School Psychology Credential

The school psychology program is designed for persons wishing to become school psychologists in public schools. On completion of the program, the student receives the Advanced Pupil Personnel Services Credential in School Psychology, in addition to  the Masters in Science in Counseling: School Psychology Option.  The school psychology program is a full time three year specialist program.

Admission Requirements:

General Admission Requirements: All applicants must demonstrate evidence of suitability for graduate work in School Psychology and complete the application process by the published deadline for that year. In addition to our application form, applicants must submit transcripts (may be unofficial) of all prior academic work, documentation of having taken the GRE and passing the Upper Division Writing Proficiency Exam, two to three letters of recommendation on the recommender's stationery, and a statement of personal and professional goals, objectives, and paid and unpaid work history. The personal statement must include information regarding applicants' experiences related to working with cultural or ethnic minorities. A resume is also required. Experience working with school aged children (voluntary or paid) is required, preferably in a school setting.

• Click here for the Fall 2018 Application Checklist (.pdf)

Those who meet the requirements will be invited for an interview. The interview dates will be posted on the departmental webpage by the application deadline date.

Applicants must take the GRE and pass the Upper Division Writing Exam. All students must also take the CBEST by the end of the first semester. This is a credentialing requirement. In addition to the general requirements stated above, all School Psychology applicants must have completed or be enrolled in the following undergraduate courses or their equivalents:

Prerequisites (12 units)

EPC 314 Psychological Foundations, K-12 (3) (Waived for applicants who have a teaching credential)
EPC 430 Development and Learning in Early Childhood Education (3)
EPC 451 Fundamentals of Counseling and Guidance (3)
EPC 600 Educational Statistics for Research and Measurement (3)
(Equivalent courses may be substituted for prerequisites with approval.)

Students who have taken equivalent course at other institutions will need to submit a course equivalency form, transcripts, university course description, and course syllabi. Graduate advisors and school psychology professors will evaluate and determine whether the requested courses are equivalent to the pre-requisites.

All applicants for graduate study must submit an application to the department and a graduate application to the University. Four prerequisite courses for the School Psychology masters degree and credential programs must be completed with a grade of "B-" or better in order to matriculate into the program. In addition to the above requirements, students under serious consideration will be expected to complete a structured interview process. Selection of students is made by the School Psychology program coordinators based on evaluation of written application material, references, grades/GRE scores, paid and unpaid work experience, writing sample, and the structured interview. Interviews are conducted by teams composed of CSUN school psychology faculty, school psychologists or other school personnel in the field, and advanced graduate students. Admission to the School Psychology masters and credential program requires a formal letter of acceptance from the program coordinator.

Note: The School Psychology program at CSUN is a FULL time three year program designed to prepare professional School Psychologists.

Application Procedures

Application Period for Master's Degree and Advanced Student/Credential Applications:

The School Psychology program only admits applicants for the Fall semester. Each accepted cohort begins their course of study in the Fall Semester. As a result, applications are typically accepted from January 2 to February 1, but check department's website for specific dates.

It is the student's responsibility to be sure that all information is submitted by the deadline. Only applicants whose files are completed by the deadline will be considered for admission.

General Applicant Procedures

All applicants must apply to the University and to the Department.

All applicants must submit a Department Application in addition the University Application. Please download the department application and application process documents on the department website or contact the department office at (818) 677-2599 to request a copy if you cannot download the forms from the webpage.

• Credential Requirements: All School Psychology applicants must work towards the advanced pupil personnel services credential in School Psychology and must open a file with the credential office the first semester of the program.
• CBEST: All credential candidates must pass the California Basic Education Test (CBEST) to be eligible for the PPS credential.
• The Interview Process: School Psychology applicants who are seen as viable candidates for the program will be asked to participate in an individual and/or group interview in person as part of the application process. When the applicant's file is complete including application, test scores, letters of recommendation, personal statement, transcripts and testing results, and resume, selected applicants are notified to attend an interview. Only completed applications will be considered. Applicants are responsible for making sure their files are complete. Please submit all documents for consideration in the same envelope as the departmental application.

The School Psychology program interviews take place in February or March. The specific date(s) will be posted on the department webpage under "Admissions Process." The interview is approximately three hours in length. It consists of a series of activities including questions about the profession, a psychology dyad, and a novel activity that will assess the applicants' personal and professional traits and characteristics. Interview facilitators consist of faculty, professional school psychologists and advanced students. Interview groups are deliberately kept small, approximately six applicants to two facilitators to insure personal attention to each applicant, when interviewed in a group. Viable candidates may be interviewed individually.

Selection of Applicants

Selection of Candidates: Candidates are notified of the results of their applications by mid-May. The Admissions Committee takes into consideration the following factors in making its decision: Applicants' professional and educational background, grades/GRE test scores, interview results, paid and unpaid work experiences, and letters of recommendation.

The actual number of applicants admitted each year varies based on faculty, department resources, and other criteria existing at the time of the admissions period.

School Psychology Program Sequence
Masters in Counseling and Pupil Personnel Credential in School Psychology

PREREQUISITES (12 Units)

EPC 314 Psychological Foundations, K-12 (3) (Waived for applicants who have a teaching credential)
EPC 430 Development and Learning in Early Childhood Education (3)
EPC 451 Fundamentals of Counseling and Guidance (3)
EPC 600 Educational Statistics for Research and Measurement (3)
(Equivalent courses may be substituted for prerequisites with approval.)

REQUIRED COURSES for the Master's of Science in Counseling with specialization in School Psychology

Total Units = 72 plus 3-6 units of Comprehensive Studies or Thesis/Graduate Project. 

Please note that 12 credit  units are based on practica (fieldwork) and internship classes.

Intern Programs:

As part of the credential requirements for the Advanced Pupil Services Credential in School Psychology, candidates are required to conduct at least 450 hours of practica (fieldwork) in the schools. This requirement is part of the EPC 659EC/659FC Practica in School Psychology: Resiliency, Prevention, and Crisis Intervention courses.  Students are required to spend 1-2 days per week in the schools their second year in the school psychology program. Candidates are also required to complete at least 1200 hours of internship hours in the public schools.  This is part of the EPC 659GC/659HC Internship in School Psychology courses. Candidates are expected to work 4-5 days a week to complete their internship hours during their third year in the program.