Grow Your Own School Psychologist Program

Educational Specialist (EdS)

Be part of the solution to address school mental health needs through the Grow Your Own School Psychologist program.

This grant-funded program supports the training of additional school psychologists in partnership with these Iowa Area Education Agencies:

Great Prairie AEA
Central Rivers AEA
Northwest Area AEA

If you have a master's degree in education or related field, if you work in the service area of one of these AEAs and if you are committed to serving high need rural school districts, this program may be for you. Five candidates are funded yearly, beginning this year and over the next two years, for this three-year hybrid/online delivery program.

The Grow Your Own program is part of the School Psychology Program at UNI which leads the state in preparation of licensed school psychologists.

Graduate College

Grow Your Own Brochure

School Psychology Program (On Campus)

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Primarily Online I 44 Credits I 3 Years

Features

Designed for master's-level working professionals at participating AEAs
Led by faculty who are licensed school psychologists
Part of lauded, NASP-accredited School Psychology Program
Grant funding for reduced tuition and expenses
Paid internship final year of program

2/2

Grant support for each student

Benefits

Reduced tuition. You're responsible for $75 per credit and a $40 technology fee per class. The grant covers the rest. The cost of a typical credit is currently $539.
Paid membership in the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) and the Iowa School Psychologists Association (ISPA).
Reimbursed and covered expenses
- Class-related travel
- Books
- Praxis test costs and initial Iowa Board of Educational Examiners (BOEE) license fees
- NCSP (Nationally Certified School Psychologist) credential fees
Trained for crisis and response using NASP's PREPaRE model.

AEA Partners, Immediate Employment

Working with Great Prairie, Central Rivers and Northwest Area AEAs

380

Hours of Practicum Experience

Hands-on experience every semester

NASP Approved

Accreditation reflecting quality of Iowa's leading school psychology program

About the Program

Admission

A master's degree is the only specific admission criterion for the program. We also look for evidence of the ability to complete an academically rigorous program, skill in data analysis and interpretation, interest in mental health and successful experience working in teams and with/for children and youth.

New cohorts: June 2024 and June 2025
Apply at: apply.uni.edu under EdS program
- Application opens in December
- Admissions decisions by March 1, 2024

The Need

School psychologists are a unique and often untapped resource for students. The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP, 2020) recommends one school psychologist for every 500 students. Data gathered from Iowa’s nine AEA directors of special education suggest that the ratio of students to school psychologists across Iowa is 1:1,734.

Central Rivers AEA has a school psychologist-to-student ratio of 1:2,016
Northwest AEA's ratio is 1:2,500
Great Prairie AEA has the lowest ratio, 1:4,379

The Grow Your Own program is an opportunity to make genuine progress in improving mental health access for children and adolescents in high need, rural areas in western, central and southern Iowa.

Funding

The Grow Your Own School Psychologist Program began with grant funding received by Green Hills AEA, supporting two initial cohorts of nine total students. The school psychology faculty received an additional $2.5 million in grant funding in 2023 from the U.S. Department of Education to allow for continued growth of the program supporting three additional cohorts of five students each with the current group of AEAs.

Interested? Request information.

We will gladly send you more information on the Grow Your Own program if you request it.

Contact us directly at:

School Psychology Program
525 SEC
Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0607

Email: david.vanhorn@uni.edu

Dynamic Major

Prospective Student Type

First Name

Last Name

Email Address

MSW Program:

Counseling Program:

English Program:

Technology Program:

Psychology Program:

School Psychology Program:

Certificate options:

Diploma options:

Performance Program:

I want to start at UNI in (Fall and Spring semesters):

I want to start at UNI in (Only Fall semesters):

I want to start at UNI in (Only Spring semesters):

I want to start at UNI in (Only Summer terms):

Vocal Interest

Primary Instrument

Secondary Instrument

Attendance Type

On-CampusOnline/Distance Education

Contact Information

Courses and Careers

Courses

The Grow Your Own School Psychologist program is a hybrid/online three-year program that consists of the final educational specialist (EdS) degree based on a scientist-practitioner model.

The Grow Your Own EdS in school psychology requires an additional 44 semester hours. In addition to two practica, a full-time internship and written and oral comprehensive exams, courses include:

Introduction to School Psychology
Academic Assessment & Interventions
Program Evaluation
Individual Intellectual Assessment
Special Education Law & Policy
Behavioral Intervention in School Settings
Systems Level Consultation
Early Childhood Assessment & Intervention
Counseling Intervention in School

Grow Your Own Brochure

Careers

School psychologists are in great demand and often work in K-12 public schools. With this Grow Your Own program, you will commit to working three years within a high need rural school district within the AEA that is supported by the program: Great Prairie, Central Rivers or Northwest Area.

Other settings in which you may practice in the future:

Preschools and other early childhood settings
Colleges and universities
School-based health and mental health centers
Community-based day treatment or residential clinics and hospitals
Juvenile justice programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How often and at what time do courses typically meet? In person or via Zoom?

Most classes are online and synchronous, via zoom. The assessment classes are hybrid, which means that there will be both face-to-face and synchronous online sessions for those courses. Face-to-face time may occur at a central location for students during the semester or on campus in the summer. The grant pays for travel, room, and board expenses.

What if I don't have all the required prerequisites?

Each student’s application will be given full consideration. If you need other classes to be admitted, yes, you would need to complete those courses prior to being accepted into the program. You would have to pay full price but you would not need to take the courses through UNI. We could help guide you to find the right courses, if desired or needed.

How recent does past coursework need to be to count as a substitute for a course?

The University has a seven-year recency policy. If the course you want to transfer in is more than seven years old, it cannot be used to substitute for one of the classes you need for the GYO program.

Is the GYO program just for current educators or AEA staff?

To give you the quick answer – no, this program is not just for current educators or AEA employees. A master's degree (or a specific series of master's-level courses) is a prerequisite to enter the program, but we could help guide you if you were interested in completing an MA before applying to our program.

What are the admission criteria for the GYO program?

We will look at each applicant holistically. There is no GPA cut score or specific experience you need to have. The master's degree is the only criterion. We will be looking for the ability to complete an academically rigorous program, skills of data analysis and interpretation, interest in mental health, and successful experience working in teams and with/for children and youth.

What is required in the writing sample portion of the application?

The writing sample should be something recent–perhaps a report (names redacted) or a paper written for your master's degree.

Students are expected to do their practicum in both the fall and the spring of their second year. Do I understand correctly there are two choices for students in the program during that year?

Choice 1: Continue in current employment with an employer allowing you to be off one day per week in the fall and two days per week in the spring to complete practicum hours. The grant will pay for substitutes which allows us to do this. I'm assuming it would be up to the district whether they pay us for the hours that we miss due to the practicum or if we have to use vacation days, etc.

Choice 2: Apply for an assistant school psychologist position with the AEA that is full-time with benefits during that year. The rate of pay is $25 per hour. Would the number of hours worked be a typical 40-hour week? What would happen in the summer between year 2 and year 3? I work in a school district and they split our contract up into 12 equal months, so we continue to be paid during the summer months.

You are correct about the options. We expect you to work a typical 40-hour week, and, yes, you would need to negotiate your hours with your employer for option 1. You would need to check AEA policy for summer pay. Regarding the school psych assistant position, I suggest you speak with the Director of Special Education at the AEA with your specific questions. The AEA may have needs that require a full time position.

How is rural school defined for purposes of the grant?

We are using the definition of rural found on the following website: hrsa.gov/rural-health/about-us/what-is-rural

Area or County	Rural or Not Rural
Metro area (urban core of 50,000 or more people)	Not rural
Micro area (urban core of 10,000-49,999 people)	Rural
Counties outside of Metro or Micro Areas	Rural

Ready to apply? Start your application now!