The PsyD Program leads to certification as a school psychologist and eligibility for licensure as a psychologist in New York State. Students enrolled in the program are eligible to apply for certification as a school psychologist after completing the first 4 years of the program. They are eligible to take the examination towards licensure as a psychologist after receiving the PsyD; licensure is obtained after passing the national examination and completing one year of post-doctoral experience supervised by a licensed psychologist.

School Psychology Certification in New York State

School Psychology Certification from the Office of Teaching New York State Education Department is required to practice in the public schools as a school psychologist. A program including course work and field training is required to obtain certification, and these credits should generally be completed by students when they finish advanced field experience.

There is a national examination in school psychology that may facilitate efforts to obtain certification in other states. This national exam constitutes Part I of the comprehensive examination and is required for National Certification in School Psychology through NASP (http://www.nasponline.org/certification/index.html ).

Fingerprinting

Effective July 1, 2001, the Schools Against Violence in Education (SAVE) requires the Commissioner of Education and the New York State Education Department (NYSED) to request a fingerprint supported criminal history background check for applicants for certification as well as for prospective employees of school districts, charter schools, and boards of cooperative educational services (BOCES). Each fingerprint packet distributed by the State Education Department (SED) will include one Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) fingerprint card and one Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) fingerprint card. Completed cards will be returned to SED and then forwarded to DCJS.

Psychology License in New York State

Although a license as a psychologist is not required to practice in the schools as a school psychologist, it is required in New York State for independent practice by psychologists (NYSED). In addition, some job settings, such as clinics and community mental health facilities, prefer or require that potential employees be licensed as psychologists. Graduates are automatically eligible to take the national examination for license as a psychologist after completion of the PsyD Program. Upon passing the examination, and completing one year of postdoctoral experience supervised by a licensed psychologist, graduates are licensed. It is necessary is to apply to the New York State Licensing Board to take the exam.

Certification and Licensure in Other States

Students should be aware that states differ in requirements for certification and licensure. The PsyD Program is designed so that graduates should be eligible for certification as a school psychologist and licensure as a psychologist in most other states. However, students considering moving to another state should check carefully the requirements of that particular state so that they can be sure that their course work and fieldwork training experiences meet the specific requirements of that state. There is a national examination in school psychology, which can facilitate efforts to obtain certification in other states, and is required for national certification. The national exam constitutes Part I of the comprehensive examination.

Acceptable Experience for Licensure

Internships require a minimum of two hours individual face-to-face supervision each week. On rare occasions students may complete half-time internships. Under those circumstances the minimum requirement is one hour of individual face-to-face supervision per week. In most cases students will be provided a variety of supervisory experiences that will require more than one hour per week.