Program Overview

Choose Excellence with an MA/CAGS in School Psychology

Choose Real-World Learning with Experiential Education

Field placement is a transformational aspect of our educational model and William James College has one of the only school psychology programs where you will be in the field starting in your first semester. You will work with our Field Education Office to find placement opportunities throughout the program to give you a wide range of training and skills.

In your first year, you will be placed in an elementary school, and in your second year, you will train in a middle or high school. In your third and final year in the program, you will work five days a week in an internship setting that best meets your career goals and interests. We have partnerships with many school districts in public, private, urban, and suburban settings.  

In addition to this supervised field experience, our first-year school psychology students participate in the Primary Project program. William James is the only college in Massachusetts offering this unique experience to our students. Primary Project is an evidence-based program where you will work with elementary students who are at risk for social-emotional difficulty. This experience will allow you to gain greater insight into early child development and additional hands-on training.

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Choose Impact with a Commitment to Social Responsibility

Our School Psychology MA/CAGS program is rooted in social justice, respect for diversity, and a multicultural perspective. We recruit, train, mentor, and prepare professionals who are committed to delivering culturally responsive care to meet the growing needs of an increasingly diverse society.

You will also have the option to participate in a co-curricular, college-wide concentration to enhance your studies and expand your learning. Our concentrations give you the opportunity to focus a part of your education on working with and supporting a particular population while connecting with students across the College who share similar academic interests. Available concentrations include African and Caribbean Mental Health, Asian Mental Health, Latino Mental Health, Global Mental Health, LGBTQIA+ Studies, and Military and Veterans Psychology.

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Choose Community Connectivity, Support and Student Life

The William James College community is supportive and connected. Our Dean of Students Office offers regular programming, in person and online, for all students, and oversees our Academic Resource Center. Student leadership and student groups create more opportunities for engagement, and we are proud to be home to the William James College Black Mental Health Graduate Academy, a community for Black students enrolled in our doctoral and master’s degree programs, that provides mentorship and networking opportunities.

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Choose Mentorship and Personal Growth

Mentorship and personal growth are core values of a William James College education. As a student, you will enjoy direct engagement with faculty through education, research, mentorship, and training. All students work closely with an advisor on course planning, personal and professional development, and career goals. Each year, student progress toward program completion is reviewed periodically with your advisor and at an annual Assessment and Planning Conference.

Assessment and Planning Conference

Our school psychology faculty members represent expertise across many domains of psychology including social emotional learning, bullying, substance use, learning disabilities, diversity, equity, and inclusion, crisis intervention, and assessment.

Across the College, our faculty are practicing professionals who bring their clinical expertise and real-world examples into the classroom. They pair this experience with empirically based research to teach you nuances, protocols, and interventions that prepare you for your fieldwork in the program and your future career.

Hear from Dr. Jason Kaplan, associate professor and chair of the School Psychology Department, in this five-minute overview of our school psychology program. Learn more about the role of a school psychologist, a day in the life of a school psychologist, our curriculum and field education, and what makes our school psychology program unique.