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Educational Specialist Degree in School Psychology

The Educational Specialist Degree in School Psychology degree is a 60-unit program. Graduates of the program are typically employed in PreK-12 education to provide direct and indirect psychological, behavioral and academic support to students. Candidates concurrently meet requirements for the Pupil Personnel Services – School Psychology (PPS/SP) credential required of persons employed as school psychologists in public schools. The program is approved by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) and accredited by the state Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC). Visit the program website for details (www.ced.csulb.edu).

Prerequisites to the Program

The following are required for admission to the program:

1. Baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university.

2. Minimum 3.00 overall grade point average in last degree (not credential or certificate) earned from an accredited institution of higher education. Applicants whose overall GPA is less than 3.00 but meet the University minimum GPA requirement and who present compelling evidence of academic and professional potential either through recent academic performance and/or experiential background, may be considered for admission at the discretion of the program admission committee. 

3. Minimum combined score (Verbal and Quantitative) of 300 on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or a master's degree in a related field.

4. Completion of the following or an equivalent (may be taken after admission to the program, but must be taken prior to advancement to candidacy): ED P 405 and ED P 301 or ED P 302.

5. International applicants have additional university application requirements including meeting the English language proficiency requirement. Please visit The Center for International Education (CIE) website at www.csulb.edu/cie for more information.

Application to the Program

Candidates must apply separately to both the university and the program by posted deadlines. Applications should be submitted at the same time. The application for Graduate Admission to the University is available online through CSU Mentor (www.csumentor.edu). One complete set of official transcripts must be submitted with the university application. This set of transcripts will be used to determine grade point average eligibility. Failure to submit transcripts in a timely manner will result in a delayed review of the application.

A separate application to the School Psychology program must be submitted to the College of Education Graduate Studies Office (EED-7). An application and directions can be downloaded from the College of Education website (www.ced.csulb.edu/graduate/application-packets). The program application does not require a set of transcripts. After an initial paper screening, select applicants are invited for an interview with program faculty.

Classified Admission to the Program

Successful applicants are admitted to the program with Classified admission status.

Advancement to Candidacy (Clear Admission to the Program)

Candidates should advance to candidacy as early as possible. For advancement to candidacy (Clear Admission status), candidates must:

1. Fulfill the campus Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement(GWAR).

2. Complete ED P 301 or ED P 302, ED P 405, ED P 419, ED P 520, ED P 528, and ED P 603.

3. Resolve all incomplete grades.

4. Maintain a 3.0 grade point average in the prerequisites and in all core courses.

5. Submit to the Graduate Studies Office an Advancement to Candidacy form signed by their program advisor.

Program Requirements

1. Completion of the following core courses (or equivalent): ED P 419, ED P 517, ED P 518, ED P 520, ED P 524A, ED P 524B, ED P 603

2. Completion of the following core courses (no equivalents accepted): ED P 527, ED P 528, ED P 536, ED P 560, ED P 579, ED P 641A, ED P 641B, ED P 642A, ED P 642B, ED P 643.

3. Completion of a minimum of 42 units of the 51 unit core program in residency at CSULB.

4. Completion of one of the three 9 unit Emphases: (a) Educational Psychology Emphasis – 9 units from the following: ED P 519, ED P 541, ED P 595, ED P 596, ED P 604, ED P 605; (b) Thesis Emphasis – 6 units of ED P 698 and ED P 519 (quantitative thesis) or ED P 595 (qualitative thesis); or (c) Related Field Emphasis – 9 units from master's degree in a related field.

5. Successful completion of a culminating experience (i.e., comprehensive exam or thesis).

6. All University regulations governing the master's degree apply to the Educational Specialist degree in School Psychology.

7. Candidates are annually evaluated for specific professional competencies. If a candidate is found insufficient on one or more of the competencies, the candidate may be required to complete additional course work, practica, fieldwork, and/or other activities before being approved for the PPS intern or full credential and Ed.S. Degree.

8. Certificate of Clearance prior to enrolling in practica (ED P 641A & B).

9. Pass the Basic Skills Requirement prior to enrolling in practica (ED P 641A & B).

10. Completion of the National School Psychology Examination (ETS/PRAXIS II #10400) prior to completion of the program.


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