School Psychology
 Certification Program,
M.Ed. and Ed.S.

This program is available at the North Shore Campus in Skokie, Illinois
Just North of Chicago

School Psychology |Applications | Career Options | Certification Courses |
Master's (M.Ed.) in Educational Psychology Courses | Education Specialist (Ed.S.) in School Psychology Courses

The School Psychology Certification Program at National-Louis University (NLU) offers one of only two nationally accredited programs in the immediate Chicago area and is one of seven nationally accredited programs in the state of Illinois. The program is fully accredited by the National Association of School Psychology (NASP), a status that has been held for more than 20 years. Most of the courses are offered at the NLU North Shore campus in Skokie, Illinois, less than 15 miles north of downtown Chicago.

What Certification and Degree(s) Do You Get if You Come to the National-Louis School Psychology Program?

Graduates of the NLU School Psychology program are eligible for certification as a School Psychologist in the State of Illinois with the Type 73 Pupil Personnel Certification upon successful completion of the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) examination.  In the past 5 years, 100% of NLU graduates have passed this examination.  NLU school psychology graduates also can be certified as Nationally Certified School Psychologists (NCSP) by completing our NASP-approved program and passing the National School Psychology Examination.  In the past 5 years, 100% of NLU graduates taking the NCSP exam have passed this examination. 

The NLU School Psychology Program offers four points of entry into the School Psychology Program. All four points of entry into the program are described in terms of full-time courses of study, although part-time completion is possible.

1. Most applicants enter with a BA or BS degree with the intention of earning the Educational Specialist degree (Ed.S.) in School Psychology, recognized by educators and by NASP as the standard of practice.  These applicants apply to the M.Ed. in Educational Psychology program that is earned along the way to completing the Ed.S. degree in School Psychology.
   
   Students who enter with a BA or BS can expect a 3-year course of full-time study with decreasing coursework requirements and increasing field experiences over this time period. The third-year is a full-time, financially compensated school-based internship. After their first year, students earn their M.Ed., a minimum of 34 semester hours (M.Ed. Course of Study). The Ed.S. degree, earned after 2 additional years of full-time study, is a minimum of 34 semester credit hours (Ed.S. Course of Study).
2. Some applicants enter with an MA, MS, OR M.Ed. in psychology, education, or, on occasion, a related field.  For example, they may have completed a general psychology masters degree, a mental health masters degree, or a masters degree in education.  Many of these applicants have field experience, especially those with education degrees.  These applicants apply directly to the Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) degree in School Psychology program.  Depending on the previous degree coursework, this plan of study may be less than 3 full-time years.  One of these coursework years must be the full-time internship.  The number of courses taken for these applicants is based upon the Illinois School Psychology certification requirements. The School Psychology Program coordinator evaluates each of these applicants’ transcripts to develop an individualized course of study within the program sequence and may accept prior degree course work as transfers toward, or waivers of, the Ed.S. School Psychology program and certification requirements. Prior degree courses must be equivalent in content and taken within the last 10 years.
3. A few applicants with a Ph.D., or Psy.D., or Ed.D. equivalents in related fields (e.g., clinical psychology, educational psychology) apply to our School Psychology Certification program.  Depending on the previous degree coursework, this plan of study may be less than the 3 full-time years, but must include the second-year school-based practicum and the full-time internship.  The School Psychology Program coordinator evaluates each of these applicants' transcripts to develop an individualized course of study within the program sequence and may accept prior degree coursework as transfers toward, or waivers of, School Psychology program requirements.  Prior degree courses must be equivalent in content and taken within the last 10 years.  The number of courses taken for these applicants is based upon the Illinois School Psychology certification requirements.  These candidates receive an Ed.S. degree in school psychology, so must take a minimum of 34 semester hours.
4. Some Applicants apply to the Educational Doctorate (Ed.D.) in School Psychology Program (Ed.D. Course of Study).  To ensure that these applicants are certified upon degree completion, the applicants complete all school psychology certification requirements in order to be eligible for Illinois School Psychology certification.

What Do I Learn and What Can I Do When I Finish?

People become school psychologists because they want to make a difference.  To those of us at National-Louis, this means preparing school psychologists who can increase student achievement and social-emotional health by "learning about what works" and ensuring that schools and families have access to, and apply, this knowledge.  We prepare school psychologists to meet the needs of children, students, and families for the 21st century based on the the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) Blueprint III (2006).  The NASP Blueprint drives school psychologists to contribute to multi-tiered, coordinated early intervening services, or what in many states has been referred to as Response to Intervention (RTI).  To us at NLU, we support our students to do their best work to promote positive development in all children, to contribute to positive service delivery systems, to prevent problematic behavior, and, when observed, to remediate learning and social-emotional or behavioral difficulties as soon as possible.

At the core of NLU training is the foundation of the scholar-practitioner model. As such, the program fuses the importance of theory-driven and evidence-based intervention (EBI) practices early and continuously to communicate the value of critical thinking and inquiry regarding the structures and processes that promote healthy human development. An ecological perspective also is embedded in the program philosophy that conceives development as a complex interaction of the individual, their families, and a variety of cultures inside and outside of schooling.

At NLU we strive to create a community of learners. See what our students say about what they are learning.

What Do NLU School Psychology Graduates Do?

When you graduate from the NLU School Psychology Program, you can be confident that you will be supplied with, and have supervised experiences in, the skill sets to make a difference. You will find that you will be in high demand, not only by school systems in the Chicago area, but across the country. Our graduates typically assume leadership roles in their school districts early in their careers because they have these skill sets, strong social values, and the attributes of leadership considered important by communities. See what educational leaders in our local communities, our state, and the country say about our graduates. 

Interested in Applying?

The School Psychology program has specific application requirements. National-Louis enables potential applicants to apply on-line. The on-line application process, although expedient, often does not provide applicants to our School Psychology Program with sufficient guidance to describe their backgrounds or qualifications fully. You will soon be able to download program information and application materials in pdf format.

Is there Financial Aid available?

Financial Aid is available based on need.  However, many of our students work as Graduate Assistants both within our program and in other University programs.  These students work from 10 to 20 hours a week.  Approximately 50 percent of our students obtain the Graduate Assistantships.

For More Information

If this brief description of our program piques your interest and you want more information, contact the Program Director, Mark R. Shinn, Ph.D. at mshinn@nl.edu or by calling 847-275-7200.

Interested in Applying?