Graduate Programs

Graduate Programs

Graduate Psychology Program

Our academic program includes two competitive degrees that are commonly completed sequentially: Masters of Arts in Educational Psychology and Professional Diploma in School Psychology.

The Professional Diploma in School Psychology program at NJCU is accredited by the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC). As of July 1, 2013, NCATE and TEAC were consolidated into CAEP as the new accrediting body for educator preparation. The program is recognized by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) as Approved (full). Graduate candidates from our program are eligible to become Nationally Certified School Psychologists (NCSP), which provides potential advantage when applying for competitive employment in several states across the country.

Graduate Program Candidate Requirements:

Masters of Arts in Educational Psychology (36 credits)

  • Application deadline: none (candidates are considered for admission on a rolling basis)
  • GRE requirement: none

Professional Diploma in School Psychology (74 credits)

  • Application deadline: March 1st and November 1st
  • GRE requirement: General Test

What to Expect

Coursework
Candidates complete a combined total of 65 credit hours in graduate courses in order to complete the Professional Diploma in School Psychology. View the Suggested Sequence of Courses

Practical Hours
The program offers practical with cooperating school districts and community agencies in urban settings. As a result candidates have the opportunity to apply practical skills, become familiar with the role of the school psychology, and to gain experience working with diverse groups and multicultural populations.

Candidates are expected to document a minimum of 300 hours of practicum experiences. Practica consist of a series of closely supervised on-campus, school-based, and clinic-based field experiences, completed prior to beginning the 1200-hour externship. Practica are completed for academic credit and are intended to develop a full range of skills associated with the practice of school psychology. Practica are supervised by field-based school psychologists and university faculty.

Externship
(Please note: The term “externship” is considered to be equivalent to the term “internship,” but is used here to be consistent with language in New Jersey State certification requirements.)

Candidates are expected to document a minimum of 1200 hours of externship as a culminating experience. All program coursework must be complete prior to beginning the externship. During the externship portion of the program, candidates work with experienced, certified school psychology professionals in the field and meet with university faculty on a regular basis for supervision.

PRAXIS School Psychologist
Candidates are encouraged to register for the administration of the PRAXIS School Psychologist (5402) during the first semester of the externship experience.

Current program statistics: 100% passing rate on the PRAXIS School Psychologist

Core Program Faculty

James Lennon, Ph.D.
Department Co-Chair
Email: jlennon@njcu.edu

Andrew Getzfeld, Ph.D.
Professor
Email: agetzfeld@njcu.edu

Frank Nascimento, Psy.D., NCSP
Assistant Professor and Graduate Program Director
Email: fnascimento@njcu.edu