The College of Arts and Sciences

Program Information

The program is committed to creating a supportive environment for student training and mentoring, and attempts to attract students from diverse backgrounds (i.e., locale, gender, ethnicity, culture). Graduates of the program take positions in academic and/or research institutions, public and private schools, hospitals, and mental health centers that serve the needs of children. The School Psychology Program at Syracuse University is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association (APA) [Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation, 750 First Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20002-4242: (202) 336-5979]. In addition, completion of the program satisfies the current requirements for certification and licensure in New York State. The program is housed in the Department of Psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences, and requires 90 graduate credit hours for the doctoral degree. The residency requirements for the program includes at least 1 year in full-time residence at Syracuse University and at least 2 years of full-time study at Syracuse University. A minimum of 3 years total of full-time study is required for the doctoral degree.

Resources at Syracuse University

The School Psychology program is located in the Department of Psychology along with doctoral training programs in Clinical, Experimental, and Social Psychology. To date, we have funded all of the graduate students in our program through a variety of graduate assistantships. All assistantships are 20-hour a week positions and include a tuition waiver (for the full academic year tuition) and a stipend. The stipend amount ranges depending on the assistantship (range, $11,000 to $18,000). Please note that all first-year graduate students received funding in the form of a department teaching assistantship. For advanced graduate students, a variety of school, community, and university sites offer assistantship position. The variety of these opportunities allow students, over the course of their graduate training, to gain a wide array of skills while allowing students to tailor their experiences consistent with their professional goals. Examples of assistantship positions offered each year include:

•Teaching your own class. Examples of classes previously taught by students include Behavior Disorders in Children, Applied Behavior Analysis, or Child Development.

•Local area schools. Schools offer access to diverse student populations and can be either urban, suburban, or rural settings.

•The Center for Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders/Concussion Clinic at SUNY Upstate. This position trains students to conduct and write neuropsychological evaluations for children with cancer or sickle cell disease, and allows for research to be conducted with the Concussion Clinic.

•The Family Behavior Analysis Clinic at SUNY Upstate. This clinic serves children with severe behavior problems and provides graduate students with opportunities to conduct applied behavior analysis interventions.

•The ADHD Clinic at SUNY Upstate. The clinic serves a wide age range of children and adolescents with ADHD, and the position allows for assessment and research experiences.

•The ARC of Onondaga. This position is split between conducting assessments and providing consultation to a special education preschool.

•SPICE, a special education preschool. Provides the opportunity to conduct assessments, consultation, and intervention in a special education preschool.

•The University Counseling Clinic at Syracuse University. The counseling clinic sees a wide range of college students and individuals from the community.

•The Office of Disability Services at Syracuse University. This assessment-heavy position focuses on evaluating students who seek educational accommodations and report writing.

The Training Program

Students are engaged in three strands of training throughout the program: course work, clinical service, and research. Consistent with APA guidelines, exposure to clinical service occurs in a graded fashion beginning in the student's first year. Students also have opportunities to assist with teaching and to teach courses of their own. Clinical placements occur in schools, hospitals, and agencies serving a broad spectrum of individuals with a wide range of school psychological services (e.g., psycho-educational assessment, consultation, intervention). Graduates of the program are eligible for state certification and the licensing exam, as well as a wide variety of job positions.

The School Psychology Program is built on the scientist-practitioner training model. Within this model, students are encouraged to be data-based problem solvers, to seek converging information when making professional decisions, and to evaluate the outcomes of their services. By adhering to these principles of professional practice, students are able to adopt consistently high standards across all phases of professional practice, thereby maximizing the quality and accountability of their efforts. Students in the School Psychology Program are trained to serve the needs of children both directly and indirectly by working with parents, teachers, and other direct care providers.

The School Psychology Program is committed to providing high-quality doctoral training that prepares students to meet the needs of children in schools, hospitals, and other child-related settings. Students are trained to meet these needs directly through the assessment of learning and adjustment problems, individual and group counseling, and the design of school- and home-based intervention programs. Students are also trained to meet these needs indirectly as university trainers, applied researchers, program evaluators, and consultants to teachers, parents and other direct-care providers.

Nine program goals guide training: (a) Demonstrate a thorough knowledge of psychological and educational theory and research; (b) Contribute to scholarship by applying research methods and tools of inquiry; (c) Demonstrate skills in the foundations of school psychology practice; (d) Provide a full range of psychological services in diverse and inclusive settings; (e) Use assessment data on student learning to adapt instruction and design treatment; (f) Engage in continuing professional growth; (g) Provide collaborative consultation with school personnel, families and caregivers, and direct care staff; (h) Adhere to professional, ethical, and legal standards governing the profession; and (i) Contribute to improved student learning and behavior.

Toward these goals, the faculty has established a set of 22 objectives that guide student training as well as descriptions of student performance for demonstrating broad psychological knowledge, research, and clinical practice competencies. These training objectives require all students to: (1) be knowledgeable regarding children's development in cognitive, affective, social, academic, and adaptive domains; (2) be knowledgeable regarding education, school as a setting, instructional practices, and multidisciplinary school personnel; (3) be knowledgeable of empirical research in psychology and education; (4) be able to evaluate a variety of research methodologies; (5) demonstrate rigorous and creative applications of experimental design, data analysis, and interpretation skills; (6) demonstrate "best practices" in home- and school-based intervention and consultation; (7) demonstrate "best practice" in assessment and evaluation; (8) demonstrate "best practice" in counseling; (9) demonstrate diversity awareness and sensitive service delivery; (10) recognize when issues of diversity affect the manner and nature of interactions with others; (11) adapt or modify practices in response to those being served; (12) demonstrate professional skills in a wide range of settings including clinics, hospitals, and homes with diverse student populations and disabilities; (13) engage in data-based problem solving in all professional decisions; (14) demonstrate increasing independence and responsibility in research participation and clinical work throughout graduate training; (15) maintain certification and licensure while attending continuing education functions as necessary and required by the profession; (16) apply and easily generalize problem solving, interpersonal influence, and implementation support skills in all consultation cases; (17) demonstrate the ability to work effectively and collaboratively with people and agencies; (18) demonstrate knowledge and understanding of professional, ethical, and legal standards; (19) uphold professional, ethical and legal standards in professional decision making to enhance the quality of services and protect the rights of all parties; (20) identify and apply sound principles of behavior change in order to design and implement prevention and intervention programs to promote positive changes in children's learning and behavior; (21) help parents, caregivers, and schools develop goals for children, taking into account the need to adjust expectations for individual children; and (22) engage in intervention activities that produce positive changes in student learning and behavior beyond that expected by typical growth.

A typical sequence of courses is shown below:

Year 1
Fall	Spring	Summer
Intro. Seminar in School Psychology	Preschool and Family	Developmental Psychology
Statistics II	Statistics III	Psychology Core Course or Counseling Course
Psychology Core Course	Psychological Measurement
Research Group Participation
Year 2
Fall	Spring	Summer
Direct Academic Assessment	Neuropsychology	Cognitive Intellectual Assmt.
Experimental Design and Statistics	Applied Behavior Analysis	Thesis
Practicum or Elective	Practicum
Research Group Participation
Year 3
Fall	Spring	Summer
Consultation Processes	Consultation Processes	Practicum in Psychoed. Eval.
Psychology Core Course	Psychology Core Course	Dissertation or Elective
Education Elective	Dissertation or Elective
Research Group Participation
Qualifying Examination
Year 4
Fall	Spring	Summer
Socioemotional Assessment	Cognitive Psychology or Reading	Dissertation or Elective
Behavioral Assessment	Behavior Therapy Practicum
School Psychology Practicum	School Psychology Practicum
Research Group Participation
Year 5
Internship in School Psychology (APA-approved Internship)

Program Faculty

Benita A. Blachman, Ph.D. (1981, University of Connecticut), Trustee Professor of Education and Psychology. Dr. Blachman teaches courses in learning and reading disabilities. Her research interests focus on the cognitive and linguistic factors (especially phonological processing) that play a role in learning to read, children at risk for reading failure, and early reading intervention. She serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Educational Psychology and Scientific Studies of Reading.

Tanya L. Eckert, Ph.D. (1996, Lehigh University). Director of Training and Associate Professor of Psychology. Holds certification as a school psychologist in Pennsylvania. Dr. Eckert teaches courses on direct academic assessment, cognitive assessment, introductory seminar in school psychology, and direct academic assessment practicum. Her research interests include examining procedures for assessing academic skills and behavior problems, developing interventions for children with academic and behavior problems, and measuring the acceptability of assessment and intervention procedures. She is a past Associate Editor for School Psychology Review and sits on the editorial board of Journal of School Psychology, School Psychology Review, and Proven Practices: Preventive and Remediation Solutions for Schools.

Lawrence J. Lewandowski, Ph.D. (1978, University of Michigan). Professor of Psychology and Meredith Professor for Teaching Excellence. Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at SUNY Upstate Medical University (UMU) and research professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at SUNY UMU. Dr. Lewandowski holds New York state licensure as a Psychologist. He teaches courses in neuropsychological theory and assessment, brain and behavior, socio-emotional assessment, and pediatric disorders. In addition, he supervises field placements and internships. His research focuses on neuropsychological, cognitive and psychosocial aspects of learning disabilities, ADHD, and concussion; computer-based interventions for reading and writing disabilities; test-taking skills and performance speed; and issues of test accommodations. He serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, Journal of Attention Disorders, and the ADHD Report. He is a member of the American Psychological Association, National Association of School Psychologists, New York Association of School Psychologists, and International Academy for Research in Learning Disabilities.

Natalie Russo, Ph.D. (2008, McGill University). Assistant Professor. Dr Russo teaches courses on child and human development as well as developmental psychopathology, cognitive and affective bases of behavior and a practicum in the assessment of developmental disability. Her research interests focus on understanding cognitive profiles of children with developmental disabilities, as well as the study of how typically developing children, children with developmental disabilities, and children on the autism spectrum develop and hone their ability to process and integrate information from single or multiple sensory modalities. She is an associate editor for Frontiers in Integrative Neurosciences.

Brian K. Martens, Ph.D. (1985, University of Nebraska-Lincoln). Professor of Psychology and Associate Department Chair. Teaches courses in applied behavior analysis, behavior therapy practicum, tests and measurements, and school consultation. His research interests include applied behavior analysis, school consultation, and fluency building. He serves on the editorial boards of School Psychology Review, School Psychology Quarterly, the Journal of School Psychology, the Journal of Behavioral Education, and the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis.

Other faculty closely related to the program include: Michael Gordon, Ph.D., Director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Services, SUNY Upstate Medical University; Henry Roane, Ph.D., Director of the Family Behavior Analysis Clinic, SUNY Upstate Medical University; Brian Rieger, Ph.D., Director of the Concussion Clinic, SUNY Upstate Medical University; Michelle Storie, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor of Psychology and Education, Syracuse University.

Admissions

The program receives approximately 40-60 applications a year for an incoming class of four persons. The admissions committee bases its decisions on the applicant's grades, GRE scores, letters of recommendation, personal statement, and evidence of hard work, interest, and motivation. Research experience is also looked upon very favorably. Only full-time students are considered for admission. The application deadline for fall admission is January 1st . There are no spring admissions. Admission and application information is available online (http://gradsch.syr.edu/admissions.html). As part of the application process, all students must complete the "Syracuse University General Application for Graduate School," which is available online:http://gradsch.syr.edu/pdfs/Applications

A complete application includes official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work, scores on the Graduate Record Examination (subject test helpful but not required), a personal statement of interests, a curriculum vitae, and three letters of recommendation from persons familiar with the applicant's academic and/or professional work. All applicants should include in their statement of interest a clear and concise description of their research interests and the faculty member(s) with whom they would like to work as their research mentor(s). Upon receipt of this information the Graduate School forwards copies of the completed application to the Department of Psychology for consideration. Top applicants are invited for campus interviews in late February or early March. All applicants are notified of their acceptance or rejection by April 15th.

Information regarding graduate admission is available by contacting:
Graduate Admissions
303 Bowne Hall
Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York 13244-2340
Website: http://gradsch.syr.edu/
Email: grad@gwmail.syr.edu
Telephone: (315) 443-4492
Fax: (315) 443-3423

Admission Standards

Before a student can be considered for admission, the program must receive all application materials. Personal interviews are scheduled with those applicants found promising. Telephone interviews are conducted when travel to Syracuse University is not possible; however, all students are encouraged to visit the campus prior to making their decision to attend Syracuse University.

Students admitted to the program typically have a grade point average exceeding 3.0 and combined verbal and quantitative GRE scores of 1100 or above. Evidence of prior involvement in independent research (e.g., paper presentations) as well as mental health or education related service (e.g., supervisor evaluations) is usually documented. The number of applications, admissions, and acceptances of offers of admission across the last 7 years is presented below.

Year	Applications	Offers	Enrolled	Mean GRE (V+Q)	UGPA
2010	40	4	4	1325	3.56
2009	40	3	2	1200	3.57
2008	42	4	2	1215	3.98
2007	41	4	3	1150	3.80
2006	58	4	4	1267	3.59
2005	75	4	3	1223	3.70
2004	72	4	4	1195	3.58

Student Characteristics

The student population of the School Psychology Program consists of individuals who have entered the program immediately after completion of an undergraduate degree and those students who have earned a Master's degree. The School Psychology Program is strongly committed to the recruitment of individuals from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Applications from students representing minority groups are welcomed and will be given special consideration by the faculty. Below is a breakdown of student demographic statistics by gender and race for the last seven years.

Race and Ethnicity Gender	2010 (n = 4)	2009 (n = 2)	2008 (n = 2)	2007 (n = 3)	2006 (n = 4)	2005 (n = 3)	2004 (n = 4)
Black or African American    Female    Male	0 0	0 0	0 0	0 0	0 0	0 0	0 0
American Indian or Alaskan Native    Female    Male	0 0	0 0	0 0	0 0	0 0	0 0	0 0
Asian or Pacific Islander    Female    Male	0 0	0 0	0 0	0 0	0 0	0 0	0 0
Hispanic or Latino    Female    Male	0 0	0 0	0 0	0 0	0 0	0 0	1 0
Multiethnic    Female    Male	1 0	0 0	0 0	1 0	0 0	0 0	0 0
White    Female    Male	3 0	2 0	2 0	2 0	3 1	3 0	2 1

Student Admissions, Outcomes, and Other Data

Time to Completion. Since 2004, 23 students have graduated from the School Psychology Program at Syracuse University. For all of the graduates during this time period, the mean number of years to complete the program from the time of program entrance was 5.70 years and the median number of years to complete the program from the time of program entrance was 5.00 years. For those bachelor level graduates (n = 19), the mean number of years to complete the program from the time of program entrance was 5.63 years and the median number of years to complete the program from the time of program entrance was 6.00 years. For those graduates who began with advanced standing (n = 4), the mean number of years to complete the program from the time of program entrance was 6.00 years and the median number of years to complete the program from the time of program entrance was 6.00 years.

The following table provides a descriptive breakdown of the percentage of students completing the program in fewer than 5 years, 5 years, 6 years, 7 years, and more than 7 years.

Program Costs. The Department of Psychology makes a concerted effort to provide financial support, in the form of a tuition scholarship, for all doctoral students who are in good academic standing during their four years of campus residency. The tuition scholarship covers 100% of the full-time student graduate tuition costs. For students entering the program during the 2010-11 academic year, the full-time graduate student tuition cost was $27,888 (24 credit hours @ $1,162 per hour), and no additional fees were assessed beyond tuition costs.

In addition to the tuition scholarship, all doctoral students who are in good academic standing are eligible to receive a stipend for their work related to teaching (e.g., undergraduate teaching assistant, undergraduate instructor) or clinical externships (e.g., working as a school psychology extern in the Syracuse City School District, working as a clinical extern in the Syracuse University Psychological Services Clinic). These stipends range from $11,000 to $12,700. Students demonstrating outstanding academic and research performance are eligible for departmental and university fellowships, which provide a stipend ranging from $13,000 to $21,000. In the past 15 years, 100% of students admitted to the School Psychology Program have received a stipend and tuition scholarship during their four years of campus residency.

Internships. Of those individuals graduating from the School Psychology Program at Syracuse University in the past 7 years, a total of 20 students completed a pre-doctoral internship prior to receiving the doctoral degree. The following table provides the most recent data regarding the total and percentage of graduates from the program who: (a) applied for internships; (b) obtained internships; (c) obtained paid internships; (d) obtained APA-accredited internships; (e) obtained non-accredited Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) member internships, (f) obtained non-accredited internships conforming to CDSPP guidelines; and (g) obtained two-year, half-time internships. Within the past three years, students have obtained internships at the following sites: SUNY Upstate Medical University, Psychiatry and Behavioral Science (Syracuse, NY); The May Institute, Inc., Randolph, MA; Nebraska Internship Consortium in Professional Psychology, Lincoln, NE; Kennedy Krieger Institute at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD; Devereux Foundation, Villanova, PA; Enable, Syracuse, NY; and the Syracuse City School District, Syracuse, NY.

Attrition. Since 2004, the total number of matriculated students in the School Psychology Program was 22. During this period of time, 1 matriculated student left the program. This results in an overall attrition rate of 5% in the last 7 years.

Licensure. As of September 2010, the licensure percentage for the School Psychology Program was 18.5%. Specifically, a total of 5 of the 27 program graduates became licensed psychologists within the 8 years spanning post-graduation (i.e., 2000-2008).

Accreditation

The APA Committee on Accreditation may be contacted via:
Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 First Street NE
Washington, DC 20002-4242
Phone: 202-336-5979
TDD/TTY: 202-336-6123
Web: www.apa.org/ed/accreditation
Email: apaaccred@apa.org

Contact Us

For more information about the program please direct requests to: Sue Bova