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About OU’s Education Specialist in School Psychology (Arizona)

Offered exclusively at ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ’s Arizona adult campus, the Ed Specialist degree program will help you gain real-world knowledge through internship and practicum experiences in school psychology. The school psychology graduate program seeks to provide comprehensive school psychological practices in applied settings by preparing students for services in consultation, assessment and intervention services for schools and school children.

The program emphasizes providing tools for working in collaboration with students, teachers, parents, administrators and members of the community to promote learning in school settings.  Students will develop entry-level skills in training students to identify evidence-based practices that address cognitive, academic, and social/behavioral needs of children and youth.

Certified by the Arizona Department of Education, the program is a blended on-campus and online program that requires students to complete the mandatory credit hours and hours of a practicum and internship in a school setting. The curriculum includes courses in behavioral methods and interventions, child and adolescent development, special education law, and more. Instructors are dedicated to providing a supportive and engaging learning environment, where your individual needs are addressed.

Students in this program can earn their teaching degree in Arizona or Kansas. The education major is based on state, regional, and national licensure criteria and testing competencies. The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ teacher education programs are state approved in Arizona and Kansas and accredited by the

Degree Outcomes

The Ed Specialist degree is needed in order to work as a school psychologist. The degree enables students to work directly with children, parents and teachers in a school setting. This program also provides a foundation for students who wish to pursue doctoral studies in school psychology in the future.

After graduation, you will have developed the school psychology skills and knowledge necessary to enhance your teaching methods, apply diagnostic skills, create an engaging learning experience, adjust to the constant changes in education, encourage participation in school and education improvement projects, assess the effectiveness of school services, curricula, programs and activities, become a better leader and grow professionally.

Career Outlook for the EdS Degree

The projects that employment opportunities for clinical, counseling and school psychologists are projected to grow 14 percent through 2026, faster than the average for all occupations. It is further projected that employment of school psychologists will continue to grow because of the raised awareness of the connection between mental health school outcomes.

The median annual wage for psychologists was $78,200 in May 2019. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $45,380, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $132,070. Furthermore, the labor department concludes that candidates with a doctoral or education specialist degree and postdoctoral work experience will have the best job opportunities in clinical, counseling, or school psychology positions.

The EdS in Perspective

This program provides students with the necessary credentials to become a state-board certified school psychologist. Students will gain the skills to advocate for children and their families regarding the learning environment, interpret data to improve the learning experience, use research to inform practices and learn professional practice through instructors who are currently in the field.

For curriculum and course descriptions, download a program overview.

If you’re interested in earning your Ed Specialist degree in School Psychology, consider ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ. We’re here to help you advance in your career. To learn more about Ottawa's EdS degree, contact us today.

School Psychology (AZ) is offered at the following locations.

• Surprise, AZ (Residential Campus)
• Online

Professional Licensure Disclosure

• This program meets professional licensure requirements in certain states, as outlined on the University’s Licensure Disclosure page. Students are advised to verify that they are located (or plan to seek initial licensure) in a state where ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ’s program meets requirements. Students who have questions about a program’s status should consult with an enrollment advisor. Those who relocate to another state during their course of study may no longer be eligible to enroll in the program or receive federal financial aid, and they may not meet licensure requirements in their state.

EDS in School Psychology Courses

Foundation Courses

Professional & Historical Issues in School Psychology  
An introduction to the field of school psychology, including its history, the roles and functions of school psychologists, professional issues, and ethics and law for school psychologists.

Counseling & The Helping Professions 
Examines the counseling process, instruction and practice in communication skills in counseling, history, development, and practice of counseling as a profession,and how and where counseling is provided.

Research: Assessment and Evaluation 
Develop conceptual and analytical skills and knowledge to assess organizational needs and program effectiveness through the use of research methodologies.

Social & Cultural Basis of Assessment 
This course will examine issues in the assessment of bilingual students, including the appropriate use of standardized measures, non-discriminatory assessments, alternative approaches to the assessment of cognitive functioning, and social adaptive behavior of linguistically diverse students. Students will learn when and how to conduct evaluations in the child's first and/or second language. Student will administer tests, make case presentations and write reports.

Master's Research Project
Prepare major culminating scholarly project directly relevant to the program of study. Approved project proposal required.

Concentration Courses

Behavioral Methods and Interventions
Course explores strategies and specific interventions to assist professionals in school settings. Emphasis is placed on remediation of academic areas, cognitive processes, and behavioral deficits.

Assessment & Intervention: Academic & Alternative 
Principles and methods of performing individual psychological evaluations of school-age children and youth. Administering, scoring, and interpreting Wechsler Intelligence Scales, Stanford Binet, and other assessment instruments.

Assessment & Intervention: Social & Behavioral  
Provides applied learning for the administration, scoring and interpretation of behavioral and personality measures, such as parent teacher child interviews, youth self-report measures, standardized rating scales, and projective techniques. Encompasses written and oral reports to integrate results relevant to psychological services in educational settings; for example, identification of emotional handicaps, intervention planning and crises intervention.

Educational & Psychological Measurement 
Psychological testing theory, clinical and practical aspects of individual test administration, educational and clinical diagnosis, interpretation, and non-discriminatory and controversial issues in testing.

Educational Statistical Methods I  
Overview of common statistical techniques used in educational research, including univariate and bivariate descriptive statistics, chi square, and linear regression.

Educational Statistical Methods II 
Concepts and techniques involved in the analysis and interpretation of clinical and research data. Lecture and laboratory descriptive and inferential statistics. Major topics included correlation and regression, test of significance, and introduction to analysis of variance. Both parametric and non-parametric approaches are covered.

Special Education Law 
Legal issues and challenges facing the field of Special Education with emphasis on topics such as non-biased assessment, mainstreaming, non-categorical vs. categorical special education, effects of labeling multicultural, special education, and evaluation programs for the school psychologist. Additionally, includes the special education referral and delivery system according to the law, individual education plans and legislation affecting special education.

Consultation Strategies for School Psychology 
Concepts and practice of consultation in a variety of settings, including child-centered, teacher-centered and system-centered techniques.

Theories of Learning in School Psychology
Provides an in-depth review of major learning theories with an emphasis on how this impacts the practice of school psychology. Course explores learning processes, historical perspectives of learning theory and examines relationships that exist between learning theory and educational and psychological practices.

Academic & Alternative Test Practice
Students spend 45 hours in a school setting working with a school psychologist practicing academic and alternative testing procedures and report writing.

Personality, Behavior, Social & Emotional Testing Procedures
Students spend 45 hours in a school setting working with a school psychologist practicing personality, behavior, social, and emotional testing procedures and report writing.

Theories of Trauma, Grief, and Loss
Examination of the dynamics of grief, loss, and trauma and the role of the counselor in elementary, secondary, and community college settings in supporting students who have experienced loss or trauma.

Internship in School Psychology I  
The internship requirements are equivalent to four semesters of full-time placement in a school setting under the dual guidance of an on-site staff psychologist and a University-based supervisor. Participation in the intake and screening process, individual evaluations, interdisciplinary staff conferences, parent conferences, and professional meetings is required. Students will evaluate children, write reports and practice short-term consultation under the supervision of the on-site psychologist.

Internship in School Psychology II
Continuation of Internship II in the same school setting as Internship I.

Advanced Assessment & Intervention: Academic & Alternative
Course extends skills in academic and alternative testing, including report writing, selection, use, and interpretation of academic instruments, as well as ways to summarize and report test results to other professionals and parents. Topics include current issues and trends in ability testing, ethical practices,theories of intelligence, working with linguistically and culturally different children, and environmental effects on intelligence.

Child and Adolescent Development
Examines theory and principles of development from conception through adolescence. Topics include an in-depth study of physical, social/emotional, cognitive, language, and aesthetic development. Students examine various theories, including Piaget, Erikson, Vygotsky, Skinner and others. Explores development in the context of gender, family culture, and society, with an emphasis on implications for professional practice.

Additional state-specific components may be required. Contact your advisor for details.

University Accreditation

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ, as a whole, is accredited by the .

Specific degree programs within our institution have also been accredited by relevant bodies within the field:

The baccalaureate degree program in nursing and master's degree program in nursing ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791.

We are proudly recognized for our commitment to student excellence by the following designations:

Why Choose Ottawa
Almost all courses in ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ’s programs are available online and accredited by The Higher Learning Commission. We make it easy for you to transfer credits in order to help keep tuition costs down. We also offer courses in accelerated 8-week terms in order to reduce your time to completion. These are just a few of the reasons why we are proud to be the best, fastest, and most affordable option locally in the Kansas City, Milwaukee, and Phoenix areas, as well as serving students nationally through our online degrees.

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