Our department has eliminated the GRE General Test for admission to the Fall 2025 class. Applicants should NOT submit their GRE scores through ETS nor report their scores in the application portal or on their CVs or personal statements.

Please note that our interviews for Fall 2025 will be offered virtually.

Syracuse University’s doctoral program in school psychology prepares students to engage in research and practice in order to meet the needs of children in schools and other child-related settings. The School Psychology Program is committed to providing high-quality doctoral training that prepares students to meet the needs of children both directly and indirectly by working with parents, teachers, and other direct care providers. In addition, the program offers broad and general doctoral education and training that includes preparation in health service psychology (HSP). The program adheres to the scientist-practitioner training model. Within this model, students are encouraged to be data-based problem solvers, to seek converging information when making professional decisions, and to evaluate the outcomes of their services, while engaging in actions that indicate respect for and understanding of cultural and individual differences and diversity.

Completion of the program satisfies the current requirements for certification and licensure in New York State. The residency requirements for the program includes at least one year in full-time residence at Syracuse University and at least two years of full-time study at Syracuse University. A minimum of three years total of full-time study is required for the doctoral degree.

Student Admissions, Outcomes, and Other Data

Applications are considered for the fall term only, and the deadline for receipt of the completed application is December 1. The program receives approximately 40 to 50 applications per year for three to four openings. Most students entering the school psychology program have had an undergraduate major in either psychology or neuroscience. Only full-time students are considered for admission. Prior involvement in independent research (e.g., paper presentations) as well as mental health or education-related services (e.g., supervisor evaluations) is recommended.

The student population of the School Psychology Program consists of individuals who have entered the program immediately after completion of an undergraduate degree and those students who have earned a Master's degree. Data on students' time to completion, program costs, attrition, internships, and licensure are collected and reported in keeping with requirements of programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association. These education and training outcomes can be found here at this link: Student Admissions, Outcomes, and Other Data.

Diversity in School Psychology

Our doctoral program seeks to prepare students to be sensitive to issues of inclusion and diversity in all aspects of their culturally competent work. The Syracuse University School Psychology doctoral program is committed strongly to promoting diversity with respect to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status and age. We support strongly Syracuse University's institutional commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Financial Support

Funding

The Department of Psychology makes a determined effort to provide at financial support for all graduate students in good standing. For decades, all Psychology graduate students in good standing have been funded. Financial support consists of tuition scholarship, assistantships that provide a competitive stipend, research funding, and the opportunity for summer assistantships.

Tuition Scholarship

Students receive 24 hours of remitted tuition per year, up to 90 credits in total across the span of the graduate career, which funds the full PhD program of study. The tuition scholarship does not cover the costs of student fees or student insurance.

Assistantships

Students receive a competitive stipend that meets or exceeds the cost of living in Syracuse from one of several different sources including teaching assistantships, clinical assistantships, internships or externships, research assistantships, or fellowships. In most cases these are 9-month appointments although some are 12-month positions. Teaching assistants support the education of undergraduate students by teaching lab or recitation sections, grading, providing reviews, proctoring exams, or other activities. Research assistantships support a specific research project, typically one funded by extramural funding agencies such as the NIH. Fellowships provide protected time to pursue independent research projects. Clinical assistantships provide mental health services to community and campus clients. Internships and externships are offered in conjunction with community partners.

Summer Funding

Summer funding opportunities are available in the form of independent teaching, clinical assistantships, research assistantships, or fellowships.

Research Support

The department offers a research fund to support the research and professional development of each student. These funds can be used for the collection or analysis of data, to attend a scientific conference or workshop, or other purposes that will enhance student training.

Cost of Living Comparison

Syracuse is a very affordable city. We encourage you to use a cost of living comparison (like the one at this site) to compare Syracuse to other cities.

Doctoral Training

The education and training offered in the School Psychology Program is sequential, cumulative, graded in complexity, and designed to prepare students for further education and professional practice in health service psychology. The Ph.D. requires a minimum of 90 credits, including up to 18 thesis/dissertation credits, as well as 6 credits of internship. All students are required to complete a masters thesis upon completion of approximately 30 hours of graduate work unless they enter the program with a completed thesis or a masters degree. Students who completed a masters thesis elsewhere will be required to complete a pre-doctoral project. Formal advancement to doctoral candidacy follows the successful completion of a comprehensive exam, which includes two levels: (1) professional examination assessing broad and general preparation for entry level practice; and (2) integrative program examination assessing research preparation and broad and general preparation for the recognized specialty practice. All students are required to complete a doctoral dissertation, and their doctoral dissertation proposal must be defended prior to beginning the pre-doctoral internship, which is a year-long, organized training program that is designed to provide students with a planned, programmed, sequence of training experiences associated with the practice of psychology and is satisfactory in quality, breadth, scope, and nature.

The U.S. Department of Education requires institutions to identify the states for which the institution has made a determination of whether a program’s curriculum meets the state educational requirements for licensure or certification in the states where students are located and provide notification of the outcome of these determinations. This requirement applies to educational programs that are designed to meet educational requirements for a specific professional licensure or certification that is required by a state for employment in an occupation. The U.S. Department of Education does not require an institution to make an independent determination about whether a program it offers meets the licensure or certification requirements in a particular state.

Syracuse University has conducted an independent determination of the requirements for some states as noted below as of July 1, 2020. However, state requirements are subject to change and to interpretation by state regulators. In addition, state licensure boards and agencies may require applicants to meet additional requirements beyond completion of an educational program in order to obtain professional licensure or certification including, for example, passing licensure examinations, successfully completing background checks, and complying with other application and eligibility requirements. Students should contact the state licensure board or agency in the state in which they intend to work in order to learn more about the requirements for professional licensure and certification in the state before beginning a program at the University.

State Professional Licensure and Certification Disclosure Information

Application Information

The School faculty considers the mentoring of graduate students to be an integral part of our professional endeavors. Graduate students are carefully selected from a pool of applicants and work closely with a major advisor in a research apprentice training model. Although admissions decisions are made by the faculty as a committee, major advisors and students are matched based on shared research interests at the time an offer of admission is made. The following is intended to provide a quick reference for potential applicants.

1. Applications are due no later than December 1
2. Application requirements include but are not limited to:
   • Three letters of recommendation
   • Personal Statement of Purpose (indicate at least one faculty member you are interested in working with)
   • Resume or Curriculum Vitae
3. All application materials must be submitted via the online application for graduate study.
   • To begin the application process visit https://www.syracuse.edu/admissions/graduate/apply/
   • Click the online application link and create a New User account with Embark
   • When queried as “to which program and degree do you intend to apply?” select “School Psychology, Ph.D.”
4. Each of the School Psychology faculty listed below will be reviewing applications for Fall admission:
   • Tanya Eckert
   • Natalie Russo
   • Linda Sun

Accreditation

The school psychology program is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA). Inquiries regarding the program’s accreditation status should be directed to the APA Committee on Accreditation (CoA) via:

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 First Street NE
Washington, DC 20002-4242
Phone: 202-336-5979
TDD/TTY: 202-336-6123
Web: www.apa.org/ed/accreditation
Email: apaaccred@apa.org

The Department of Psychology has temporarily transitioned to a fully digital platform until further notice. For questions directly related to the School Psychology Program, please visit our FAQ page or contact us at psygrad@syr.edu.