School Psychology

We offer a Zoom track in which students can attend classes synchronously via Zoom. Students are required to have their camera turned on and engage in course discussion during class time.

Students in the Zoom track must come to campus 1 to 2 days in the fall and again in the spring semester of their first year in the program to demonstrate competency administering and scoring assessments. Although not on campus, students are required to attend at least one school psychology professional convention (e.g., the Texas Association of School Psychologists [TASP] or the National Association of School Psychologists [NASP] annual convention).

Working is possible during certain parts of the program. However, the standards and expectations of students in the program do not change based on their circumstances (e.g., working full-time and caring for children). It is possible to work during the first year of the program. In the second year, students complete a 300-hour practicum in the fall and another 300-hour practicum in the spring. This means you will need to be functioning as a school psychology practicum student approximately 19 hours per week. In the third year, students complete a full-time 1,200 hour internship. Internships are normally paid positions.

Students can complete practicum experiences within the district they work, but not on the same campus(es). Furthermore, you cannot log practicum hours for work you are doing as a non-practicum employee of the district. During internship, it is not possible to work in any other capacity.

During the fall and spring semesters, classes are held from 4:30 to 7 p.m. and/or 7:15 to 9:45 p.m. Each class meets once per week. In the summer, classes are normally held during the day. Summer classes are held Monday through Thursday.

A graduate student may transfer a maximum of six semester hours. To transfer any credit from other institutions, the student’s application materials must include a memo requesting course transfer, the course syllabus/syllabi to be considered, the transcript(s) documenting a grade of B or better, the date of the course and the course could not have contributed to the completion of a prior degree. The exception is that all hours earned in an SFA certificate program can be considered for transfer into a graduate degree program. Course enrollment must have occurred no more than six years before application. Approval of the request must be received from the program faculty, the department chair, and the academic dean’s office. Any course accepted by transfer will carry credit but not grade-point value. If the student fails to complete work on the graduate degree at SFA before the expiration of the six years, the transfer credit will not be applicable toward a degree at SFA.

To apply, you only need to have transcripts from prior institutions, three letters of reference, a copy of your vita or resume and a written response to the essay prompt. We do not require the GRE or any specific undergraduate degree or coursework.

No, there is a detailed distance education policy that enumerates your responsibilities while attending class. In short, classes attended via Zoom are to be treated the same as face-to-face classes. The distance education policy can be found in the Student Handbook that is linked on the program’s website.

In 2022-2023, the statewide average was $72,244 according to data compiled by the Texas Association of School Psychologists (TASP) Shortage and Workforce Committee.