Psychology - Graduate Program

Degrees: M.Ed., M.S.

Why Study This Program?

The graduate-level Psychology programs offered at Millersville University seek to prepare ethically informed practitioners who have the knowledge base, technical and relationship skills, cultural sensitivity and professional dispositions to work collaboratively with diverse populations in the community as school counselors, school psychologists and clinicians. The goal of the Clinical Psychology, School Psychology and School Counseling programs is to develop caring practitioners who apply critical thinking skills as they engage in the best practices of their professions.

The three specialized programs offered by the Psychology department are based on the underlying philosophy that graduate training in psychology and counseling should contain four essential components:

• academic training in relevant theory and knowledge
• research skills and an ability to evaluate research critically
• practical experience that can be directly useful in subsequent professional employment
• a high degree of self-awareness and interpersonal relationship skills

Graduates of one of these Psychology programs receive a Master of Science (M.S.) in Clinical Psychology, Master of Science (M.S.) in School Psychology plus Certification in Supervision of School Psychological Services, or Master of Education (M.Ed.) in School Counseling plus Certification in Supervision of School Guidance Services.

What Will You Learn?

The Clinical Psychology program is designed for students who wish to pursue a career in mental health by functioning as counselors and clinicians. This program emphasizes the development of assessment and psychotherapeutic skills through coursework and supervised experience with clients in the department’s training clinic and through internships in local mental health agencies and hospitals. Students should leave this program with good interpersonal communication skills combined with a strong knowledge base in psychological assessment and effective interventions with growing emphasis on empirically-supported treatments. 

The School Psychology program prepares students for entry-level positions as school psychologists in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania who will work in school settings. In keeping with the ecological perspective, graduate students are prepared to affect student learning through direct assessments and interventions as well as through collaboration with families, teachers, administrators and community liaisons. The program emphasizes best practices including the Response to Intervention (RtI) model and diversity awareness.

The School Counseling program provides students with a multidisciplinary approach to school counseling through careful examination of knowledge bases and research in the fields of education, psychology and counseling. This program emphasizes the combined use of soft skills, such as relationship formation and maintenance, and hard skills, such as data-based decision making and evidence-based practices, in preparing school counselors as agents of change.