School/Applied Child Psychology (Ph.D.)
Offered by: Educational & Counselling Psych (Faculty of Education)
Degree: Doctor of Philosophy
Program Description
The School/Applied Child Psychology program at McGill University prepares the next generation of school psychologists to provide state of the art educational and mental health services to children and adolescents from birth to 21 years old. Course work, clinical experiences, field and community service, and research activities are designed to enhance and develop the professional skills and the knowledge base of our students. In McGill’s scientist-practitioner training model, research supports and improves our clinical activities; and clinical activities support and inspire our research. McGill’s School/Applied Child Psychology faculty and students are among the most productive research units in North America. Professional school psychologists educated at McGill become leaders in research and higher education, school-based practice, hospital-based positions, independent practice, mental health centres, and policy making roles.
For more information, see www.mcgill.ca/study/faculties/education/graduate/gps_edu_educational_cou....
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Thesis
A thesis for the doctoral degree must constitute original scholarship and must be a distinct contribution to knowledge. It must show familiarity with previous work in the field and must demonstrate ability to plan and carry out research, organize results, and defend the approach and conclusions in a scholarly manner. The research presented must meet current standards of the discipline; as well, the thesis must clearly demonstrate how the research advances knowledge in the field. Finally, the thesis must be written in compliance with norms for academic and scholarly expression and for publication in the public domain.
Required Comprehensive Exam
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDSP 701 | Comprehensive Examination. | 0 |
Comprehensive Examination. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A comprehensive examination of a topic in school/applied child psychology, set by the program committee, that must be successfully passed by all doctoral candidates in order to continue in the doctoral program. | ||
Required Courses (60 credits)
24 credits:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDPC 714 | Theory / Models: Family Therapy. | 3 |
Theory / Models: Family Therapy. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. For doctoral students in Counselling and School Psychology. Theoretical and therapeutic models in family therapy, core concepts and their relevance for application, intervention strategies, the child in family context, impact on school performance. | ||
| EDPE 712 | Neurological Bases of Behaviour Across Lifespan. | 3 |
Neurological Bases of Behaviour Across Lifespan. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Neurobiological changes specific to developmental, learning, psychiatric and neurodegenerative conditions with clinical onset across the lifespan examined within environmental and psychosocial contexts. Uses of current neuromodulatory and pharmacological remediation discussed in addition to clinical/educational intervention. | ||
| EDSP 702 | Selected Topics in School/Applied Child Psychology 2. | 3 |
Selected Topics in School/Applied Child Psychology 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A detailed examination of recent developments in specific topics of school psychology. | ||
| EDSP 705D1 | Practicum: School Psychology. | 3 |
Practicum: School Psychology. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Clinic experiences (a) conducting assessment batteries, (b) interpreting assessment findings, report writing and developing intervention plans, (c) providing academic and mental health intervention for specific learning domains, and (d) acquiring skills in group intervention techniques. | ||
| EDSP 705D2 | Practicum: School Psychology. | 3 |
Practicum: School Psychology. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. See EDSP 705D1 for course description. | ||
| EDSP 710 | Consultation in School Psychology. | 3 |
Consultation in School Psychology. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A clinical course on the use of consultation in educational and school-related settings. Topics include: consultation theory, the process of evaluations of the consultation process and outcomes, critical study of relevant research and practice. Includes problem identification, problem analysis, treatment implementation and treatment evaluation. | ||
| EDSP 715D1 | Theory and Practice of Supervision. | 3 |
Theory and Practice of Supervision. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to the theory and practice of clinical supervision. Objectives include providing trainees the opportunity to assimilate theoretical and empirical literature related to clinical supervision, obtain experience in individual supervision with trainees, develop observational and conceptualization skills needed to assess supervisee competence and fostering skills writing supervisory case meetings. | ||
| EDSP 715D2 | Theory and Practice of Supervision. | 3 |
Theory and Practice of Supervision. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. See EDSP 715D1 for course description. | ||
Field Placement (12 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDSP 721D1 | Field Placement 1: School Psychology. | 3 |
Field Placement 1: School Psychology. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Practicum experience supervised by faculty members and field supervisors working with children in a school or applied clinical setting. Class meetings in addition to onsite field experiences. | ||
| EDSP 721D2 | Field Placement 1: School Psychology. | 3 |
Field Placement 1: School Psychology. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. See EDSP 721D1 for description. | ||
| EDSP 722D1 | Field Placement 2: School Psychology. | 3 |
Field Placement 2: School Psychology. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Practicum experience supervised by faculty members and a field supervisor working with adolescents in a school or applied setting. Weekly class meetings in addition to onsite field experiences. | ||
| EDSP 722D2 | Field Placement 2: School Psychology. | 3 |
Field Placement 2: School Psychology. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Practicum experience supervised by faculty members and a field supervisor working with adolescents in a school or applied setting. Weekly class meetings in addition to onsite field experiences. | ||
Internship (24 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDSP 725D1 | Internship: School Psychology. | 12 |
Internship: School Psychology. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Supervised internship (minimum 1600 hours) working with children and/or adolescents in a school or applied setting. Activities will include diagnosis and assessment, individual interventions, consultations, report writing, case conferencing and group work. | ||
| EDSP 725D2 | Internship: School Psychology. | 12 |
Internship: School Psychology. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. See EDSP 725D1 for course description. | ||
Complementary Courses (3 credits)
3 credits from the following:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDPE 684 | Applied Multivariate Statistics. | 3 |
Applied Multivariate Statistics. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Principal methods, models, and hypothesis-testing procedures for the prediction and analysis of patterns, structure, and relationships in multivariate data (e.g., factor and path analysis, structural equation modeling, multi-level modeling). Applications oriented toward education and educational and counselling psychology. Provides experience with data analysis tools. | ||
| EDPE 687 | Qualitative Methods in Educational Psychology. | 3 |
Qualitative Methods in Educational Psychology. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The logics of design and selection of phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography, case study and mixed design methods with emphasis on data analysis in light of issues of research purpose, epistemology, reliability and validity. | ||