Accredited Child Psychology Graduate Programs in New York [2024 Guide]

As one of the most populous states in the nation, New York offers many advantages for completing your graduate degree in child psychology.

On the one hand, the state is home to more than 130 four-year colleges and universities. In fact, no other state has more institutions of higher learning than New York. With that kind of selection, you can be picky about the school you attend.

On the other hand, New York offers plentiful job opportunities upon your graduation. Though no one is guaranteed a job after college, the sheer number of child psychology openings in the Empire State make it more likely that you will find employment.

But first, you have to choose a child psychology program and successfully graduate.

Child Psychology Programs in New York

Listed below are some of the popular schools offering child psychology graduate programs in New York:

• Pace University
• The City University of New York
• Capella University
• New York University
• Grand Canyon University
• Columbia University
• University at Buffalo

Pace University

Pace University might not be as big or have the same level of name recognition as some of the other schools on this list. However, since its founding as a private college in 1906, this New York City-based institution has prepared tens of thousands of graduates to be competent practitioners in their fields.

The school originally focused on business education. But, as time has passed, Pace has expanded its offerings to more than 100 majors and programs.

Pace University is a good-sized school with almost 14,000 students. While the bulk of the student body is undergraduates, there is a large contingent of graduate students – more than 5,000.

As a prospective graduate student, you can look forward to studying with other dedicated students and with expert faculty in small class sizes.

Child Psychology Program Information

The Psy.D. program in School-Clinical Child Psychology from Pace University is a 111-credit residential program that requires about five to six years to complete. During your time in the program, you will take courses that adhere to the scientist-practitioner model of psychological training. That is, you will learn the science behind psychology as well as how to be a well-informed, caring psychological practitioner.

You will complete a master’s degree on your way to your Psy.D. The master’s degree is in school psychology, which prepares you for licensure as a school psychologist in New York. Your continued doctoral work qualifies you for licensure as a practicing psychologist as well.

Some of the courses you will take include:

• Cognitive and Affective Bases of Behavior
• Intervention Tech II: Cognitive-Behavioral Perspectives
• Psychoanalytic Theory
• Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy
• Early Childhood and Infant Assessment

In addition to coursework, you will complete various practicum and internship experiences that give you real-world experience working with children and adolescents in schools and clinical settings.

The application to this program is online and can be filled out year-round. You must have at least a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university or be in progress of a bachelor’s degree. This is the only stipulation for applying listed on Pace’s website. If interested in applying, check with the school for additional admission requirements.

The City University of New York

New York City is so large that it has its own university system – the City University of New York. The system has no less than 25 schools which were established to provide easy access to higher education for residents of New York City’s five boroughs. Like its home city, the City University of New York is extraordinarily diverse – minorities represent more than 75 percent of enrolled students.

The City University of New York was established in 1847 and had an unheard-of feature – it was free. In fact, the City University of New York was the first free college in the country. Today, the university caters to graduates of the expansive New York City Public Schools system.

With the knowledge and skills obtained at the university, you’ll be well-prepared to make positive contributions to one of the greatest cities on Earth.

Child Psychology Program Information

The City University of New York offers a five-year Ph.D. program in Developmental Psychology that requires five years of on-campus studies. The program emphasizes diversity, inclusion, and social mobility while also training you to be an expert in crucial developmental psychology areas.

To do so, you will take courses that focus on the following:

• Developmental Psychology
• Childhood and Youth Studies: Approaches and Methods
• Research Methods and Ethics in Psychology
• Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
• Adolescent Development

Research is a critical component of this program as well. You will take various research methods and statistics courses and complete multiple research projects over the course of the program, including a doctoral dissertation.

To be eligible to apply to this program, you must have a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited institution. Likewise, you must submit the following with your application:

• A curriculum vitae
• Official transcripts from each college or university you’ve attended
• Three letters of recommendation
• GRE scores

New York University

New York University is one of the state’s best-known colleges and one of the most respected. US News & World Report ranks NYU in the top 25 national universities and in the top 75 among best value colleges. NYU also ranks highly internationally – it is 26th among global universities.

Since it was founded in 1831, NYU has been committed to being an educational institution open to all, regardless of religious affiliation, national origin, or social background. As a result, the school is extremely diverse. Students from all 50 states study at NYU, as do international students from nearly 140 countries. NYU is so diverse that it ranks first in the nation for the percentage of international students.

Child Psychology Program Information

NYU’s Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology focuses heavily on research. From your first year in the program through the final year, you will participate in field-based and laboratory research that will help you develop a deep understanding of human development.

The research component of the degree includes 15-18 credits of work in:

• Quantitative and qualitative methods
• Research design
• Research implementation and analysis
• Longitudinal data analysis
• Psychological statistics

Coursework in developmental psychology complements your exploits in psychological research. You will take classes in Child Language Development, Psychological Research in Infancy, and Adolescent Development, to name a few.

Additionally, you will receive professional development training that includes studies in grant writing, teaching and mentoring, and dissemination of research. This program does not include a clinical component, though. It is strictly preparatory for non-clinical applications of developmental psychology.

You must have a bachelor’s or master’s degree from an accredited institution to apply to this program. When applying, you must provide the following:

• Official transcripts from each college or university attended
• Three letters of recommendation
• A resume or curriculum vitae
• A statement of purpose

Select applicants must also participate in an in-person interview on NYU’s main campus.

Columbia University

When Columbia University was founded in 1754, it was known as King’s College. Though the name changed, the university’s commitment to rigorous academics has remained the same. In fact, Columbia is one of the top-ranked universities in New York and the nation. US News & World Report ranks it among the 20 best national universities.

Its status as a top-tier institution makes Columbia a highly competitive school. However, students that gain admission have access to some of the top programs in the country. All told, Columbia has 20 colleges and schools, each of which offers rigorous academics and valuable research opportunities.

This includes the developmental psychology program offered by Columbia’s Teachers College that’s discussed below.

Child Psychology Program Information

The Master of Arts in Developmental Psychology from Columbia is a 32-credit program that offers more flexibility in studies than most programs. For example, Columbia has minimized the number of specific courses you must take to allow you to choose which aspects of developmental psychology you study.

The only stipulations are that you complete five core courses in developmental psychology, one statistics course, and two specialized courses in developmental psychology. You must also take various elective courses to round out your coursework.

This program also requires you to complete a special capstone project. This project aims to integrate your learning throughout the program into a single paper, literature review, or empirical study.

To start the application process, you must complete an online application. To do so, you must first have an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution. Likewise, you must submit the following:

• Transcripts from all colleges and universities you’ve attended
• A resume
• A statement of purpose
• Two letters of recommendation
• GRE general test scores
• English proficiency exam scores (if applicable)
• A $65 application fee

Requirements to Become a Child Psychologist in New York

To become a licensed child psychologist in New York, you must fulfill several specific requirements:

• Be at least 21 years of age.
• Obtain a doctoral degree in psychology. This must be from a program accredited by the American Psychological Association, or determined to be substantially equivalent.
• Complete training in the identification and reporting of child abuse as mandated by Section 6507(3)(a) of the Education Law​​.
• Accumulate two years of full-time supervised experience (or the part-time equivalent), consistent with the scope of practice in psychology. This equals 1,750 hours per year.
• No more than one year of this experience, consisting of 1,750 hours, may be completed as part of the internship required for the doctoral degree. The remaining experience must be obtained after receiving the doctoral degree​​.
• Pass the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP). New York State requires only EPPP Part 1 – Knowledge for licensure​​.

Child Psychology Work Opportunities in New York

As noted earlier, New York State’s large population means more career opportunities in child psychology than in less populated states. For example, New York ranks fifth among all states regarding the number of psychology jobs. On top of that, New York City ranks second among metropolitan areas in the U.S. for the highest employment level of psychologists.

That being the case, you can explore many different work opportunities in New York City and throughout the state. A common pathway for child psychologists is to work in private practice. Doing so offers many different advantages, not the least of which is choosing the type of clients with whom you work.

Since child psychology is so broad, you can work with infants, children, or adolescents. You might specialize in working with children with specific disorders, like autism or ADHD, too.

Another option to explore as a child psychologist in New York is to work in a school setting. Many schools have school psychologists and educational psychologists, but a growing number of schools have child psychologists on staff, too. If your training is in clinical child psychology, you can offer students services like one-on-one therapy, directed interventions, and psychological assessments.

If your training is in a non-clinical field, such as research, you might find employment with education-related agencies, like the New York State Education Department. This type of employment would likely tap into your research experience in child psychology as a vehicle to help develop age-appropriate programs and services for children in preschool through the 12th grade.

These are just a few examples of what you might do with an advanced degree in child psychology in New York. But, the large population of children and the diverse needs of kids in all areas of the state make it possible for you to tailor your career to highly specific areas – perhaps much more so than in smaller states.