School Psychology Program Help

[JemSchoolPsych]

I'm in the process of interviewing for different masters/specialist programs in Massachusetts and Connecticut. I have interviews at William James, Umass Amherst, Southern CT State University, Tufts, and Northeastern. Im still waiting to hear from UConn and UMass Boston. Each program has a different degree they offer (M.A., M.S., and M.Ed) along with different specialist credentials (CAGS, Ed.S and 6th year certificate). I know that for the most part the specialist credentials are the same but vary in name depending on the state, but I'm wondering if the difference in the masters degree is significant and if it effects a students career as a school psychologist.

Also, if anyone has been to any of these schools and would like to comment on how they felt about the programs it would be much appreciated! Currently my top choices are Umass Amherst and Northeastern.

Some questions I have about the programs are:
Is the program more research focused or practical focused?
Cohort size?
How supportive and available is the faculty towards the students?
How heavy was the workload?
Do you feel the program prepared you to be a competent school psychologist?
Would you recommend the program?
And any other comments you'd like to make! Thank you!

[Rochelle_Noronha]

Hi guys, I'm a marketing professional having completed my bachelors and masters in business management and marketing. I have been working in the marketing field for about 6 years now. Since the last 1 year or so, I have been wanting to change my profession and have been drawn to psychology and counselling. I've checked a few courses being offered by a few colleges in BC (Stenberg College - Diploma in Counselling Psychology; Adler University - MA in Counselling Psychology, etc.) I'm wondering whether or not I should take the risk of changing my profession.

- How will it impact job prospects for me after I'm done with the course?

- Is there scope in the field of counselling psychology profession in BC?

- What is the average income I can expect after course completion?

- There is a huge difference between fees from the masters program and the diploma program. Does having a masters hold more value than just a diploma in counselling psychology? If yes, what? and how can it impact?

- How is Stenberg college in Surrey? Would you advise doing the diploma course from there?

I will be greatly obliged and will truly appreciate any help/direction I can get from you guys here. Thanks in advance. 

[jennifee]

18 hours ago, JemSchoolPsych said:

I'm in the process of interviewing for different masters/specialist programs in Massachusetts and Connecticut. I have interviews at William James, Umass Amherst, Southern CT State University, Tufts, and Northeastern. Im still waiting to hear from UConn and UMass Boston. Each program has a different degree they offer (M.A., M.S., and M.Ed) along with different specialist credentials (CAGS, Ed.S and 6th year certificate). I know that for the most part the specialist credentials are the same but vary in name depending on the state, but I'm wondering if the difference in the masters degree is significant and if it effects a students career as a school psychologist.

Also, if anyone has been to any of these schools and would like to comment on how they felt about the programs it would be much appreciated! Currently my top choices are Umass Amherst and Northeastern.

Some questions I have about the programs are:
Is the program more research focused or practical focused?
Cohort size?
How supportive and available is the faculty towards the students?
How heavy was the workload?
Do you feel the program prepared you to be a competent school psychologist?
Would you recommend the program?
And any other comments you'd like to make! Thank you!

Hi! 

I went to Tufts for my Ed.S., and I looked at Northeastern and UMass as well.  Tufts offers financial aid - I got a half tuition waiver, so it was much cheaper than the other two schools.  If you're an MA resident, UMass might be cheaper.  They all seemed pretty comparable in terms of quality.  All of the different degree names are just remnants of the naming conventions when the programs were formed, they all hold the same value. 

Tufts had a lot of faculty turnover while I was there, so I can't speak too much to the quality of the faculty.  Unless things have changed, though, they really rely on adjunct lecturers, which makes for some interesting classes - for example, my consultation class was 100% about that particular faculty's consultation model, and we didn't learn any other consultation styles.  However, we also had a FANTASTIC behavior assessment class, which I still think was the most valuable course I took there. 

To address your other questions: 

Is the program more research focused or practical focused?

Tufts is VERY practice-focused, they have the highest required number of practicum hours of the 3 schools in MA - I had 150 hours first year, 450 2nd year, and then the full-time internship.  If you want to do any research, you will really have to hunt that out on your own, because the core faculty do NOT do any research.  Northeastern has a PhD program as well, so they are better if you are thinking of doing research. 

Cohort size?

My cohort at Tufts was 17, which was large for them - they usually have 10-13.  You move through classes together, with very little overlap with other years/programs. 

How supportive and available is the faculty towards the students?

Hit or miss.  A few core faculty are great and supportive, others are very old-school and inflexible. 

How heavy was the workload?

First year was fine, 2nd year was overwhelming and half my cohort almost quit, and then internship was fine again. If you can, take extra summer classes to lighten the load a bit 2nd year. 

Do you feel the program prepared you to be a competent school psychologist?

Yes and no.  It was very theory-based, not good at linking theory to practice, and practicum sites were not well managed to make sure we learned everything we needed to.  However, it gave me enough of a basis that I was able to practice successfully once I sought out PD in the areas I didn't get expertise. 

Would you recommend the program?

Maybe, but not strongly.  Even several years later, I have very few positive memories of my time there, and most of those were because of one or two adjunct faculty who were fantastic.  The big selling point is the higher number of practicum hours, which I will admit were very valuable. 

Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions - or if you end up at a school in MA, I can give you some ideas of practicum sites to seek out or avoid. 

[JemSchoolPsych]

2 hours ago, jennifee said:

Hi! 

I went to Tufts for my Ed.S., and I looked at Northeastern and UMass as well.  Tufts offers financial aid - I got a half tuition waiver, so it was much cheaper than the other two schools.  If you're an MA resident, UMass might be cheaper.  They all seemed pretty comparable in terms of quality.  All of the different degree names are just remnants of the naming conventions when the programs were formed, they all hold the same value. 

Tufts had a lot of faculty turnover while I was there, so I can't speak too much to the quality of the faculty.  Unless things have changed, though, they really rely on adjunct lecturers, which makes for some interesting classes - for example, my consultation class was 100% about that particular faculty's consultation model, and we didn't learn any other consultation styles.  However, we also had a FANTASTIC behavior assessment class, which I still think was the most valuable course I took there. 

To address your other questions: 

Is the program more research focused or practical focused?

Tufts is VERY practice-focused, they have the highest required number of practicum hours of the 3 schools in MA - I had 150 hours first year, 450 2nd year, and then the full-time internship.  If you want to do any research, you will really have to hunt that out on your own, because the core faculty do NOT do any research.  Northeastern has a PhD program as well, so they are better if you are thinking of doing research. 

Cohort size?

My cohort at Tufts was 17, which was large for them - they usually have 10-13.  You move through classes together, with very little overlap with other years/programs. 

How supportive and available is the faculty towards the students?

Hit or miss.  A few core faculty are great and supportive, others are very old-school and inflexible. 

How heavy was the workload?

First year was fine, 2nd year was overwhelming and half my cohort almost quit, and then internship was fine again. If you can, take extra summer classes to lighten the load a bit 2nd year. 

Do you feel the program prepared you to be a competent school psychologist?

Yes and no.  It was very theory-based, not good at linking theory to practice, and practicum sites were not well managed to make sure we learned everything we needed to.  However, it gave me enough of a basis that I was able to practice successfully once I sought out PD in the areas I didn't get expertise. 

Would you recommend the program?

Maybe, but not strongly.  Even several years later, I have very few positive memories of my time there, and most of those were because of one or two adjunct faculty who were fantastic.  The big selling point is the higher number of practicum hours, which I will admit were very valuable. 

Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions - or if you end up at a school in MA, I can give you some ideas of practicum sites to seek out or avoid. 

Thank you sooo much for this! I'm surprised the program isn't better, considering the cost and reputation it has. Something that's very important to me is the availability and support of professors, as well as support at practicum sites, and it seems this school may not satisfy that completely. As far as bring more practice based, that something is prefer, as well as having the pre-practicum experience. 

The cost of the program is a bug turn-off for me, but how did you receive the waiver? Was it more like a grant or a loan?

I have interviews for Northeastern, Umass Amherst and tufts all in the same weekend. Was funding offered at all for the other two programs? 

 

Please let me know if you'd rather me PM you!

[jennifee]

23 hours ago, JemSchoolPsych said:

Thank you sooo much for this! I'm surprised the program isn't better, considering the cost and reputation it has. Something that's very important to me is the availability and support of professors, as well as support at practicum sites, and it seems this school may not satisfy that completely. As far as bring more practice based, that something is prefer, as well as having the pre-practicum experience. 

The cost of the program is a bug turn-off for me, but how did you receive the waiver? Was it more like a grant or a loan?

I have interviews for Northeastern, Umass Amherst and tufts all in the same weekend. Was funding offered at all for the other two programs? 

 

Please let me know if you'd rather me PM you!

No problem!  The more information you can get before making a decision, the better!  

I do think that Tufts is a solid program for the core classes - counseling and intelligence testing especially.  You will learn to write a SOLID report if Laura Rogers is still teaching the testing courses.  Unless things have changed (and they may have, it's been 5 years since I graduated), there is just too much variability in course quality with lecturers.  MTSS/RtI was a major part of my job when I graduated, and I learned next to nothing about it while at Tufts.  

Re: cost - when you get accepted at the programs, they will all send you a financial aid package along with it.  Tufts just sent me a letter that included a grant for half off tuition.  The rest I took out loans for.  I think I finished with around $80k in loans, since living expenses in Boston are so high.  The one thing to keep in mind is that most programs don't charge tuition for the year you go on internship, so you'll only pay for years 1-2.  

Northeastern didn't offer any financial aid, and their tuition is expensive! I don't know about UMass Amherst, but UMass Boston didn't offer me any money, and wouldn't give me in-state tuition either, since living in MA while going to college doesn't count toward residency. 

There aren't many external sources of funding for school psychology master's programs.  Starting salaries for school psychs in the Boston area range from $50-80k, so you won't want to take out more than that in loans.  

[squeakyclean]

Have you heard from UCONN or Southern yet?

[JemSchoolPsych]

On 2/19/2018 at 12:35 PM, squeakyclean said:

Have you heard from UCONN or Southern yet?

I never got an email regarding my APPLICATION for uconn, I did receive an interview at Southern but have not heard back.

[allgoaton]

Tagging onto this thread. I applied for Masters/Specialist programs at: Tufts, Northeastern, UMass (eta: Boston! Not Amherst!) and William James and have had interviews for all. I have already have received acceptance and a small scholarship from William James. 

Based on my interviews, I felt the most congenial vibe from Tufts students and faculty, so I'm a bit dismayed to find that perhaps it is really hit or miss. My undergrad is in the area so my interviewer and I immediately had a connection and we began talking about mutual contacts. The students seemed happy and friendly. I found that Tufts and Northeastern really opposed each other for some things. Tufts seemed to disapprove of behavioral programs and stressed that there was no ABA component, while Northeastern actually offers School Psych students to receive APA training as a concentration. I'm not sure what to feel about that. I felt as though Northeastern professors were the most engaged in practical research and were very excited to talk about it. I feel pretty neutral about UMass -- I didn't feel as though there was a great connection between the students and faculty, and didn't feel as though I really got a chance to "shine" as we did not have individual interviews. William James is a solid option although I wonder if it being less "known" would have an impact. 

I am going to wait for acceptances and aid to come through. Based on the "feel" at Tufts, I feel as though I would be the most comfortable there and likely will receive aid there, but I am not sure how to pass up Northeastern's academic breadth and rigor. 

Edited March 4, 2018 by allgoaton

[JemSchoolPsych]

On 3/3/2018 at 4:24 PM, allgoaton said:

Tagging onto this thread. I applied for Masters/Specialist programs at: Tufts, Northeastern, UMass (eta: Boston! Not Amherst!) and William James and have had interviews for all. I have already have received acceptance and a small scholarship from William James. 

Based on my interviews, I felt the most congenial vibe from Tufts students and faculty, so I'm a bit dismayed to find that perhaps it is really hit or miss. My undergrad is in the area so my interviewer and I immediately had a connection and we began talking about mutual contacts. The students seemed happy and friendly. I found that Tufts and Northeastern really opposed each other for some things. Tufts seemed to disapprove of behavioral programs and stressed that there was no ABA component, while Northeastern actually offers School Psych students to receive APA training as a concentration. I'm not sure what to feel about that. I felt as though Northeastern professors were the most engaged in practical research and were very excited to talk about it. I feel pretty neutral about UMass -- I didn't feel as though there was a great connection between the students and faculty, and didn't feel as though I really got a chance to "shine" as we did not have individual interviews. William James is a solid option although I wonder if it being less "known" would have an impact. 

I am going to wait for acceptances and aid to come through. Based on the "feel" at Tufts, I feel as though I would be the most comfortable there and likely will receive aid there, but I am not sure how to pass up Northeastern's academic breadth and rigor. 

I also had interviews for Northeastern, Umass (Boston and Amherst) and William James. I was invited to interview at Tufts but decided last minute that I didn't want to go through the interview process because there was something turning me off from the school... maybe based on what the previous mentioned, and also the cost. Now I kind of regteret it a little based on what you said! Either way, UMass Amherst is truly where I want to attend, the staff and students were so friendly and I felt so comfortable talking to them, unlike at William James where it seemed like everyone was putting on an act. Also, good to know about Tufts being anti-behaviorism, because that's what I really loved about Northeastern and Umass Amherst. I also felt the same about UMass Boston...definitely a bit weird that there weren't individual interviews. But anyways, congrats on getting into WJC and good luck with the rest! 

[futureschoolpsych18]

33 minutes ago, JemSchoolPsych said:

I also had interviews for Northeastern, Umass (Boston and Amherst) and William James. I was invited to interview at Tufts but decided last minute that I didn't want to go through the interview process because there was something turning me off from the school... maybe based on what the previous mentioned, and also the cost. Now I kind of regteret it a little based on what you said! Either way, UMass Amherst is truly where I want to attend, the staff and students were so friendly and I felt so comfortable talking to them, unlike at William James where it seemed like everyone was putting on an act. Also, good to know about Tufts being anti-behaviorism, because that's what I really loved about Northeastern and Umass Amherst. I also felt the same about UMass Boston...definitely a bit weird that there weren't individual interviews. But anyways, congrats on getting into WJC and good luck with the rest! 

So the Amherst interview was totally different from Boston? I'm interviewing there Friday (unless we hear back from Boston before then because I will commute there). Every interview of mine has been different so I'm not sure what to expect anymore!

[allgoaton]

Hi guys! I got into Northeastern today, via a personal reply from my "thank you" email from the faculty I interviewed with. No official notice, but by word of mouth I am in! 

It's interesting that you thought that William James people were putting on an "act." 

[squeakyclean]

1 hour ago, allgoaton said:

Hi guys! I got into Northeastern today, via a personal reply from my "thank you" email from the faculty I interviewed with. No official notice, but by word of mouth I am in! 

It's interesting that you thought that William James people were putting on an "act." 

Wooo congratulations!!!!  I didn’t interview at NorthEastern, but it seemed like people really enjoyed the interviews there. 

[allgoaton]

Hi guys! I got an email from UMass Boston this week confirming my acceptance! No official acceptance/financial info from them or Northeastern yet. 

The only school I haven't heard back from is Tufts. Is anyone in the same boat? It makes me nervous because I thought I'd hear back from now. 

[SchoolPsychEDS]

Hey JemSchoolPsych did you end up committing to a school yet? I've been accepted to Tufts, The College of William and Mary, UMass Amherst, and Worcester State for their M.A./M.Ed. and Ed.S. school psych programs! I think I'm leaning towards UMass Amherst right now for the nice faculty, good price, and opportunities for assistantships! 

[Hopefulschoolpsych]

Any info on Teachers College, Columbia's EdM, Hofstra's PsyD, and St. John's PsyD programs in school psych? They seem like great programs to apply to!