In the M.S./Ed.S. School Psychology Program at Florida State, you will benefit from academic study, practicum experience, and internship leading to certification as a school psychologist. Our school psychologists go on to work in schools around the country and improve the lives of students.
The program consists of 73 credit hours of coursework over three years. During the first year, you will develop content knowledge and applied foundations. In the second year, you will have the opportunity to apply skills in practicum settings. Finally, you will spend the third year in a full-time internship in an approved setting. Successful graduates of the program receive both a specialist (Ed.S.) and a master’s degree (M.S.) in Counseling and Human Systems with a major in School Psychology.
As a school psychologist, you will work within the educational community to support students as they learn and grow. School psychologists often work alongside teachers and parents to help identify a student’s needs. Through our program, you will learn best practices and effective ways to provide support and intervention. The Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) and the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) have both fully accredited our program. You can learn more about the role of a school psychologist by visiting the NASP website at http://www.nasponline.org. For more information and data about our program (including our Program Annual Report and Student Outcomes Data), please click here.
View our latest newsletter here!
Due to the systematic nature of the course sequence, the School Psychology degree requires full-time enrollment status, which is generally 12 hours or more per semester. Most courses are taught during the daytime hours on FSU’s campus and few are offered online. Furthermore, most courses are sequenced and offered only once per year. In addition, the School Psychology degree does not provide respecialization, retraining, or other alternative approaches to prepare candidates for credentialing as school psychologists (e.g., for candidates who hold graduate degrees in related fields and are seeking graduate preparation and credentialing as school psychologists).
In order to meet minimum University and Department admission requirements, an applicant must have:
- Admission Process - Admission to graduate study is a two-fold evaluation process. The Office of Admissions determines eligibility for admission to the University, and the academic department, program, or college determines admissibility to the degree program. University graduate admissions requirements are found at https://gradschool.fsu.edu/admissions/graduate-admissions. Academic programs have additional requirements.
- A bachelor’s degree with at least a 3.2 GPA – An earned bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution, or a comparable degree from an international institution, with a minimum 3.2 (on a 4.0 scale) grade point average (GPA) in all coursework attempted while registered as an upper-division undergraduate student working towards a bachelor’s degree. A degree in Education, Psychology, Sociology, Social Work, Home and Family Life, Rehabilitation Services, or another related discipline is preferred. Admitted candidates who do not have these prerequisites will be expected to make up these deficiencies early in the program.
- GRE test scores* - NOTE: The GRE requirements for master's and specialist programs have been waived through Fall 2026.
-
- Official score reports from the General Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) are not required, but may be sent with your application materials. The Educational Testing Service (ETS) does not retain scores longer than five years. If your test scores are older than five years, you may have to retake the test to have official scores sent directly to FSU from the testing agency. If you have the official report that was mailed to your home address for older scores, then FSU will accept that report. The FSU Institution Code is 5219. FSU will consider only the highest scores from multiple testing attempts. Please visit the ETS website for GRE registration, test locations and dates, test taker accommodations, and free GRE General Test preparation materials: https://www.ets.org/gre.
- Target scores: Verbal - 144 or above, Quantitative - 143 or above, Writing - 3.5 or above
-
- Language proficiency test (international students only) – FSU accepts scores from TOEFL (minimum 80), IELTS (minimum 6.5), MELAB (minimum 77), Cambridge C1 Advanced Level (minimum 180), Michigan Language Assessment (minimum 55), and Duolingo (minimum 120)
- International Students - Florida State University requires a course-by-course credential evaluation for all applicants that have degrees from a non-U.S. institution. International and domestic applicants with degrees earned from international institutions must submit their official transcripts through a NACES approved evaluator for transcripts from a non-U.S. institution. SpanTran has created a custom application for Florida State University that will make sure you select the right kind of evaluation at a discounted rate. See the “Transcript Requirement” section on The Graduate School website, https://gradschool.fsu.edu/admissions/graduate-admissions, for detailed information on University transcript requirements for graduate admission.
- Transcripts – Applicants must submit an official transcript from each college and/or university attended. Transcripts should be sent to the Office of Graduate Admissions electronically at graduateadmissions@fsu.edu or via mail in a sealed envelope:
Florida State University
Office of Graduate Admissions
314 Westcott Building
P.O. Box 3061410
Tallahassee, FL 32306-1410
For this program, the following supporting documents must be to the Admissions Application Portal:
- Personal Statement (1 required) – The personal statement should describe your purpose for pursuing a degree, qualifications, and long-term career goals and should be no more than 3 pages in length.
- Letters of Recommendation (3 required)
- Letters of recommendation should be written on letterhead by persons who are in a position to comment on the likelihood of your success within the department.
- Resume/Curriculum Vitae (1 required)
- Unofficial Transcripts – Include transcripts from all colleges attended. Uploading a copy will expedite the review process, though you must still send official copies to the Office of Admissions.
The application deadline for this program is December 1 (Fall admission only).
In-Person Interview Day: January 31, 2025
School psychologists use their training and skills to team with educators, parents, and other mental health professionals to ensure that every child learns in safe, healthy and supportive environment. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job outlook for psychologists is expected to grow 14.3% through 2026, which equates to 12,800 new jobs in the field. School psychologists engage in a variety of services, including assessment, consultation, prevention, intervention, education, research and planning, and health care provision. School psychologists across the nation make $85,340 on average.
Click here to learn more about our School Psychology faculty!
