Frequently Asked Questions

Below you will find a list of frequently asked questions from past prospective students regarding the School Psychology Ph.D. Program.


1. Is the program accredited by the American Psychological Association?
Yes, the program has been fully accredited by APA since 1996. We were revisited in 2007 and received full reaccredidation for the maximum 7 years. Our next site visit will be in 2014.

2. Do you need a master's degree to apply?
No, we accept students with a bachelor's or a master's degree. Most students enter with a bachelor's degree, however some students enter with a master's degree or Ed.S. degree from another institution.

3. How long is the program?
If students enter with a bachelor's degree the program typically requires five to six years, including a year for the dissertation and a year of internship. If the student enters with an Ed.S. degree, the program takes approximately three to four years.

4. Does the program have any particular emphases?
Yes, the program has a very strong emphasis on training students to work with urban populations and for students to be multiculturally-competent psychologists.

5. Are assistantships available?
Yes, assistantships are available from the School of Education, as well as in other units on campus. In addition, many students are funded as research assistants on faculty research projects and there are fellowships available through the Graduate School.

6. Are all students funded?
In the past ten years, we were able to fund all students who applied for assistantships. Some of those were research assistantships to work on faculty grants, others were teaching assistantships, and still others were project assistantships.

7. How much are assistantships?
In 2007-8 assistantship stipends were $10,549 for 50% (20 hours a week) assignments. In addition, all students working 33% or more receive tuition remission (meaning that tuition is waived).

8. Do I have to take the GREs? Do you look for any particular score?
Yes, we require GREs for all students, but we do not have a particular cutoff score required for admission to the program. Rather we look at the GREs, undergraduate and graduate GPA, interest in working with urban and multicultural populations, and interest in a scientist-practitioner program. We do not require the subject GRE in psychology.

9. How many students are admitted each year?
We typically admit 6-8 students each year.

10. It's been a while since I've been in school. Do the letters of recommendation need to be from professors?
Yes, one letter must be from an academic professional. However, you can also submit letters of recommendation from anyone who can speak to your academic background, your background in School Psychology, and your potential for graduate work.

11. You have interviews scheduled for Jan. 29, will all applicants be interviewed? Would I still be considered for admission if I can't travel to Milwaukee?
Yes, all applicants are interviewed. If you can not travel to Milwaukee, we can arrange a phone interview with you on Jan. 29th, or on another day if it's not possible for you to be available then.

12. How many credits are required for the program?
Students generally take approximately 121 graduate credits, which includes 24 credits of School Psychology courses, 9 credits of practicum, 12 credits of internship, 13 credits of statistics, 12 credits of educational psychological foundations, 9 credits of psychology, and 9 credits of urban ed/urban psychology. Typically students take 6 dissertation credits.

13. I took psychology and statistics courses in my master's program, can some of those be transferred in?
Yes, often courses taken in your master's program may be transferred into the doctoral program. Final evaluation of whether they may be transferred is made by the Graduate School, the training director and the student's advisor.

14. Are there research requirements?
Yes, consistent with our scientist-practitioner model all students are required to participate on a faculty member's research team for two years. Most students stay involved in research for the entire 4 to 5 years that they are on campus. Prospective students may view current research team activities on the "Faculty Profiles" section.

15. I know that internships are very competitive. How many students receive APA-accredited internships?
The majority of our students received APA-accredited internships, with virtually every student in the last 10 years who have applied to an APA-accredited internship being offered one. On occasion a student may decide to apply for a local internship in a local school or hospital site. For example, during 2007-2008 we have one student who has an internship in Milwaukee Public Schools.

16. Are students eligible for licensure as a psychologist?
Yes, the program is recognized by the state licensing board as eligible for licensure as a psychologist once they complete the doctorate and the post doctoral hours required by the state (1,500 hours in Wisconsin) and successfully pass the national licensing exam and state jurisprudence exam.

17. How are advisors determined?
We assign students a temporary advisor when they are admitted to the program. Once they enter the program, students are free to choose a new advisor, who will be the chair of their dissertation committee, or continue with their assigned advisor.

18. How much interaction and advising is there among students and faculty?
Students and faculty interact on an informal basis on research teams, on a more formal basis in class, and through advising. Many research teams present at conferences, and students have the opportunity to interact with faculty in these situations as well.

19. How much interaction is there among students in the program?
The School Psychology Student Association (SPSA) has monthly meetings, attended by most students not on internship. The SPSA has several social events a year, arranged mentoring for new students, and plans brown-bag presentations. There also is the organization of Multicultural Connections for School Psychologists (MCSP), which meets on a regular basis and has sponsored multicultural presentations and a variety of social activities. For more information check out the Ph.D. professional organizations link.

20. Is there someone I can talk to if I have any more questions?
Certainly, please contact Karen Stoiber, the training director at kstoiber@uwm.edu or 414 229-6841.