QUESTIONS OFTEN ASKED
Q. What is an educational psychologist? What is a school psychologist?
A. An educational psychologist is a professional who has completed graduate study in educational psychology. Typically an educational psychologist is employed in a university as a faculty member or researcher concentrating on the application of psychological theory for teaching, learning, and human development.
A school psychologist is a professional who has completed a focused specialist or doctoral level graduate preparation program and year-long internship in school psychology. In addition, a school psychologist is licensed/certified by the state board of education to practice in the schools. School psychologists enact their roles in a variety of ways including, but not limited to: educational and psychological testing, consultation and problem solving with teachers and parents, individual and group counseling, and other direct interventions in support of student learning and positive mental health.
Q. How is a school psychologist different from a school counselor?
A. School psychologists and school counselors have common core preparation in psychological theory and research. The chief differences between the professions are in the length and depth of their graduate study programs and in the roles they enact in the schools. School counselors and school psychologists share roles in addressing the academic, personal/social and career development needs of all students. Both professionals are licensed/certified by the state board of education to practice in the schools. School psychologists, by nature of their more in depth study in psychology and learning, are often heavily involved in the identification of students with special needs and in assisting teachers and other professionals in designing academic intervention strategies. School counselors in Illinois are almost exclusively employed at the high school level and play major roles in academic advising and in career development. NationalCollege of Education offers graduate study in both of these professional disciplines. Each program, however, requires separate application and admissions procedures.
Q. What degrees do you offer?
A. Students may earn a Master of Education (M.Ed.) or a Master of Science in Education (M.S.Ed.) in Human Learning and Development. Individuals wishing to earn their School Psychology certificate must first earn the M.Ed. or M.S.Ed. in School Psychology and then apply for the Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) degree in School Psychology after which they are eligible to apply for certification in School Psychology. Students may also earn a Doctor of Education degree (Ed.D.) in either Human Learning and Development or School Psychology.
Q. What are the requirements to enter each program?
A. Students applying for a degree in either Human Learning and Development or School Psychology must complete the NCE application for graduate school which includes submission of transcripts from all colleges/universities. In addition, students applying to the Human Learning and Development (HLD) program take the Miller Analogy Test or the GRE and students applying to the School Psychology (SP) program take the GRE and also participate in an interview with faculty.
Q. What test(s) must be taken?
School Psychology applicants for either an M.Ed.or Ed.S. must take the GRE.
School Psychology Ed.S. applicants must take the Illinois Test of Basic Skills and GRE.
Human Learning and Development M.S.Ed. applicants must take the Miller Analogies Test or the GRE.
Q. What is the difference between the M.Ed. degree and the Ed.S. degree?
A. The Ed.S. is an advanced degree between the master’s and doctoral degrees. Students seeking School Psychology certification and already having earned an appropriate master’s degree must complete the Ed.S. degree in School Psychology. Applicants for the Ed.S. must successfully pass the Basic Skills Test administered by the Illinois State Board of Education as a condition of admission. Upon completion of the Ed.S. degree, students must pass the state administered Content Area Examination in School Psychology to be eligible for certification.
Q. How long does it normally take to earn each degree (full-time, part-time)?
Ed.S. – 2 years full-time, 3 years part-time
Q. What kinds of careers are open to an educational psychologist?
Those who complete the School Psycholology certification program can practice as school psychologists.
For those who received the MS.Ed. in Educational Psychology, hours beyond the master’s degree are needed to teach in higher education. Check each college for requirements.
The students in Educational Psychology who receive an M.Ed. in Humna Learning and Development areoften teachers who use this knowledge of development for their teaching and planning of programs.
Q. What certification(s) can be earned in each program?
A. We offer only a certification as a school psychologist through the Ed.S. degree program or the Doctoral degree program in School Psychology. The master’s degree in Educational Psychology or a related field is required to apply to the Ed.S. degree or the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree. The Educational Psychology program of the National College of Education offers the School Counselor certification program in conjunction with the Human Services graduate program in the College of Arts and Sciences. Interested applicants should review those program requirements.
Q. What is required to get the Type 73 certificate in school psychology?
A. See list of required certification courses.
Q. I have a master’s degree in clinical psychology. What do I need to do to obtain the Type 73 certificate in school psychology?
A. Transcript review with the program coordinator is required. Individuals not yet admitted to the School Psychology program will be assessed a fee for this service. Successfully admitted students may have this fee credited to their account.
Q. I have a doctorate in clinical psychology. What do I need to do to obtain the Type 73 certificate in school psychology?
A. You must apply for and be admitted to the Ed.S. program in School Psychology. Applicants who have earned a doctorate from a regionally accredited institution do not need to retake the GRE. The Ed.S. program is 34 graduate semester hours in length including an academic year-long, full-time internship in the schools. The precise courses required for applicants with the doctorate will be determined by a transcript review conducted by the program coordinator.
Q. I am a classroom teacher and want to remain in my classroom. How would a master’s degree in Human Learning and Development benefit me?
A. This master’s degree offers an important perspective on teaching and learning in the classroom. Course work covers theory, research, and practice issues related to thinking and teaching, classroom management, group process and community building, effective observations of children in classroom learning environments, human development as it relates to education, and practices of assessment. Students are encouraged to focus their studies around their own classrooms and issues that are important to them. Through close mentorship with faculty, students complete a research project focusing on their own practice and goals.
Q. What careers are available for a person with a master’s degree or a doctorate in Human Learning and Development?
Teaching in higher education and a variety of other educational facilities
Independent Educational Consulting
Administrative positions in higher education
Q. What classes may I take as a student at large in either the School Psychology or the Human Learning and Development Program?
A. You should talk to the program director if you have taken other graduate level classes (that have not been used toward a graduate degree) which you think might apply to the program. In general, we recommend taking EPS 500B Human Development with an Emphasis on the Elementary Age Child, if you do not have the Human Development prerequisite.
