Psy.D. School Psychology Admissions

Admission Requirements

• Meeting the minimum requirements of the University
• Hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution
• Have earned a cumulative grade point average of 2.75 or higher (on a 4.0 scale) in a baccalaureate degree program; or have earned a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 or higher (on a 4.0 scale) in a master’s/graduate degree program

The Psy.D. admissions process requires a date-specific formal interview. Candidates to be interviewed will be selected on the basis of the above information.

Application Materials
Candidates should submit all application materials to the USM Office of Graduate Admissions, PO Box 9300, Portland, ME 04104-9300 by the application deadline.

A complete application consists of:

• A submitted online graduate admission application
• The application fee of $65.00 made payable to USM
• Two sets of official transcripts from all colleges or universities attended, including USM
• Three letters of recommendation attesting to the applicant’s knowledge of current scholarship, capacity to connect theory and practice in posing and solving educational problems, achievement of excellence in educational practice, and demonstrated capability and motivation to engage in advanced graduate study. Recommendations must be received either directly from the recommender or forwarded by the applicant on the official recommendation form (pdf) and in sealed envelopes with the recommender’s signature over the seal.
• Psy.D. in School Psychology program applicants are required to complete two essays and should be submitted  as part of your application. For Question 17 of "Application for Admission to Graduate Study" all Psy.D. applicants must answer both of the following questions with separate essays for each question:
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• • The USM School Psychology Program embraces a behaviorally-based model for assessment and intervention. Briefly describe your understanding of behavioral theory and how comfortable you are working with that model.
  • Describe what is meant by the term "evidence-based practice." What role should evidence-based practice play in the delivery of school psychological services?

   

• Your current resume
• Certification of finances (international students only)
• Submission of GRE scores
• Submission of official TOEFL scores (if English is not first language)

Testing Requirements: Applicant must have earned a score of 300 points or above on the combined verbal and quantitative scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Applicants whose native language in not English must  have earned a score of at least 550 on the paper-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), 79 or higher on the Internet-based test, or 213 on the computer-based test.

Transfer Policies: Students admitted to the school psychology program can request permission to transfer up to 45 graduate credits toward the Psy.D. in school psychology.  For each graduate course the student wishes to have considered for transfer credit the student must:

1. have obtained a grade higher than a B-,
2. have completed the course in question no more than 6 years prior to beginning doctoral study in school psychology at USM. (When students have developed initial competence in a professional practice area through coursework completed more than six years prior to entry into the program, and when students have continued to update their competency through professional experience (which may include, but not be limited to, relevant professional employment, supervision and continuing education) the Program may, at its discretion, consider coursework for waiver that was completed more than six years prior to entry into the Program.)
3. submit a Course Equivalency Request (CER; Form C1) to the student’s advisor.  This request must include the following:
   1. a brief (2-3 sentence) rationale for why the course should be considered equivalent
   2. a transcript (copy is acceptable) documenting the student’s grade for the course in question and the semester it was taken,
   3. the prior graduate course number and name and the USM course number and the name of the USM course that the student wishes to be considered as equivalent
   4. the syllabus for the graduate course and relevant supporting documentation (list of required and suggested readings, reports, papers, tests, etc.)
4. The request will be reviewed by the advisor and referred to the faculty designee who has expertise in the area of instruction. The advisor or faculty designee may ask for additional information from the student, including an official transcript, or consult with the previous instructor or other sources.
5. The designee will then make a recommendation to the school psychology faculty and the faculty will vote to determine whether the course is considered equivalent.
6. The student will be informed about the faculty’s decision by the advisor.
7. The result of the request will be documented in the students local program file.
8. For students seeking accompanying certification as BCBA, the applicable transfer course(s) must be transferred from a program that is approved by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board.
9. Transferred credits will be noted on the student’s USM transcript and counted toward the student’s degree. Once approved, the program will notify the USM Registrar to enter the official transfer onto the student’s record.

Graduate students in APA-accredited doctoral-level school psychology programs at other universities may transfer into the program if they take their final 45 hours, or two years full time, and not including the internship or dissertation requirement, in USM’s school psychology program.