Students become familiar with general and special education and develop skills in individual and group assessment, prevention and intervention strategies, and school-based consultation and counseling techniques. Students are prepared to use their expertise in these areas as well as their knowledge of cognitive, academic, and social and emotional development to facilitate children's learning and school adjustment. S. Student Handbook . Successful integration of research and practice enables doctoral students to appreciate how both endeavors are essential to providing the most effective educational and mental health services to children, adolescents, and their families as well as the most insightful consultation services to teachers, parents, and others. Students acquire these skills through the completion of required courses, selected area of specialization, doctoral internship, and extracurricular research and professional development activities with faculty and other students.
Students also take a comprehensive examination and complete a dissertation.
Ph.D. Student Handbook. Additional support for the program is provided by the other eighteen faculty members in the Department of Counseling and Psychological Services, seven adjunct faculty members, and by the research and statistics faculty in the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education.