Advanced Certificate in
School Psychology and Deafness

(http://www.rit.edu/~schpsych/)

The College of Liberal Arts, in collaboration with the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID), offers an advanced certificate in school psychology and deafness. This program option has two different tracks that provide specialized training in providing appropriate psychological services to deaf and hard-of-hearing learners. Some students elect to earn the advanced graduate certificate in school psychology and deafness. Certified school psychologists, in contrast, are offered the opportunity to return to school on a part-time basis, without career interruption, to take only the specialized courses. In addition to course work offered by the school psychology program, students in this advanced certificate program take two courses offered by NTID’s teacher preparation program, the master of science in secondary education of students who are deaf or hard of hearing (MSSE).

This program is designed for school psychologists who will work with deaf and hard-of-hearing children and youth. It is one of only two programs nationwide that merges the school psychology and deafness specialization for practicing school psychologists.

The curriculum is designed to prepare school psychologists to work effectively with deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Courses emphasize the cultural context of the development of these children and youth and the interactions occurring among the child and the family, the school, the hearing and the deaf communities, and the legal system. The course work focuses on an interdisciplinary, ecological perspective of deafness.

Admission requirements

Tentative admission decisions are made at the time of matriculation into the specialist level school psychology program. Formal admission decisions are made at the end of the first year. Preference will be given to students with experience and/or expressed interest in working with deaf and hearing-impaired learners.

Program prerequisites

Advanced certificate requirements

• Successful completion of the specialist degree in school psychology and deafness
  
• Completion of course work with a cumulative average of B or better and a B or better in both assessment/educational planning courses
  
• Demonstrated proficiency in sign language communication at the Intermediate Plus skill level (as assessed by the Sign Communication Proficiency Index, classroom performance, and observations in applied settings)