A school psychologist makes a difference in children’s lives by supporting students’ academic success and mental health. Working closely with teachers, administrators, and families, they assess students’ needs and provide evidence-based interventions to help children thrive.
This interdisciplinary graduate degree blends education and psychology and gives graduate students the tools to help K-12 students who are struggling academically, socially, behaviorally, or emotionally.
This program, which launched in Fall 2018, is fully accredited by the National Association of School Psychologists and has Wisconsin DPI approval. The three-year program includes two degrees in one. You will first complete a 30-credit Master of Science in Educational Psychology, which counts toward the more advanced 60-credit Educational Specialist degree. Once you complete the Educational Specialist degree, you will be eligible to become a licensed school psychologist in Wisconsin.
Courses are typically offered on Thursday and Friday evenings and all day Saturday (every other week). The program offers in-person courses, but these courses can also be completed synchronously online. However, there is one day of required in-person residency in August, prior to students starting the program.
Alverno's school psychology faculty members bring a wealth of real world experience working as administrators, school psychologists, and clinical psychologists. Alverno students gain experience applying their skills and knowledge in field work supervised by practicing school psychologists. During the second year of the program, school psychology students spend an average of two days per week at a K-12 school gaining practicum experience, and spend their third year working full time as a paid school psychology intern.
Get involved
Alverno school psychology students can connect with fellow students by joining the Alverno chapter of the School Psychology Student Association. They can also get involved by becoming a student member of the National Association of School Psychologists and the Wisconsin School Psychologists Association.
Alverno offers a wide network of placements for students who are interested in becoming school psychologists. The program is connected to more than 150 private and public schools throughout the metro Milwaukee area and beyond, and students complete their practica and internships at a variety of urban, suburban, and rural schools.
This degree allows you to make a difference, while earning a competitive salary. School psychologists are in such demand that many Wisconsin school districts can’t fill all their openings. Plus, U.S. News & World Report has often ranked this profession among the best social service jobs, with a national median salary over $70,000. Most school psychologists work in public K-12 school districts, though some work in private schools, charter schools, juvenile justice programs, universities, and private practice. Some school psychologists eventually take on related administrative roles.
Alverno College offers a one-year online certificate program for practicing School Psychologists in Multicultural and Multilingual School Psychology (MMSP). Please see this page for additional information Multicultural & Multilingual School Psychology (MMSP) Certificate | Alverno College.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| School Psychology (MSED) Requirements | ||
| SPY-601 | Orient to School Psychology | 0 |
| SPY-600 | Prof Issues & Ethics /School Psychology | 3 |
| SPY-630 | Culturally Respon Intellectual Assessmnt | 3 |
| SPY-648 | Academic Assessmnt & Progress Monitoring | 3 |
| MCP-651 | Research, Evaluation & Statistics Method | 3 |
| MCP-620 | Helping Rel: Prevention, Intervnt & Syst | 3 |
| SPY-645 | Behav, Soc, Emot Assmnt &inter | 3 |
| SPY-615 | Charctst of Lrnrs W/Disablts | 3 |
| SPY-655 | Clin Mental Hlth Couns/Chld& Adol | 3 |
| SPY-647 | Prevent & Crisis Intervention in Schools | 3 |
| SPY-620 | Prac: SPY With Multilingual Students | 3 |
| Ed Specialist (EdS) Requirements | ||
| SPY-698 | Practicum 1: School Psychology | 3 |
| SPY-650 | Adv Assess Multiling Learners | 3 |
| SPY-690 | Consult & Collabor W/Teachers & Families | 3 |
| SPY-699 | Practicum 2: School Psychology | 3 |
| SPY-670 | Applied Resrch & Evidence Based Practice | 3 |
| SPY-660 | Apply MTSS/Addr Acad&Beh Issues | 3 |
| AL-666 | Leadership for School & Community Engage | 3 |
| SPY-640 | Counseling Multilingual and Multicultura | 3 |
| SPY-700 | Internship 1: School Psychology | 3 |
| SPY-720 | Internship 2: School Psychology | 3 |
| Total Credits | 60 | |