School Psychology Program

The APA-accredited School Psychology Program is a professional psychology training component of the Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology at the University of Missouri-Columbia. The Department is consistently rated one of the top-ranked graduate departments in the nation. The program has been developed to be consistent with the Committee on Accreditation Guidelines and Principles for Accreditation of Programs in Professional Psychology. The University of Missouri-Columbia, one of 58 research universities that comprise the Association of America Universities (AAU), is accredited by the North Central Association of College and Schools. The school psychology program offers the Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) degree as well as the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). Completion of the course of study for the specialist degree typically takes two years of full time study followed by yearlong internship. The doctoral degree typically requires a minimum of four years of full-time study, followed by a pre-doctoral internship and dissertation. Students typically are admitted for full-time study. Social responsibility and respect for racial, ethnic, cultural, and individual differences are primary values of the program

A primary purpose of the School Psychology program is to promote the integration and application of principles of psychology, health, and education in relation to the characteristics and problems of children and their families. The program emphasizes mastery of theory and research in human development, learning, personality, cognition, and behavior, as well as in the social, family, and organizational contexts within which they occur. The program also stresses professional competencies in the following areas: consultation, assessment and diagnosis, intervention procedures including counseling and behavior therapy, and research/evaluation. Content knowledge and professional skills are integrated through course work and supervised practice in providing direct psychological services to children, adolescents, and adults within various academic, school, clinic, private practice, mental health, and hospital settings.

The School Psychology program identifies its education and training framework as a public scientist practitioner model. The scientist practitioner emphasis of the model provides a solid base of knowledge and a broad range of scientific and applied skills necessary to function as a professional psychologist. The highlighting of a public orientation allows for an integration of clinical expertise with a community systems perspective. This "clinician in the community" focus stresses understanding of characteristics and problems in terms of the interaction of individual characteristics with broader systems, including schools and communities. Practice based on the model addresses development and problems within the individual, but also stresses systemic characteristics that contribute to school and community problems related to both positive development and negative outcomes. An empirical and conceptual foundation for a public practice model was outlined by Higginbotham (1979) and is currently being elaborated by the APA Task Force on Education and Training of Psychologists for Practice in Public Settings.

Guiding Principles:

• Knowledge Base
  The knowledge base for the professional practice of psychology must be grounded in empirically-tested theory. Although this knowledge base should be drawn from diverse disciplines and fields that facilitate the psychologist's understanding of children and the systems in which they function, the cardinal characteristic of psychologists' knowledge must be its research support. Additionally, the knowledge base must integrate basic psychological principles with applications in real-life practice, including assessment and diagnosis, interventions, and evaluation. A significant component of education and training in professional psychology, including school psychology, should be the development of organized, data-driven expertise in students.

• Research Skills
  Professional psychologists must be competent consumers and conductors of research. Research skills are necessary to develop and refine the above-mentioned knowledge base, as well as to investigate and evaluate the effectiveness of psychological practices. However, developing, using, and maintaining the knowledge base of school psychology require more than the overlay of research onto practice. Research and practice must be integrated in such a way that each informs and promotes the other. Academic school psychologists should promote relevance to practice in their research, and professional school psychologists should base their practice on research and research findings. An important goal of education and training in school psychology should be the integration of research and practice in student preparation.

• Systematic Focus
  The education, health, behavior, and development of children and youth are complex systems, each of which has significant psychological components and determinants. These systems extend from children's immediate characteristics and contexts to family, community, and political systems that interact with each other to influence both normal progress and problems in children. Adequate understanding of and service delivery to children and their families require considerable knowledge of each area and how they interconnect to form a gestalt. Indeed, the psychological knowledge base for services to children should encompass and integrate knowledge ranging from characteristics of the individual child to the broad systems in which the child operates. Additionally, the knowledge base should address multiple facets of diagnosis, intervention, and evaluation, from prevention to rehabilitation and from an individual focus to a systems focus. Education and training in professional school psychology must provide both the conceptual framework and the development of competencies to build this knowledge base.

• Children, Families, and Adults as Clients
  Although the primary focus of school psychology is children and their families, professional school psychologists must be skilled in addressing the characteristics and needs of adults from several perspectives. School psychologists consult with parents and school personnel and conduct family interventions concerning problems of relationships, behavior, health, and learning. School psychologists interact and collaborate with other professionals in organizations and communities to improve services to constituents. Finally, school psychologists recognize that learning and schooling are lifelong endeavors that often require systematic planning and programming, regardless of age or developmental level. Education and training in professional school psychology should give emphasis to collaboration and problem solving with adults, as well as addressing characteristics and needs of adult learners

Degrees Offered

Specialist Degree (Ed.S.) (Sample Program of Study)

To obtain the Educational Specialist degree, the student must complete either the M.Ed. or the M.A. which requires successful completion of course work, supervised practicum and either a research manuscript or thesis. Training at the master's level focuses on providing foundation knowledge and basic assessment skills. A minimum of 32 semester hours of graduate course work is required for the M.Ed. and 30 semester hours of graduate course work are required for the M.A. The master's in school psychology is not considered a terminal degree.

The program of study for the Ed.S. program contains a minimum of 40 hours of approved graduate credit beyond the master's. A comprehensive examination is taken close to the end of the semester in which the candidate expects to complete the program. Successful completion of nine semester hours of practicum and a full year of supervised internship are required. Training at this level focuses on development of school psychology practitioner skills.

Master's Planner (*pdf)
Specialist Course Planner (*pdf) 

Program Handbook (Requires Password)

Doctoral Degree (Ph.D.) (Sample Program of Study)

Our APA-accredited Ph.D. program in School Psychology is developed in consultation with an advisory committee. The typical program consists of two years of course work (post-master's), fifteen semester hours of practicum, an internship lasting a full year and a dissertation. A comprehensive portfolio is developed by the student after most of the course work has been completed. The focus of training at the Ph.D. level is on the development of a competent psychologist and a research scholar. The program is also listed as a Designated Doctoral Program in Psychology by the Council for the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology. Thus graduates are eligible for listing in the National Register if they complete a doctoral-level internship experience consistent with the requirements of the National register.

Master's Planner (*pdf)
Doctorate Course Planner (*pdf)

Program Handbook (Requires Password)

Training Outcomes and Financial Information

As of January 1, 2007,  a total of  26 doctoral students left the program during the previous seven years. Of these 26 students, 18 students (69%) graduated with a Ph.D in School Psychology, 5 (19%) withdrew, and 3 ( 1%) were dismissed.

Of the 18 students who graduated, 12 (66%) entered the program with a Masters degree, and 6 (34%) entered with a Bachelors degree. For those who entered with a Bachelors degree, the mean and median number of years required for completion was 6.3  and 6.5 years, respectively. For those who entered with a Masters degree, the mean and median number of years required for completion was 5.7 and 5.5 years, respectively. Of all 18 students who have graduated in the past seven years, 2 (11%) completed the program in fewer than five years, 5 (27%) in five years, 4 (22%) in six years, 6 (33%) in seven years, and 1 (5%) in more than seven years.

Of all 18 students placed in a predoctoral internship, all students (100%) were placed in the first year they applied. Of this total, 3 (16%) were APA accredited internship sites, and 3 (16%) were APPIC member internships. Three (16%) were full-time school-based placements, 9 (50%) were full-time psychoeducational clinic or mental health center placements, and 6 (33%) are half-time school based and half-time clinic based placements. All internships were paid, one-year positions that meet CDSPP guidelines.

Program Financial Information 2006-07 Academic Year

Resident Educational fee (Tuition) $276.40 per credit hour

Non-Resident Educational fee (Tuition) $437.30 per credit hour

Information Technology fee $11.30 per credit hour

Student Activity fee $109.09 per semester

Student Health fee $79.01 per semester

Recreation facility fee $125.60 per semester

Financial support (.25 FTE)* $4667 stipend for 9 month appointment, first year student

Financial support (.50 FTE)* $9333 stipend for 9 month appointment, first year student

*In addition to the stipend, both .25 FTE, and .50 FTE assistantships include waiver of tuition (resident and non-resident), but do not include the other fees listed above. Students with a qualifying 9-month assistantship in the academic year before Summer Session also receive a waiver of tuition for the Summer Session if they have been appointed to a qualifying assistantship in the year following that Summer Session.

Doctoral students in the School Psychology program are guaranteed a .25 level of support for five years. Although it should be noted that a higher level of support is not guaranteed, over the past five years, every School Psychology student who wished to have a .50 level of support was able to obtain an assistantship at this level.

Primary Faculty

Craig L. Frisby
Associate Professor of Education &
Director of School Psychology Program
Ph.D., University of California-Berkeley      

James Koller
Professor of Education
Ph.D., University of Missouri-Columbia

Wendy Reinke
Assistant Professor

Cheryl Offutt
Assistant Professor of Education
Ph.D., Michigan State University

Affiliated Faculty 

Deborah Wright
Clinical Associate Professor &
Staff Psychologist, Assessment and Consultation Clinic
Ph.D., University of Missouri-Columbia

Andrew Knoop
Clinical Assistant Professor &
Staff Psychologist, Assessment and Consultation Clinic
PhD, University of Missouri-Columbia

Molly Stebbins
School Psychologist,
Columbia Public Schools
Ph.D., University of Missouri-Columbia

Lou Ann Tanner-Jones
Administrative Assistant,
Special Education Department, Columbia Public Schools
Ph.D., University of Missouri-Columbia

Mark D. Weist
Adjunct Associate Professor,
Center for the Advancement of Mental Health Practices in the Schools

Karen Weston
Co-Director,
Center for the Advancement of Mental Health Practices in the Schools
Ph.D., University of Missouri-Columbia