Degrees Offered

The Ph.D. program in School Psychology at Lehigh University is fully accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA Committee on Accreditation, Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation, American Psychological Association, 750 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002-5979; Tel.: (202) 336-5979), and fully approvd by the National Association of School Psychologists.

Students completing the doctoral program must attain a dual set of competencies and emerge as capable researchers as well as skilled practitioners. The program adheres strongly to a scientist-practitioner model of training professional psychologists. As professional psychologists, students must obtain working knowledge of basic psychological principles while being skilled in the application of psychological knowledge. The development of research skills is significantly emphasized in the doctoral program. Students are required to complete two independent research projects, one as a requirement to qualify for official entrance into the program (equivalent to a Master's thesis), and one as a dissertation. In addition, students are actively engaged with faculty in conducting research and other scholarly activities and typically will emerge from the program with substantial competencies to enter academic as well as clinical careers in school and non-school settings. In keeping with the programs focus on professional psychology, much of the research conducted by students and faculty is applied and has direct relevance for solving problems faced by psychologists in educational settings.

Within the doctoral program, three options for developing specialized expertise are offered. Students can choose to complete:

			Students At-Risk or With Disabilities Subspecialization
			Pediatric/Health Subspecialization
			The Endorsement in Pediatric School Psychology as part of a Leadership Training Grant from the U.S. Department of Education