The Golden Age of School Psychology
This is a great time to enter the field of school psychology. School psychology has been recognized as one of the top 25 careers in the United States (U. S. News & World Report, 2007).  The United States Department of Labor identified school psychologists as having the “best job opportunities” among the different specialties in psychology.

Purpose and Goals of the Program
The overarching purpose of our program is to develop highly competent school psychologists. School psychologists are health promotion specialists who conduct psychological, educational and behavioral assessments for the purpose of designing effective interventions, counseling children and parents, consulting with teachers and parents, as well as performing in-service training. Northeastern University students develop competencies with respect to:

• A wide range of assessment approaches
• Prevention of problems and health promotion
• Consultation and collaboration
• Counseling individuals and groups
• Culture and diversity
• Program evaluation and applied research
• Oral and written communication

The Ecological Framework
A cornerstone of our training philosophy is viewing theory and practice from an ecological framework. An ecological perspective emphasizes the myriad types of social, school, community, and classroom forces that interact with one another to impact learning and the social and emotional health of children and adolescents. We prepare school psychologists who think systemically, and who are aware of the profound impact that culture and the environment have on the learning and emotional health of children.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration
Our training approach also incorporates the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration. Our students learn how to work on teams in delivering services, and how to draw upon the rich resources of professionals from related disciplines.

Practice-Oriented Education
Another cornerstone of Northeastern University and our program is practice-oriented education. . We train students to become highly skilled scientific practitioners and lifelong learners, who employ the scientific, problem-solving method to evaluate their own practice. Real world projects and work experiences are integrated into coursework. During the second year of the program, students document their progress toward important training goals in a portfolio. During the third year internship experience, students document their mastery of the training goals through comprehensive case studies.

Supportive Learning Environment
Northeastern University is known as a student-centered institution, and this student-centered philosophy is prominent our school psychology program. We view ongoing support and feedback as critical for students’ learning and professional development. We strive to be accessible to students. Faculty members take pride in mentoring and advising students. In addition, students are actively involved in a peer-mentoring program, whereby advanced students provide guidance to first year students. Students collaborate with faculty on research projects, journal articles, book chapters, and state and national presentations. 

Professional Identity and Social Conscience
Our students have a strong professional identity and social conscience. The department has a very active student chapter of the school psychology division of the American Psychological Association (Student Affiliates in School Psychology—SASP). This student chapter plans educational workshops, conferences, and social activities. Many of our alumni have assumed leadership roles in state and national organizations. In addition, they consider themselves advocates for the needs of children.