M.Ed. Program

Prerequisites

In addition to the minimum admission requirements set by the Faculty of Graduate Studies (normally, a four-year bachelor’s degree with a B+ average in third and fourth year-level course work) in a relevant area of study, students are required to meet the following pre-requisite requirements:

• A minimum of 18 credits in Psychology, Educational Psychology, or Special Education and related disciplines including CNPS 362 or an equivalent undergraduate course in basic interviewing skills. Other than the courses in statistics, research methods any courses in these areas will meet the requirement. However, students are encouraged to have background or coursework in areas most relevant to School and Applied Psychology practice (child development, learning, exceptional students, classroom management, behaviour disorders, abnormal psychology, etc.). It is not necessary to have a degree in psychology or education to apply but coursework and background in these areas is beneficial.
• Upper division undergraduate course work in both statistics and research methodology with content similar to the UBC courses EPSE 481: Introduction to Research in Education and EPSE 482: Introduction to Statistics for Research in Education. Applicants should carefully consider if the specific content of their statistics and research methodology courses is similar to EPSE 481 and 482 because these courses include the background needed for courses in the M.Ed. programs. Note: Completing a data-based honours thesis meets the research methods prerequisite.
• Evidence of suitability for professional work with school-aged populations, including successful work experience with school-aged populations, school-based experience and/or teacher certification. Note that teaching certification is not required.
• In addition to required prerequisites listed above, applicants are also strongly encouraged to have prior coursework in measurement. Examples of such courses at UBC include: EPSE 421, 423, PSYC 303, PSYC 323

Students are required to complete the GRE general test with minimum scores of 153 in verbal and 144 in quantitative.

Applicants for whom English is not their primary language should write the GRE but inform the admissions committee of this fact. Minimum TOEFL scores are 600 (paper), 250 (computer-based) or 100 (internet-based: 22 Reading, 22 Writing, 25 Listening, 25 Speaking).

Mandatory Criminal Record Checks: All School and Applied Child Psychology students must have a criminal record check completed through the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) Teacher Education Office prior to the start of classes. The application deadline to authorize the Criminal Records Check is August 31 to allow sufficient time for the results to be returned to the SACP Graduate Program Support prior to beginning practicum placements in the schools in September. The criminal record check cannot be done at a local police station or RCMP office.

Enrollment Data

Completion Rates and Time to Completion

This program has a graduation rate of 100% based on 9 students admitted between 2010-2019. Based on 21 graduating students from 2008-2018 the minimum time to completion is 2.5 years and the maximum time is 5.00 years with an average of 3.1 years of study. All calculations exclude leave times.

Program Requirements

The program is a three-year program with two years of full time study on campus, and an internship in Year 3. The M.Ed. program in School and Applied Child Psychology at UBC is designed for students who plan to practice as school psychologists at the master’s level and who do not plan to pursue doctoral study.

Required Coursework¹

EPSE 507 (3) Applied Child and Adolescent Psychopathology
EPSE 528 (3) Basic Principles of Measurement
EPSE 531 (3) Data-Based Individualization of Academic Interventions for Learning Difficulties
EPSE 550 (3) Professional, Ethical, and Legal Issues In School Psychology
EPSE 551 (3) School Based Consultation
EPSE 552 (3) Intervention and Mental Health Promotion in Schools Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) in Indigenous Education
EPSE 554 (3) Practicum in Cognitive Assessment
EPSE 555 (3) Academic and Social Emotional Assessment
EPSE 576 (3) Assessment and Positive Behaviour Support in School and Community Settings
EPSE 561 (6) Laboratory Practicum (School-Based Practicum)
EPSE 589 (9) Masters Internship in School Psychology

Total: 42 credits

Practicum

In addition to their course based practical experiences, students in the M.Ed. program complete a 9-month practicum in Year 2 of their program. A primary focus is on assessment through cases in our on campus clinic and in the local schools. Students also engage in class-based intervention and consultation activities along with a number of didactic classroom based sessions, individual and group supervision. A copy of the most recent version will be posted once made available.

Internship

The M.Ed. internship (EPSE 589) is a 10-month (1200-hour), supervised, school-based experience completed in Year 3 (September through June) of the program. Placements are developed each year by the EPSE 589 instructor in consultation with the student. Details of the internship experience are highlighted in the document below as well as a list of recent master’s internship placements.