The University at Albany, State University of New York, offers a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) degree (APA accredited) that prepares students for the practice of professional psychology, and a Certificate of Advanced Study in School Psychology (CAS) degree that prepares students for practice as a school psychologist. The University is fully recognized by the regional accrediting body, the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. The University has a broad mission of excellence in undergraduate and graduate education, research, and public service.

1.	The PsyD and CAS Programs are integral to the mission of the University by contributing to the following defining characteristics of the University (Task Force on the University Mission, 1992):
2.	Commitment to the pursuit and advancement of knowledge, for its own sake and for its practical benefits to society;
3.	Commitment to freedom of thought, inquiry, expression, and to the rights and obligations of faculty and students to pursue knowledge, wherever it may lead;
4.	Commitment to the teaching of students, to their growth in knowledge, and to their social and emotional as well as intellectual maturity;
5.	Commitment to the larger interests of society through acts of public service, and by fostering of ideals of social justice;

Commitment to profit intellectually and imaginatively from differences of opinion and of culture. The Division of School Psychology, in concert with the University, is committed to Principles for a Just Community. These principles include striving toward the ideals of justice and democracy, and exclude consideration of characteristics that are irrelevant to the merit of an individual as a participant in academic life. The consequent respect for, and valuing of, individual and cultural diversity is a hallmark of both the Division and the University.

Our Division uses a broad framework for conceptualizing graduate training that integrates three types of knowledge: propositional knowledge, case knowledge, and strategic knowledge (Shulman, 1986).

1.	Propositional knowledge represents the theoretical and empirical basis for professional practice. Students gain propositional knowledge through class lectures and readings.
2.	Case knowledge reflects the application of propositional knowledge in the context of case exemplars. Shulman identified three types of case knowledge: prototypes (case studies that exemplify theoretical principles), precedents case studies that communicate practical knowledge), and parables (case studies that demonstrate values and norms). Students gain case knowledge through presentation and discussion of hypothetical or real-life case exemplars.
3.	Strategic knowledge is reflected in professional judgment as one engages in the active decision-making (problem solving) process of professional practice. The application of strategic knowledge relies on propositional and case knowledge relevant to the particular situation. Students gain strategic knowledge through active involvement in field training.

Our Division focuses on the continual integration of propositional, case, and strategic knowledge. Propositional and case knowledge are imparted to students-in-training through course work in the scientific bases of psychology (i.e., development, learning, psychopathology, biological psychology, personality), as well as introductory professional courses (i.e., assessment and interventions). This knowledge is then expanded and reinforced through strategic knowledge experiences (i.e., practicum, field placement, and internship).

Students are involved in a systematic and reasoned, sequential plan of study that includes course work, field training, and research experiences. The sequential plan of study is designed to aid the students' attainment of the propositional, case, and strategic knowledge necessary to engage in and enhance psychological practice.