EdS Field Experience

Students enrolled in the EdS program complete four unique field experiences during the course of their graduate careers.

Year 1: Shadowing and Consultation

In the first semester of Year 1, students enroll in ESSPSY 8056: Roles and Function of School Psychologists. At the beginning of this course, you will be assigned to a school psychologist working in one of the school districts in the Central Ohio area, whom you will shadow for 1-2 hours per week over approximately 8 weeks. Over the course of this experience, you will observe the roles and functions of the school psychologist and may have the opportunity to perform minor duties.

During the second semester, students enroll in ESSPSY 8082: School Based Consultation: Implementing Behavioral Interventions. Part of this course involves working one-on-one with a classroom teacher in a local elementary school to implement an individual or classroom-wide intervention. In the consultant role, you will work with your teacher to identify a problem, develop an intervention plan, implement the intervention, and finally evaluate its effectiveness.

Year 2: Practicum

All students participate in a 400-hour practicum experience in their second year of the PhD program. This experience is completed in the Columbus City Schools and will take place over the entire academic year. You will be assigned, at minimum, to an elementary school and a middle or high school; however, depending on your supervisors’ building assignments, you may work at all three levels. Each week, you will spend approximately 15 hours engaged in practicum, 12 which are expected to be in the schools. The other (approximately) 3 hours will be spent designing interventions, writing treatment plans and psychological reports outside of school-based hours, and direct supervision. Additionally, you will participate in at least one hour of group supervision each week with your cohort and faculty supervisor.

Year 3: Internship

The EdS internship is a year-long, 1200-hour internship which provides students with applied learning experiences in an approved educational setting.