Please consult the table below for key information about this degree program’s admissions requirements. The program may have more detailed admissions requirements, which can be found below the table or on the program’s website. Graduate admissions is a two-step process between academic programs and the Graduate School. Applicants must meet the minimum requirements of the Graduate School as well as the program(s). Once you have researched the graduate program(s) you are interested in, apply online. |
| Fall Deadline | December 1 |
| Spring Deadline | This program does not admit in the spring. |
| Summer Deadline | This program does not admit in the summer. |
| GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) | Required. |
| English Proficiency Test | Every applicant whose native language is not English or whose undergraduate instruction was not in English must provide an English proficiency test score and meet the Graduate School minimum requirements (https://grad.wisc.edu/apply/requirements/#english-proficiency). |
| Other Test(s) (e.g., GMAT, MCAT) | n/a |
| Letters of Recommendation Required | 3 |
Admission's criteria for the Educational Specialist (EdS) in School Psychology include:
1. A bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or a comparable degree from an international institution is required. International applicants must have a degree comparable to a regionally-accredited U.S. bachelor's degree.
2. A minimum undergraduate grade-point average (GPA) of 3.00 on the equivalent of the last 60 semester hours (approximately two years of work) or a master's degree with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 is required. Applicants from an international institution must demonstrate strong academic achievement comparable to a 3.00 for an undergraduate or master's degree.
3. Every applicant whose native language is not English, or whose undergraduate instruction was not in English, must provide an English proficiency test score.
4. Reasons for graduate study/statement of purpose.
5. Curriculum vitae or resume.
6. GRE scores from within the previous 5 years.
7. Transcripts from previous institutions.
8. Letters of Recommendation
Graduate School Resources
Resources to help you afford graduate study might include assistantships, fellowships, traineeships, and financial aid. Further funding information is available from the Graduate School. Be sure to check with your program for individual policies and restrictions related to funding.
Program Information
Students are eligible to compete for UW-Madison scholarships. A limited number of teaching and project assistantships are available within the department. Students can accept appointments and hourly positions up to a 33% appointment as long as they do not include tuition remission.
Minimum Graduate School Requirements
Review the Graduate School minimum academic progress and degree requirements, in addition to the program requirements listed below.
Major Requirements
| Face to Face | Evening/Weekend | Online | Hybrid | Accelerated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | No | No | No |
Accelerated: Accelerated programs are offered at a fast pace that condenses the time to completion. Students are able to complete a program with minimal disruptions to careers and other commitments. Evening/Weekend: Courses meet on the UW–Madison campus only in evenings and/or on weekends to accommodate typical business schedules. Students have the advantages of face-to-face courses with the flexibility to keep work and other life commitments. Face-to-Face: Courses typically meet during weekdays on the UW-Madison Campus. Hybrid: These programs combine face-to-face and online learning formats. Contact the program for more specific information. Online: These programs are offered 100% online. Some programs may require an on-campus orientation or residency experience, but the courses will be facilitated in an online format. |
CURRICULAR REQUIREMENTS
| Minimum Credit Requirement | 68 credits |
| Minimum Residence Credit Requirement | 54 credits |
| Minimum Graduate Coursework Requirement | 68 credits |
| Overall Graduate GPA Requirement | 3.00 GPA required. |
| Other Grade Requirements | The Graduate School requires that students maintain a graduate grade-point average (GPA) of 3.00 (on a 4.00 scale) for all graduate courses (excluding research) to receive a degree. Grades of Incomplete are considered to be unsatisfactory if they are not removed during the next enrolled semester. |
| Assessments and Examinations | No formal examinations are required. However, students complete an in-depth case analysis as a culminating project. |
| Language Requirements | No language requirements. |
REQUIRED COURSES
School Psychology has a prescribed curriculum of 68 credits total, 10 beyond the masters' degree.
- All students will need to complete a portfolio that will serve as the culminating project. This project will need to be approved by all program faculty and clinical staff.
- All students are required to successfully complete the Year 3 internship.
- All program courses must be completed.
- No deviation from the required courses is allowed. Electives are not permissible.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Fall I | ||
| ED PSYCH 540 | Introduction to Professional School Psychology | 2 |
| ED PSYCH 541 | Applied Behavior Analysis in Classrooms | 3 |
| ED PSYCH/COUN PSY 723 | Developmental Processes Across the Life Span | 3 |
| ED PSYCH 742 | Assessment and Intervention for Academic Skill Problems | 3 |
| ED PSYCH 840 | Clinical Practicum in School Psychology | 1 |
| ED PSYCH 844 | Childhood and Adolescent Psychopathology in Schools | 3 |
| Spring I | ||
| ED PSYCH 740 | Cognitive Assessment of Children in the Schools | 3 |
| ED PSYCH 743 | Design and Analysis of Single-Case Research | 3 |
| ED PSYCH 761 | Statistical Methods Applied to Education II | 3 |
| ED PSYCH 840 | Clinical Practicum in School Psychology | 1 |
| ED PSYCH 947 | Evidenced-based Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy | 3 |
| Summer I | ||
| ED PSYCH 840 | Clinical Practicum in School Psychology | 1 |
| Fall II | ||
| ED PSYCH 741 | Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Assessment | 3 |
| ED PSYCH 840 | Clinical Practicum in School Psychology | 6 |
| ED PSYCH/HDFS/NURSING/SOC WORK 880 | Prevention Science | 3 |
| Spring II | ||
| ED PSYCH 506 | Contemporary Issues in Educational Psychology | 3 |
| ED PSYCH/COUN PSY/HDFS 726 | Ethnic and Racial Diversity in Social Development | 3 |
| ED PSYCH 840 | Clinical Practicum in School Psychology | 6 |
| ED PSYCH 942 | Systems of Consultation in School Psychology | 3 |
| Fall III | ||
| ED PSYCH 943 | Internship in School Psychology | 5 |
| Spring III | ||
| ED PSYCH 943 | Internship in School Psychology | 5 |
Graduate School Policies
The Graduate School’s Academic Policies and Procedures provide essential information regarding general university policies. Program authority to set degree policies beyond the minimum required by the Graduate School lies with the degree program faculty. Policies set by the academic degree program can be found below.
Program Specific Policies
PRIOR COURSEWORK
Graduate Work from Other Institutions
No credits from other institutions are allowed to count toward the degree as indicated in the Requirements.
UW–Madison Undergraduate
No credits from a UW–Madison undergraduate degree are allowed to count toward the degree.
UW–Madison University Special
No credits taken as a UW–Madison University Special student are allowed to count toward the degree.
PROBATION
The Graduate School regularly reviews the record of any student who earned grades of BC, C, D, F, or Incomplete in a graduate course (300 or above), or grade of U in research credits. This review could result in academic probation with a hold on future enrollment or in being suspended from the Graduate School.
ADVISOR / COMMITTEE
Every graduate student is required to have an advisor. To ensure that students are making satisfactory progress toward a degree, the Graduate School expects them to meet with their advisor on a regular basis. In many cases, an advisor is assigned to incoming students. Students can be suspended from the Graduate School if they do not have an advisor. An advisor is a faculty member, or sometimes a committee, from the major department responsible for providing advice regarding graduate studies. A committee often accomplishes advising for the students in the early stages of their studies.
CREDITS PER TERM ALLOWED
15 credits
TIME CONSTRAINTS
Degree-seeking students who have been absent for five or more consecutive years lose all credits that they have earned before their absence. Individual programs may count the coursework students completed prior to their absence for meeting program requirements; that coursework may not count toward Graduate School credit requirements.
Grievances and policies
These resources may be helpful in addressing your concerns:
- Bias or Hate Reporting
- Graduate Assistantship Policies and Procedures
- Hostile and Intimidating Behavior Policies and Procedures
- Dean of Students Office (for all students to seek grievance assistance and support)
- Employee Assistance (for personal counseling and workplace consultation around communication and conflict involving graduate assistants and other employees, post-doctoral students, faculty and staff)
- Employee Disability Resource Office (for qualified employees or applicants with disabilities to have equal employment opportunities)
- Graduate School (for informal advice at any level of review and for official appeals of program/departmental or school/college grievance decisions)
- Office of Compliance (for class harassment and discrimination, including sexual harassment and sexual violence)
- Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (for conflicts involving students)
- Ombuds Office for Faculty and Staff (for employed graduate students and post-docs, as well as faculty and staff)
- Title IX (for concerns about discrimination)
Any student who feels that they have been treated unfairly by a faculty or staff member has the right to complain about the treatment and to receive a prompt hearing of the grievance, following these grievance procedures. The complaint may concern course grades, classroom treatment, program admission, or other issues. To insure a prompt and fair hearing of any complaint, and to protect both the rights of the student and the person at whom the complaint is addressed, the procedures below are used in the School of Education.
The person whom the complaint is directed against must be an employee of the School of Education. Any student or potential student may use these procedures unless the complaint is covered by other campus rules or contracts. The following steps are available within the School of Education when a student has a grievance:
- The student should first talk with the person against whom the grievance is directed. Most issues can be settled at this level. If the complaint is directed against a teaching assistant, and the student is not satisfied, the next step would be to talk to the TA's supervisor, who is usually the course professor. If the complaint is not resolved satisfactorily, the student may continue to step 2.
- If the complaint does not involve an academic department, the procedure outlined in Step 4 below should be followed. If the complaint involves an academic department, the student should contact the chair of the department. The chair will attempt to resolve the problem informally. If this cannot be done to the student's satisfaction, the student may submit the grievance to the chair in writing. This must be done within 60 calendar days of the alleged unfair treatment.
- On receipt of a written complaint, the chair will refer the matter to a departmental committee, which will obtain a written response from the person at whom the complaint is directed. This response shall be shared with the person filing the grievance. The chair will provide a timely written decision to the student on the action taken by the committee.
- If either party is not satisfied with the decision of the department, they have five working days from receipt of the decision to contact the dean's office (at the number below), indicating the intention to appeal. If the complaint does not involve an academic department in the school, the student must contact the dean's office within 60 calendar days of the alleged unfair treatment.
- In either case, there will be an attempt to resolve the issue informally by the associate dean. If this cannot be done, the complaint can be filed in writing with the dean's office. This must be done within 10 working days of the time the appealing party was notified that informal resolution was unsuccessful.
- On receipt of such a written complaint, the associate dean will convene a subcommittee of the school's Equity & Diversity Committee. This subcommittee may ask for additional information from the parties involved and may hold a hearing at which both parties will be asked to speak separately. The subcommittee will then make a written recommendation to the dean of the School of Education who will render a decision. Unless a longer time is negotiated, this written decision shall be made within 20 working days from the date when the grievance was filed with the dean's office.
Questions about these procedures can be directed to the School of Education Dean's Office, 377 Education Building, 1000 Bascom Mall, 608-262-1763.
State law contains additional provisions regarding discrimination and harassment. Wisconsin Statutes 36.12 reads, in part: "No student may be denied admission to, participation in or the benefits of, or be discriminated against in any service, program, course or facility of the system or its institutions or center because of the student's race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, disability, ancestry, age, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital status or parental status." In addition, UW–System prohibits discrimination based on gender identity or gender expression. Students have the right to file discrimination and harassment complaints with the Office of Compliance, 361 Bascom Hall, 608-265-6018, uwcomplianceoffice@wisc.edu.
OTHER
Students enrolled in this program are not permitted to accept teaching assistantships, project assistantships, research assistantships or other appointments that would result in a tuition waiver. Students in this program cannot enroll in other graduate programs nor take courses outside the prescribed curriculum.
Graduate School Resources
Take advantage of the Graduate School's professional development resources to build skills, thrive academically, and launch your career.
- Acquire a strong foundation in current and past theories, research findings, and methodologies in their program area.
- Apply knowledge and skills related to addressing issues of diversity and equity for individuals within specific contexts and in all professional activities.
- Develop critical thinking skills that promote rigorous evaluation of strengths and limitations in existing theory and research.
- Apply the fundamentals of research design, data collection, and data analysis through participating in ongoing research or conducting their own research project(s).
- Identify key features of high-quality research or program implementation / evaluation in their chosen field.
- Demonstrate writing and oral skills needed to effectively communicate results of scientific research to academic, professional/practitioner, and lay audiences.
- Communicate effectively in collaborative work or consultation settings with professional colleagues.
- Become skilled communicators of issues in their research and program area for learners in formal classroom and informal learning settings.
- Uphold the highest standards of ethical conduct.
- Conduct research or program implementation/evaluation in accordance with ethical standards established in their field of inquiry.
Professors Jenny Asmus and Steve Quintana
Associate Professors Craig Albers, Katie Eklund, Andy Garbacz, and Stephen Kilgus
Assistant Professor David Klingbeil
Clinical Associate Professor Kristy Kelly
Clinical Assistant Professor Elizabeth Hagermoser-Bayley
All faculty profiles can be found here: https://edpsych.education.wisc.edu/about/faculty/
Accreditation
National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)
Accreditation Status: Not accredited. Accreditation application must be applied for after the first cohort of students graduate from the School Psychology program, per NASP requirements.