School Psychology

Graduates of this program will be prepared for the careers listed below. All opportunities may not be listed. This program offers a verified course sequence for the Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) so students may pursue BCBA positions after obtaining supervised hours and securing the credential.

Federal regulations require the University of Cincinnati to publicly disclose whether completion of certain programs that lead or may lead to professional licensure or certification would meet a given state’s educational requirements for a specific professional license or certification required for employment in an occupation (regardless of whether the program is on-ground, online, or hybrid). To learn whether a University program meets a given state’s educational requirements, please visit the University of Cincinnati State Authorization webpage. 

Students are assigned a faculty advisor upon admission to the program. The advisor is one of the core faculty members in the School Psychology program. Students meet at least once per semester with their advisor in formal meetings, although all faculty are available for ongoing support.

The program uses a cohort model for doctoral admissions. As such, students are not admitted under a faculty member or assigned a research advisor at the beginning of the program. Students have the opportunity to work on research teams with various faculty. Students develop their research interests and the idea for their pre-dissertation, and a research advisor is selected at the end of the 2nd year.

Why choose our Ph.D. in School Psychology program?

• The program is accredited by the American Psychological Association
• Students obtain a Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Foundations in Behavior Analysis after year one as part of the program
• Strong ecological-behavioral orientation with a social justice focus
• Students are involved in field experiences starting their first semester
• Experiences are available across urban, suburban, and rural sites, as well as schools, clinics, and hospitals
• All students receive some level of financial support, and the program has a history of full funding for doctoral students
• Opportunities to collaborate with faculty and students on different research teams and develop students’ own research interests

The Program Coordinator and Program faculty review students’ requests and submit potential transfer credits to the Graduate College for approval. We follow all Graduate College guidelines around transfer credits. Students may be asked to provide syllabi for courses to demonstrate course equivalency.

For international admissions requirements, please visit our website.

UC's PhD in School Psychology program is:

• Accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA)
• Fully approved by National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)
• Verified Course sequence by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB)
• The College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services (CECH) is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)