School Psych: EdS programs?

[futureapppsy2]

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Hi all,

Any thoughts on applying to EdS programs? I know a lot of (most?) people go this route before going on to a school psych PhD/PsyD program or just go for it as a sole degree (as it gives you full scope of practice within schools). Downsides: these programs are usually unfunded and provide relatively little research experience, and both are *very* important to me . I probably have about comparable (or maybe more) research experience to most successful PhD applicants and decent clinical/child experience, but I'm wondering if applying to PhD programs straight out of undergrad will be too "unusual," as I get the sense that many school programs favor EdS applicants over undergrad applicants (more so than clinical/counseling PhDs, it seems)

Thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[aagman01]

Some people start off in eds and go straight into doctoral programs. However, MANY students go straight into phd program for graduate school. At many of the better research-focused programs (i.e. Wisconsin, Minnesota, Kentucky) most phd students are strong students who went straight into phd programs. At the more practitioner type programs, there seems to be more of a mix.

Good luck!

Hi all,

Any thoughts on applying to EdS programs? I know a lot of (most?) people go this route before going on to a school psych PhD/PsyD program or just go for it as a sole degree (as it gives you full scope of practice within schools). Downsides: these programs are usually unfunded and provide relatively little research experience, and both are *very* important to me . I probably have about comparable (or maybe more) research experience to most successful PhD applicants and decent clinical/child experience, but I'm wondering if applying to PhD programs straight out of undergrad will be too "unusual," as I get the sense that many school programs favor EdS applicants over undergrad applicants (more so than clinical/counseling PhDs, it seems)

Thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[lookitssara]

I would do it as a backup/safety. If you're confident you're well qualified for doctoral programs, I'd make that your main goal. I agree that it's just as common for undergrads to go right into doctoral programs.

Side note: UCONN, UDEL, UMASS (Amherst) all have pretty good funding for Ed.S. students I hear.

 

[futureapppsy2]

I would do it as a backup/safety. If you're confident you're well qualified for doctoral programs, I'd make that your main goal. I agree that it's just as common for undergrads to go right into doctoral programs.

Side note: UCONN, UDEL, UMASS (Amherst) all have pretty good funding for Ed.S. students I hear.

Would an EdS program be a "better" back-up than a year of research experience (likely with a few publications) and clinical/child volunteering?

 

[lookitssara]

I think whether it's a better back up is personal. For instance, I'd be antsy to get into school psych stuff right away, so I'd jump at the chance for an Ed.S. Also, if you switch into a PhD program BEFORE your internship, then you'd be starting (and ending) sooner than if you did a year of research. This is also presuming that your PhD program allows many credit transfers (which I believe they do. You'd want to make sure you go the thesis route as well). I'm more into practice (and thus practicums) than research though, so that's why those are my two cents.

 

[JP West]

I think getting more research experience and work experience with a child/adolescent population makes more sense.

Alternatively, if you don't feel ready for entering a PhD program, have you considered teaching for a year or two, like a Teach for America type program? That option would "season" you a bit, is highly relevant to becoming a school psychologist, and doesn't require you to pay for a program that you are not excited about.

 

[futureapppsy2]

Alternatively, if you don't feel ready for entering a PhD program, have you considered teaching for a year or two, like a Teach for America type program? That option would "season" you a bit, is highly relevant to becoming a school psychologist, and doesn't require you to pay for a program that you are not excited about.

Teach for America would not be an option for me (low-income--or even high-income schools--aren't usually the most handicapped accessible places), but I have a lot of college teaching and children/adolescent educational seeing experience and could likely get more of both in a year "off," if necessary. It's not so much that I wouldn't be excited about an EdS program as that I'm already applying to fairly large N of PhD programs and the relative lack of funding is making me very strategic about how to apply.

 

[aagman01]

i'd personally recommend the research year over eds. Especially if you can arrange a good research experience. Many of the stronger school psych phd programs will NOT accept transfer credits, and even those that do will normally NOT take all credits you completed. Secondly, if you plan to go the APA/APPIC internship route, your eds practicum and internship hours will NOT count towards APPIC hours (since you would not be in a phd program + would most likely NOT have supervision from a licensed psychologist). It seems like you have had a strong background coming in. Applying to phd programs and arranging a research year as a backup seem like great ideas 😀

Teach for America would not be an option for me (low-income--or even high-income schools--aren't usually the most handicapped accessible places), but I have a lot of college teaching and children/adolescent educational seeing experience and could likely get more of both in a year "off," if necessary. It's not so much that I wouldn't be excited about an EdS program as that I'm already applying to fairly large N of PhD programs and the relative lack of funding is making me very strategic about how to apply.

 

[lookitssara]

Doy! I didn't even think about the hours you get in clinical experiences needing to count for internship/post-docs. That is a great point.