School Counseling / School Psychology Dual Program

In the dual school counseling/school psychology program, candidates complete a credential in school counseling and a credential in school psychology as well as earn a master's degree in pupil personnel services. Attending full-time, the 84 unit program will take three years to complete. Students will obtain their school counseling credential by the end of the second year and thus begin their school psychology internship with a school counseling credential. During the third year, students will complete their 1200-hour school psychology internship as well as master's degree courses.

Highlights:

  • Courses offered in Fresno, Visalia and Bakersfield
  • Flexible schedule for both returning part-time professionals and traditional full-time students
  • Board Certified Behavioral Analyst Certificate Program (BCBA) courses incorporated into school psychology program
  • BCBA courses approved by both the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC) and the Behavioral Analyst Certification Board (BACB)
  • Provides expertise in the development of systematic individual behavior support plans within educational settings

What can I do with this master's degree?

  • The marketability and flexibility of obtaining both the school counseling and school psychology credentials will provide many options for both students and school districts. Graduates will be equipped with the necessary expertise in assessment and intervention as well as the knowledge and skills to develop and implement comprehensive guidance and counseling programs. The sequence of courses for the dual program has been carefully determined to provide maximum utility and background experience for fieldwork experiences as well as sequential coursework.

What are the admission requirements?

  • Interview with the program director
  • Impromptu writing sample
  • Completed application form and fee
    Official transcripts from institutions where you received a bachelor's degree and any post-baccalaureate work which is relevant
  • GRE or MAT score
  • Portfolio including a personal statement
  • Verification of passing the CBEST
  • Copies of current teaching credentials or certificate of clearance
  • Prerequisite courses:
    • Child Development*
    • Educational Statistics and Research Design
    • Intercultural Communication
    • Introduction to Counseling Theories*
    • Introduction to Psychology
    • Psychology of Learning*
    • (*available as online courses each spring semester through the FPU degree completion program)

Are there any other requirements?

  • Liability insurance is required before supervised experience can begin. Information on obtaining liability insurance may be found at www.cacounseling.org, www.counseling.org or www.nasponline.org.
  • To be eligible to apply for the professional clear school psychology credential, the following additional program requirements must be met:
    • A master's degree in school psychology or a related area
    • A 1,200 hour internship (Students must complete all courses except the master's research core to be eligible for internship.)
    • A passing score on the NASP PRAXIS exam (The program passing score will be a minimum of 100 points below the NASP passing score.)
  • Those in the BCBA program must complete supervised hours to qualify for the certification exam developed and administered by the BACB and must pass the certification exam.

What courses will I be taking?

How much does it cost?

  • Tuition is competitively priced, and financial aid is available. View details on tuition and fees.

When can I start?

  • The program is designed so that all students move through the program as a cohort. Classes begin in the fall of each year. To be considered for a fall cohort, the deadline for submission of all admission material is in early April. Prerequisite courses and test requirements must be completed before formal admission is granted.

How do I apply?

To view all credentials and degrees offered in the PPS program, please visit our pupil personnel services program page. To schedule an interview or for more information, call the PPS program office in Fresno at 559-453-2024, in Visalia at 559-622-9958 or in Bakersfield at 661-864-1515.

 
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