School Psychology FAQ's

If you meet the necessary standards, you will be contacted by Graduate Admissions regarding open dates to attend an interview session. The two hour sessions occur on a Thursday during the morning and afternoon.

The first part of the interview is in a small group format. The full school psychology faculty facilitate the interview along with current students within the program. The latter part of the session, each candidate gets to meet one on one with a school psychology faculty member.

Both the group and individual sessions are designed to encourage free flowing discussion between faculty, current students, and candidates. We have found this combined format as way to get to know each candidate and a time for you to gather information about Saint Rose and the program.

A representative of graduate admissions will also be available to discuss issues such as financial aid applications, housing, and other financial considerations such as scholarships and assistantships.

All candidates will be notified no later than April 1st as to their status. All candidates who were accepted to the program have to notify us by April 15th on their plans of attending.

We do have a wait list as each year we are honored to have many qualified applicants but unfortunately have limited space. After April 15th, we will contact those on the wait list about their acceptance status.

Determining which graduate program to attend is one of the most important educational decisions a prospective school psychologist will make. Along with several other school psychology training programs, we believe all student candidates deserve the opportunity to consider their options and admission offers before making such a decision.

This policy is consistent with policies set by Council of Directors of School Psychology Programs (CDSPP), Trainers of School Psychologists (TSP), National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), and the Trainers of School Psychologists: New York.

While supplies will be available, we do recommend that you bring note taking material and a bottle of water. You are welcome to bring any other documents that you may not have included in your application packet. Also, during the last part of the interview, you will be asked for a spontaneous writing sample based on the article provided to you by Graduate Admissions. You may bring the article as a reference.

We will gladly put you in touch with current student representatives both during and after the interview process. We feel that they can provide you with greater insight into the program and their experiences.

While deferments are not possible, we would encourage you to reapply when you are ready to attend.

The School Psychology program has established strong relationships with multiple school districts within the Capital Region, and counties throughout New York State. Each student will be matched at one of these sites by the primary faculty.

A key element to our program is cultivating a supportive, collaborative environment in which cohort members work together towards becoming successful school psychologists. The process of matching a student with a school district eliminates competition for a specific site, reduces the stress of trying to find a site, and increases the knowledge that the school district will provide you with a well rounded diverse experience.

Absolutely! It is important to match the personal and professional goals of every student. All students provide the faculty with this information which is carefully considered in determining possible placement.

In the second semester of the second year, students will begin their 240 hour practicum. Students attend their practicum site twice a week from January to May. In your third year, you do a full time, five days a week, 1200 hour Internship at the same district in which your practicum took place.

This is one of the unique features of our program as the Practicum and Internship occur successively in the same district. We have found that the experiences during the Practicum allow students to hit the ground running when it is time to start Internship.

As a NASP accredited program all students must complete a 1200 hour internship. This is one of the necessary steps to become a Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP). More importantly, understanding the ebbs and flows of a full school year is invaluable when you are ready to take on your first position as a school psychologist.

A large majority of the sites are located within the Capital Region and surrounding areas. Opportunities do arise to do an internship at a site located in other states around the nation. Overall, districts are found in suburban, urban, and rural areas, each providing a wide array of experiences.

During the internship year, all students are required to gain diverse experiences at both the primary and secondary level. Further, the seminar classes allow students to learn how other school districts address similar issues.

Some districts do provide a stipend for Interns. This can range from $3500 to $10,000. However, most districts DO NOT provide a stipend as budget cuts make this difficult. It is also important to note that during these economic times, districts who have offered a stipend in the past does not guarantee a stipend to be offered the following year. As faculty, we continue to advocate for stipends as we understand the financial strain of attending a graduate training program.