School Psychology (Ed.S.)

• Psychology, Education or related major.  Record of related coursework in educational studies, special education, counseling, school systems.
• Strong undergraduate record
• Quality of application essays
• SDSU Graduate Division requires a GPA of 2.8 in the last 60 semester-units. 

• Experience with children, youth, and/or schools
• Familiarity with the profession of school psychology
• Collaboration skills, leadership and interdisciplinary work in schools
• Knowledge about special education and children with disabilities
• Knowledge of bilingual education programs and instructional models

• Excellent skills in listening, collaborating, leading, building trust with others, expressing feelings, managing conflict
• Appropriate assertiveness
• Accepting and using feedback
• Flexibility and openness to new ideas
• Awareness of impact on others
• Accepting personal responsibility

• Depth and/or breadth of cultural knowledge or experiences
• Culture-focused or multicultural courses
• Proficiency in a language in addition to English, Cultural immersions, or international study
• Understanding of systematic racism in educational settings
• Focus on Anti-Racist/Anti-Blackness work in the schools

Write a separate personal statement responding to each of the following two prompts; the 3rd one is optional. Please type the question at the top of the document and format with double-spacing, 12-point font and at least 1-inch margins. Use a maximum of 2 pages for your answer to each prompt. Keep in mind that we consider these statements representative of the quality of your potential work in the program.

• Prompt #1: The mission of our program is to prepare school psychologists who will be change-agents in multi-cultural schools. Given your knowledge and range of experiences, if you could change one thing in the schools, what would that be? Why? How do you think you might go about creating this change?
• Prompt #2: In what ways will your cultural identity and/ or life experiences/ background (for example, ethnicity, disability status, race, geographic origins, gender, class) impact your effectiveness as a school psychologist in multicultural schools? Specifically address how these experiences and/ or backgrounds will (a) facilitate AND (b) impede or constrain your effectiveness with students, teachers, families, staff, and administrators.
• Prompt #3 (optional): If you feel that your full application materials inadequately reflect your (a) academic, (b) professional, (c) interpersonal and/or (d) cross-cultural readiness for our program, you may add a 2-page description of your experience, knowledge, skills, and/ or predispositions that underpin your readiness in one or more of these areas.
  • Note: do not repeat information from your Experience Profile (required item #2 for this application) or other essays.

Complete your experience profile using the Experience Profile Template (Word Document).

You are required to take and pass the CBEST in the first two years of the program.

If you have taken and passed the CBEST exam, you will need to upload your passing score sheet into the Interfolio program application. Alternatively, after matriculation into the program, the college will review whether your previous coursework qualifies for a waiver of this requirement.

For more information about registering for this exam, visit the CBEST website.

You do not need to obtain the results of a negative TB test prior to applying, but you must submit them prior to the start of the program.

You may indicate your intent to provide a negative TB test at a later date by choosing, "I will provide a verification of a negative TB test prior to beginning the program," in the appropriate section of the Interfolio program application.

These results must be current from within the past 4 years. You can go to your medical doctor or a local clinic to get this done.

Download unofficial transcripts (or scan a paper transcript) for every institution, one file per institution, and be prepared to upload to the Interfolio program application. This is in addition to, not a substitution for, having official transcripts sent to SDSU Graduate Admissions office.

Apply for your Certificate of Clearance. You do not need to obtain your Certificate of Clearance prior to applying to the program. However, it is required prior to the start of your first year.

If you choose to wait to obtain your Certificate of Clearance, you may indicate, "I will provide a valid California Certificate of Clearance prior to the start of the program," in the Interfolio program application.

More directions on this process can be found on the School of Teacher Education's Certificate of Clearance webpage.  (Follow the directions for applying to the Certificate of Clearance.)

Note: The Emergency Teaching Permit does not apply to this program.

Contact 3 individuals who you have interacted with both personally and professionally and would be able to write a letter of recommendation for you.

You will need their names and email addresses to enter into the Interfolio program application. Recommenders will submit their letters directly into the Interfolio program application.