school psychologist and licensure as a psychologist. On average, doctoral students should plan on five years of full-time attendance, including summers. This includes three years of coursework, a two-semester externship in the third year, a full-year internship during the fifth year, and a dissertation. The program can be completed in 5.2 years (enter in September of Year 1, graduate in October of Year 5 as internships end on either June 30 or August 31 and the next graduation date is early October) if students begin a program of research early in the program and complete the doctoral certification requirements (research methods examination, theoretical and empirical paper) by the 4th year of the program. Typically, most of the coursework (including practica, fieldwork, and externship) is completed by the end of the third year if the student completes only the one required externship. However, for many years, all students have completed two externships to make themselves more competitive in the APPIC match (one in a clinical setting, one in a public school), extending externship into the 4th year. Some students have chosen to do a third externship if they are specializing in intellectual disabilities/autism or child neuropsychology. The third externship increases competitiveness in the internship match and postdoctoral competition. The 4th and 5th (or 6th) years are devoted to dissertation and internship.
For more detailed information about our program, please download our Student Handbook.
Admission Information
Displaying requirements for the Spring 2025, Summer 2025, and Fall 2025 terms.
Doctor of Philosophy
- Points/Credits: 90
- Entry Terms: Fall
- Enrollment Formats: Full-Time Campus-Based
Certification
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- NY State Provisional: School Psychology
Application Deadlines
| Entry Term Available | Priority Deadlines | Final Deadlines | Extended Deadlines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Summer | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Fall | December 1, 2024 | December 1, 2024 | N/A |
Select programs remain open beyond our standard application deadlines, such as those with an extended deadline or those that are rolling (open until June or July). If your program is rolling or has an extended deadline indicated above, applications are reviewed as they are received and on a space-available basis. We recommend you complete your application as soon as possible as these programs can close earlier if full capacity has been met.
Application Requirements
| Requirement | |
|---|---|
| Online Degree Application, including Statement of Purpose and Resume | |
| Transcripts and/or Course-by-Course Evaluations for all Undergraduate/Graduate Coursework Completed | |
| Results from an accepted English Proficiency Exam (if applicable) | |
| $75 Application Fee | |
| Two (2) Letters of Recommendation | |
| Academic Writing Sample | |
| Interview (phone, video, or in-person) required | |
| At least one (1) letter of recommendation should be academic |
For admission-related inquiries, please contact HAEPadmission@tc.columbia.edu.
Requirements from the TC Catalog (AY 2024-2025)
Displaying catalog information for the Fall 2024, Spring 2025 and Summer 2025 terms.
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D., 90 points)
Our American Psychological Association (APA)- and National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)- accredited doctoral program (Ph.D.) requires a minimum of 90 points. Students may have to complete courses in addition to those included in the curriculum if their advisor deems it necessary (e.g., an extra statistics course). Attainment of the doctoral degree prepares students for certification as a school psychologist and licensure as a psychologist in New York State. On average, doctoral students should plan on five years of full-time attendance, including summers. This includes three years of coursework, a two-semester externship in the third year, a full-year internship during the fifth year, and a dissertation. Typically, students have two semesters of externship in the fourth year as well. Finally, some students complete their Ph.D. in 6 years to have additional time for research and/or clinical experiences.
Suggested Sequence of Courses by Year and Semester
First Year
Fall (12 credits)
-
HBSK5320(3) Individual Psychological Testing I: Cognitive Assessment
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HBSK5321(3) Individual Psychological Testing II: Socioemotional Assessment*
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HBSK 4030 (3) Multicultural Issues in School Psychology
-
HBSK4073(3) Childhood Disorders
-
HUDM4122(3) Probability and Statistical Inference (most semesters)
-
HBSK657_(0) Research Practicum
Spring (15 credits)
-
HBSK5378(3) Psychoeducational Assessment of School Subject Difficulties
-
HBSK5050(3) Behavioral Interventions for Youth
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HBSK6380(3) Psychoeducational Assessment with Culturally Diverse Students
-
HBSK 5199 3 Mental Health Interventions at Tier I
-
HBSK657_(0) Research Practicum
Summer (6 credits)
-
HUDM5122(3) Applied Regression Analysis (most semesters)
Second Year
Fall (13 credits)
-
ORLJ5040(3) Research Methods in Social Psychology
-
HBSK5280(4) Fieldwork in School Psychological Services
-
HBSK6584(3) Seminar: School Psychology Consultation
-
HBSK6382(3) Mental Health Interventions at Tiers II and III
-
HBSK657_(0) Research Practicum
Spring (18 credits)
-
HBSK5031(3) Families and Systems Consultation
-
HBSK657_(0) Research Practicum
-
HBSK5280(4) Fieldwork in School Psychological Services
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HBSK 6362(3) Group Work with Children & Adolescents
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HBSK4025(3) Professional and Ethical Functions of School Psychologists
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BBS 5068/5069 (3) Brain and behavior I/II - across the two classes, students should take 3 credits
Summer (8 credits)
-
HUDM5059(3) Psychological Measurement
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HUDM5123(3) Linear Models and Experimental Design
Third Year
Fall (5 credits)
-
HBSK5271(2) Supervised Externship in Psychoeducational Practice (Section 1)
-
HBSK657_(0) Research Practicum
-
HUDK6520(3) Seminar in Lifespan Developmental Psychology
-
HBSK 5199 (3) Academic Prevention & Interventions
Spring (6 credits)
-
HBSK4199(3) Cognition and Emotion in Educational Settings
-
HBSK5271(2) Supervised Externship in Psychoeducational Practice (Section 1)
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HBSK5273(1) Supervised Experience in Supervision
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HBSK 6383 (3) Neuropsychological Assessment of Children and Adults
-
HBSK657_(0) Research Practicum:
Summer (3 credits)
-
CCPX6020(3) History and Systems of Psychology
Fourth Year
Fall (4 credits)
-
ORLJ5540 (3) Pro-seminar in Social Psychology
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HBSK7503(1) Dissertation Seminar (Taken the semester that a student proposes the dissertation)
-
HBSK5271(0) Supervised Externship in Psychoeducational Practice (Section 2)
Spring (0 credits)
-
HBSK5271(0) Supervised Externship in Psychoeducational Practice (Section 2)
-
HBSK8902(0) Dissertation Advisement (although taken for zero credits, it comes with fees similar to a class)
Fifth Year
-
HBSK6480(0) School Psychology Internship
Finally, some students will take electives to get to 90 credits.