School Psych - Fordham v. St. John's

[psychstep]

I have been accepted to both Fordham's School Psychology Ph.D. progam and St. John's School PsyD program, and I am having a really hard time choosing between the two. Each program has a lot of strengths for different reasons. I was wondering if anyone else is facing this decision or has any insights about either program? Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[CheetahGirl]

They are both wonderful programs with great name-recognition (at least in NYC) and I'm sure excellent training opportunities (i.e., externships) also in NYC DOE areas. What are your funding opportunities? If I remember from their clinical psych programs, St. John's offered more funding. Is that true now for school psych? Funding would guide my decision; so you would have to decide what is most important to you...again, with both being awesome programs.

Good luck and congratulations!

 

[schoolpsy21]

St. John's has better funding. Both have about an equal reputation, Fordham might be better known in Manhattan though.

 

[schoolpsy21]

Note: Many NYC area school psychology programs do not work with NYC DOE because of odd restrictions on extern/intern guidelines.

 

[CheetahGirl]

Note: Many NYC area school psychology programs do not work with NYC DOE because of odd restrictions on extern/intern guidelines.

Good to know. I did not know but training in NYC exposes you to the effects of 8million+ residents, so it's a win-win here for both your training and kids/families you serve.

 

[Tupelo Honey]

Agree with CheetahGirl. Both are good programs so let the funding make you're decision.

 

[psychstep]

Hey everyone -- thanks so much for your insights and your congratulations! I have certainly heard simillar things as well. Fordham only gives you partial funding for the first year (so 1 graduate assistantship each semester that covers the tuition for one class), while St. John's seems to give a lot more (either in fellowships or assistantships). I guess the question that remains is if a PsyD vs. a PhD really matters in the school psych field -- so far it seems that it doesn't matter when it comes to applying to jobs.

 

[Chalupacabra]

I guess the question that remains is if a PsyD vs. a PhD really matters in the school psych field -- so far it seems that it doesn't matter when it comes to applying to jobs.

From my experience, not really, at least if you want to work in a school. And the good news is that you'll most likely start out with a pretty nice pay bump compared to a CAS/Ed. S. A friend who is a graduate of the Fordham program said she had an easier time than many of the CAS students she knew when it came to finding a job, as well.

 

[schoolpsy21]

Hey everyone -- thanks so much for your insights and your congratulations! I have certainly heard simillar things as well. Fordham only gives you partial funding for the first year (so 1 graduate assistantship each semester that covers the tuition for one class), while St. John's seems to give a lot more (either in fellowships or assistantships). I guess the question that remains is if a PsyD vs. a PhD really matters in the school psych field -- so far it seems that it doesn't matter when it comes to applying to jobs.

People who will be hiring you to work in K-12 schools (generally an Assistant Superintendent or Director of Special Education) mostly don't have any idea about the difference between a PsyD and PhD. Most are special education teachers with extensive classroom experience, but a fairly limited idea of school psychology training.

 

[psychstep]

Cerainly great points. I want to ensure the most flexibility possible within the degree. While my ultimate goal is to work in schools (I am interested in working with really young children, ideally pre-k or k-5), I also want the opportunity to have a well-rounded enough training for possible private practice/independent work or consultation work in hospital settings.

 

[Chalupacabra]

Cerainly great points. I want to ensure the most flexibility possible within the degree. While my ultimate goal is to work in schools (I am interested in working with really young children, ideally pre-k or k-5), I also want the opportunity to have a well-rounded enough training for possible private practice/independent work or consultation work in hospital settings.

If you talk to people at your program they can give you guidance on how to accomplish this - it's pretty common for doctoral level school psychs to do PP on nights/weekends, but it means you'll need to accrue some extra experience in a non-school setting which can require some more time/planning than those who stick to just working in schools. Also the majority of SPs work at the elementary level, so you're highly likely to be able to work there.

As for pre-k, preschool evaluations are frequently done by independent agencies and/or private practice evaluators, so I would suggest you start doing some research on this as a possible career as well. This is an area of high need in some places. You could also look into serving as the CPSE chair in your district once you're working, though that doesn't really mean you'd have much direct contact with pre-k students, just help guide decisions for the kinds of services (PT/OT/Speech) they'd receive before entering elementary school by collaborating with their parents, teachers and other service providers.

 

[psychstep]

If you talk to people at your program they can give you guidance on how to accomplish this - it's pretty common for doctoral level school psychs to do PP on nights/weekends, but it means you'll need to accrue some extra experience in a non-school setting which can require some more time/planning than those who stick to just working in schools. Also the majority of SPs work at the elementary level, so you're highly likely to be able to work there.

As for pre-k, preschool evaluations are frequently done by independent agencies and/or private practice evaluators, so I would suggest you start doing some research on this as a possible career as well. This is an area of high need in some places. You could also look into serving as the CPSE chair in your district once you're working, though that doesn't really mean you'd have much direct contact with pre-k students, just help guide decisions for the kinds of services (PT/OT/Speech) they'd receive before entering elementary school by collaborating with their parents, teachers and other service providers.

Chalupacabra -- thanks so much again for your insights on this! Luckily with both programs it seems to be the case that you can "pave" some of your preferences to match your career goals. 🙂 I'll definitely look into what you just suggested.

 

[schoolpsy21]

I'm pretty sure both programs have some required internship work to be completed outside of the school setting. Also, look into APA match rates at both schools ... see if some students do that option (which can be interning at a hospital, clinic etc).

As for pre-k, preschool evaluations are frequently done by independent agencies and/or private practice evaluators, so I would suggest you start doing some research on this as a possible career as well. This is an area of high need in some places. You could also look into serving as the CPSE chair in your district once you're working, though that doesn't really mean you'd have much direct contact with pre-k students, just help guide decisions for the kinds of services (PT/OT/Speech) they'd receive before entering elementary school by collaborating with their parents, teachers and other service providers.

Just wanted to chime in on this ... pre-K experience is especially valuable seeing as many K-12 schools are now offering pre-K (due to the rise of universal pre-K in some areas), so many elementary school psychs evaluate these young children soon after they enter formal schooling.

 

[Chalupacabra]

No problem @psychstep - I'm about to graduate from a SP CAS program, so feel free to PM me if you have any more questions

 

[lightsox123]

I've actually just accepted my offer to Fordham's PhD, so if you are planning to attend I'd love to exchange emails or something!