Current Students – Doctoral Program in School Psychology (Ph.D.)

School Psychology Students and Faculty, 2019

Program Description

School Psychology is the application of the principles of psychology to the learning and developmental processes of children and adolescents. School psychologists conduct psychological and educational evaluations in order to plan remedial programs for students, counsel students with learning and school adjustment problems, consult with school personnel and parents, develop and implement educational and psychological programs for schools, and evaluate school programs.

The Ph.D. program in School Psychology is grounded in the scientist-practitioner model of training. The APA-accredited* Ph.D. program in School Psychology is grounded in the scientist-practitioner model of training. The program adheres to the idea that practice and research should reciprocally influence and strengthen each other. The program prepares students to integrate scientific knowledge and skills into all professional activities, to promote empirically established practices on behalf of those being served, and to exemplify the legal and ethical standards of the psychology profession.

The program is typically a five-year, 120 credit hour program. Four years are spent in full-time coursework at UCA, and the fifth year is a full-time internship in a school or other appropriate setting. Strong emphasis is placed on child mental health promotion, primary prevention, and intervention with a broad range of community related problems involving children, families, and schools. In this and other ways, the program is responsive to on-going societal concerns facing children. It prepares its graduates to work in schools, clinics, community agencies, and hospitals.

The primary purpose of the program is to prepare students to provide and promote empirically-supported psychological services for children, youth, families, and schools. The program is founded on the central belief that school psychologists offer a unique and valuable contribution to society through the provision of scientifically sound prevention and intervention services. The need for quality school psychological services has been strongly felt throughout the state of Arkansas, the United States, and beyond. The Ph.D. program responds to this need in a pragmatic manner by emphasizing mental health promotion, prevention, and intervention at the individual, group, and systemic/programmatic levels.

Housed within the Department of Psychology and Counseling in the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences, the program emphasizes the professional identity of school psychologists within the broader field of psychology, a breadth and depth of professional training that prepares candidates to competently perform a variety of school psychology functions, and an education that values and respects cultural diversity among candidates, faculty, and service recipients.

APA Accreditation

The doctoral program in School Psychology began in 2000 and is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA). The School Psychology program entered inactive status with the APA in 2019 and will no longer be accepting new students.

Letter to students, colleagues, and program supporters

Questions related to the program’s accredited status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation:

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002
Phone: (202) 336-5979 / Email: apaaccred@apa.org
Web: www.apa.org/ed/accreditation

Consumer Information Disclosure

The Counseling Psychology doctoral program is designed to meet program eligibility requirements for licensure as a psychologist in Arkansas. The program has not determined whether graduates would meet licensure requirements for any other state.

Program Goals, Curriculum, Licensure, and Other Data

Handbooks

Forms and Contracts

Thesis or Dissertation Committee Selection Form
Ph.D. Annual Self-Assessment Form
Practicum/Internship Forms
- Practicum Affiliation Agreement (check with UCA Supervisor)
- Rider for Practicum Agreement (attach to completed Agreement)
- Contract Routing and Approval form
- Log Form for Doctoral Students
- Practicum-Internship Supervisor Information Form
- Doctoral Practicum-Internship Supervisor Rating Scale
- Doctoral Practicum-Internship Self-Rating Scale
- Student Evaluation of Practicum or Internship Site
- Doctoral Practicum Course Sequence Minimum Experiences

Professional Organizations and Information

Research

Thesis and Dissertation Guide
Use of Human Research Participants
Use of Animal Research Participants
To register for the Problems in Psychology I/II course, the student and faculty mentor should complete this online survey.
Sponsored Programs Website
- STOPS database – contains information on scholarships, fellowships, internships, grants, travel internships and awards for students at all levels including undergraduate and graduate
APA Grants