Program Requirements

Become a school psychological examiner

The Specialist in Education: Special Education and Assessment degree is designed to provide the graduate with the qualifications necessary to complete educational testing to provide diagnostic and intervention services for students with special needs in K-12 settings through certification as a School Psychological Examiner.

Candidates enter with a Masters degree in Special Education, Counseling, School Counseling, Counseling Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Educational Psychology, Education or related degree and complete 33 additional credit hours of graduate coursework in Counseling, Psychology, and Special Education; 21 of which must be completed post-Master's and within 8 years of degree completion. Students earning the EdS degree are prepared for certification by Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) as a School Psychological Examiner.

All candidates for the EdS degree will receive a detailed degree audit following admission to the program. The audit will determine the exact number of courses needed for the EdS and will indicate whether any prior coursework is approved for use in the degree program of study.

[NOTE: Prior initial certification as a teacher or counselor is required for DESE certification as a School Psychological Examiner].

Students who have not yet earned a master's degree in education or counseling may pursue the specialist degree in tandem with their graduate studies. Only 30% of the coursework may be counted for multiple programs.