Master of Science (MSc) in School & Applied Child Psychology

The Master of Science in School and Applied Child Psychology is an on-campus, thesis-based program. In addition to Faculty of Graduate Studies admission requirements, GPE requirements include:

(a) Honours degree in Psychology (or equivalent) is preferred, with a grade point average of 3.0 (equivalent to a B or 70% in many universities) over the courses taken during the last two years of study;

(b) Normally, a minimum of 18 units (3.0 full-course equivalents) in Educational Psychology or Psychology. This must include:

1. One undergraduate course in statistics
2. One senior undergraduate Psychology or Educational Psychology course in cognitive-affective bases of behaviour.

All prerequisite coursework must be completed with a grade of “B-” or above.

(c) Two letters of reference, one of which is normally from the undergraduate honours supervisor, if applicable. References are due on the application deadline, so you should complete the online application earlier in order to give your referees sufficient time to submit their reference. Referees will receive notification on how to submit their reference after you submit your application and are due on the application deadline regardless of when they receive the notification. Please ensure that your references are aware of the supporting document submission deadline. Applications without completed reference forms will be considered incomplete after the application deadline has passed.

(d) A completed Pre-Admission Checklist is recommended, including details of courses completed, practicum experiences, awards and scholarships, scholarly work, research experience, and employment and volunteering.

(e) Curriculum Vitae - include the following items as applicable:  Educational history, awards and scholarships, presentations and publications, employment, research experience, volunteering, and professional development.

(f)  A short statement of intent (approximately 500 words) of your research and professional interest in school psychology (e.g., expected contribution to the field; understanding of school psychology) indicating your reasons for wanting to pursue graduate work in this degree.  Applicants are encouraged to list one or more SACP faculty members they feel best align with their research interests. 

(g) Meeting the English language proficiency requirement. Proficiency in the English language is essential for the pursuit and successful completion of graduate programs in the Werklund School of Education. Prior to admission to Graduate Programs in Education, an applicant whose primary language is not English must fulfill the English language proficiency requirement. For additional information, please visit our How to Apply page.

(h) Prior to admission, the most promising applicants will be interviewed to evaluate their understanding of and motivation for entry into the field of School and Applied Child Psychology.

Transcripts

Applications, transcripts and all supporting documents must be submitted 11:59 pm MT on the application deadline date for each program. Please visit the FGS applicant transcript page to answer frequently asked questions on transcripts. 

For additional information on transcripts and where to send them, please visit our How to Apply page.

Additional Information

Successful applicants will need to produce the results of a Police Information Check before they will be permitted to participate in practicum or internship experiences associated with the program.

Offers of admission are valid only for the term to which applications are made. Graduate Programs in Education will not grant deferrals of admission. Students unable to take up an offer will be required to submit a new application.

The MSc in School & Applied Child Psychology requires a minimum of two years of full-time study, on-campus to complete.

Police Information Check

Please see Practicum and Internship section below.

Core Courses:
The following core courses (14 half-course equivalents or 42 credit hours) are considered to be central to the MSc program in School & Applied Child Psychology. Students must complete all of the requirements outlined below:

There are two practicum courses in the School and Applied Child Psychology program (EDPS 662 and 663). Each practicum consists of 200 hours of practicum work.

Program Plan

Year 1:

Fall term
EDPS 609 Research Design and Statistics II
EDPS 614 Professional Ethics in Educational Psychology
EDPS 653 Professional Practice of School Psychology
EDPS 665 Cognitive Assessment and Intervention

Winter term
EDPS 651 Disorders of Learning and Behaviour
EDPS 654 Neurobiological and Developmental Bases of Learning
EDPS 669 Social-Emotional Assessment and Intervention
EDPS 685 Child and Adolescent Counselling

Spring term
EDSP 659 Academic Assessment and Intervention
Thesis*

Summer term
Thesis*

Year 2:

Fall term
EDPS 618 Multivariate Analysis
EDPS 662 Practicum I in School Psychology (Clinic Based)
EDPS 683 Consultation in School Psychology
Thesis*

Winter term
EDPS 663 Psychology Practicum II (School Based)
EDPS 650 Family and Social Bases of Behaviour

Thesis*

Spring term
Thesis*

Summer term
Thesis*

*Thesis - The Masters thesis is the focus of the degree program. In consultation with the supervisor, the student should formulate an appropriate thesis topic as early as possible because the nature and type of proposed research will affect the time needed to complete the program.

GPE Thesis Rubric and the Student Guide to the Thesis Oral.

Please note: Ethics approval is required for all research projects involving the use of human subjects before data collection begins. Prior to submitting an ethics application, students are required to complete the TCPS 2 tutorial and upload the certificate of completion into their Researcher Profile in IRISS. Do NOT upload in the documentation section of a study. Register on theTCPS 2 website https://tcps2core.ca/register. When registering, be sure to use your institution email address (name @ucalgary.ca)

To initiate the ethics approval process, the student’s supervisor must submit an application to either the Conjoint Faculties Research Ethics Board or the Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board. The application is typically completed in conjunction with the student. Applications to the CFREB or CHREB are created and submitted online using IRISS. There are no paper application forms.

Summary of Program Requirements:

• 14 half courses including 400 practicum hours
• Thesis
• Two Years full-time study
• Completion within 4 years

Effective Fall 2023 admission, the minimum funding opportunities for Master of Science (MSc) students, will not be less than $10,000 annually for each of the first two years of their program. Over the course of the first 12 months there will be funding opportunities for students to obtain not less than $10,000 CDN through work experiences from research assistantships, teaching assistantships, teaching, and awards. 

Depending on the source(s) of funding, monthly payments will not necessarily be consistent. For example, the timing of the receipt of a scholarship, or the dates of a Graduate Assistantship appointment, may impact the amount paid in a given month.

Funding for these positions comes from a variety of sources including Tri-council scholarships (CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC); private, provincial and university scholarships; teaching assistantships; and sessional teaching.

Any or all of the following sources of funding may count toward your minimum funding during these two years:

• External scholarships and awards (e.g., SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR, AIHS, AITF, AGES, donor scholarships);
• Internal scholarships and awards (e.g., Werklund School awards, Graduate Awards Competition (GAC), and other program or university competitive graduate awards);
• Research Assistantships (e.g., Graduate Assistantship Research (GAR), Research Stipend, and/or Scholarship payments from research grant(s));
• Graduate Assistantship Teaching (GAT) (50% salary and 50% scholarship) administered by Werklund School of Education;
• Graduate Assistantship Non-Teaching (GANT) (50% salary and 50% scholarship) administered by Werklund School of Education;
• Salary of up to two Sessional (Graduate Student Teaching) Appointments as per TUCFA Collective Agreement administered by the Werklund School of Education
• Paid internships

MSc students will receive funding based on the following conditions:

• must be registered as a full-time student
• must apply for SSHRC funding (October) and the University scholarships competition (December). Failure to apply will result in a decrease or cancellation of departmental funding.
• must maintain satisfactory academic standing in the program

Students who are offered admission to a MSc program will receive general information regarding funding opportunities in the offer package.

As a Graduate Student you are expected to devote the time, effort, and energy necessary to engage in scholarship.  As a graduate student, you will determine the specific milestones and requirements of your program of study in consultation with the Faculty of Graduate Studies Calendar and with your graduate supervisor. 

An integral part of the masters experience is working closely with a supervisor on the development and completion of a research project.  A graduate supervisor mentors graduate students through regular meetings and research training aimed at research, scholarship, teaching and professional development. Graduate supervisors support students in the timely completion of their programs.  As a Graduate Student, you are expected to meet with your graduate supervisor on a regular basis.  While each student-supervisor relationship is unique, graduate supervisors can assist graduate students in a number of ways: advising on course selection, applying for awards and scholarships, obtaining research funds, applying for teaching assistant and sessional teaching opportunities, developing track records in refereed publications and conference presentations, getting involved in leadership and service, and encouraging and supporting apprenticeship in a research community of practice (collaborative review of papers, grants, academic writing, and data analysis). 

In the MSc program an interim supervisor is normally appointed at the time of admission.  Students are responsible for initiating discussions with potential permanent supervisors and are expected to have finalized supervisory arrangements by their second annual registration.

Police Information Check

All successful applicants to the Werklund School of Education School and Applied Child Psychology program are required to provide a current clear Police Information Check which includes a Criminal Record Check and a Vulnerable Sector Search. All successful applicants will be also required to acknowledge the requirement for a Police Information Check by submitting an "Acknowledgment of PIC Requirement" declaration form prior to the start of the program. Students who are not residents of Calgary must arrange for a Police Information Check through their nearest police service or RCMP detachment in the area where they reside. In order to be considered "current", the Police Information Check must be completed no earlier than June 30 and students will be required to request a new Police Information Check every year in which they enroll in a practicum course (Educational Psychology 662, 663). The original Police Information Check must be presented to the administration in the Graduate Program Office in the Werklund School of Education before the start of Fall Term classes and to the organization hosting the student on or before the first day of the practicum.

Students who are concerned about the presence of a criminal record should contact the police department to discuss the process for eliminating or erasing such a record.

A current clear Police Information Check is required for all third-party and University of Calgary practicum placements. Failure to present a Police Information Check may result in the student being unable to complete their Practicum. Successful completion of Practicum is required for graduation.

Students are obligated to inform the Faculty immediately of any change in status of their criminal record.

Intervention Record Check

In addition, it is strongly recommended that students obtain an Intervention Record Check (IRC) in each year that they participate in a practicum. Even if your site does not specifically require this check, it is to your advantage to have an IRC done so as to prevent a potential issue should there be a last minute change in your placement site.

NOTE: IRCs are not required by the Werklund School of Education (WSE), and should not be submitted to WSE. Results should be kept in your personal records, and shown to your practicum site should they request to view them.