Our goal is to train professional school psychologists who:
1. Emerge as a scientist-practicioner ready to apply psychological and educational research in a critical manner
2. Well versed in the logistics and hierarchy of educational systems
3. Provide and interpret cognitive, academic, behavioral, emotional and social assessments
4. Collaborate effectively with families, teachers, and school administrations regarding the needs of all children
5. Are able to respond effectively to serve individuals and schools in crisis.
Join our Facebook group to speak with other students in our program:
91 Killian Building Lane, Room 302B
Cullowhee, NC 28723
Map
Directions
828.227.7361 tel
828.227.7005 fax
psy@wcu.edu
The school psychology graduate program is approved by the National Association of School Psychologist (NASP), and accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), and hte North Carolina State Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI).
The SSP degree clearly reflects the fact that the requirements for graduation from the School Psychology Program at WCU are more intensive than would be expected for a Masters degree. The program is 72 hours long and requires 3 years of course work, thesis work, practicum experiences, and internship experiences. The SSP is a terminal degree which means that the students do not earn a Masters degree on the way to getting the SSP. The program is cognitive-behavioral and based on a child advocacy model. In this model, the needs of the child are at the center of all activity engaged in by the school psychologist. Our students are trained to facilitate growth in development, behavior, and learning of children and youth.
Admission
All applications and supporting materials are submitted online. When the Graduate
School has received the completed online file, the Department of Psychology is notified
for action.
Meetings
Financial Aid
The Psychology Department is very aggressive at seeking out Graduate Assistantships
for students entering the psychology graduate programs. As a result, for the last
5 years at least, 100% of the graduate students who are eligible through full acceptance
into the program have been provided with an Assistantship. Every year the Graduate
school also offers a limited number of in-state and out-of-state tuition waivers that
are distributed based on GRE and undergraduate GPA scores. In the past few years,
most of the out-of-state graduate students in the psychology department have received
some sort of tuition waiver. Our students are also very competitive for scholarship
funds available through the Graduate School.