School Psychology
Suggestions for Students Lacking A Masters Degree
A number of prospective students inquire about how to pursue the school psychology certification without having a master’s degree in hand. In these cases, we strongly urge students to obtain a master’s from Murray State University in elementary school counseling, which is in the same department as the school psychology program. This 30 hour program can be taken in the evenings, typically can be completed in one year, does not require a teaching certificate for admission, and easily transfers 15 hours into the school psychology program. Prospective employers are attracted by the counseling and school-oriented background that the masters in school counseling provides, and the training in this field dovetails nicely into school psychology.
With a memorandum of agreement (that the student has not been formally accepted into the school psychology program), students can take coursework leading to the school psychology certificate while they are working toward their masters degree. There are two “downsides” to this approach. One, students who do not have a teaching certificate cannot work in Kentucky as a school counselor (but they can in surrounding states) if they decide not to complete the school psychology program, and two, completion of the school counseling masters degree does not automatically mean they will be admitted to the school psychology program. Experience has shown, however, that students have a good understanding of whether or not they want to pursue school psychology further once they have completed most of the school counseling program.