French heritage, bayous, and Mardi Gras are just a few things associated with Louisiana. It’s a state rich in history and tradition and one that has faced and overcome many obstacles – like natural disasters – many times in the past.
Part of what makes Louisianans so resilient is the desire to keep getting better. Education is, in turn, a large aspect of the commitment to looking toward the future. As a result, Louisiana has a robust higher education system that includes many different public colleges and universities, like the University of Louisiana System and the Louisiana State University system.
Louisiana is also home to many private schools, including Tulane University, as well as a variety of specialist and professional schools that train students to be effective workers in their respective fields. As someone who wishes to work in child psychology, you have many options for completing your psychology degree in Louisiana, including the popular programs outlined below.
Child Psychology Programs in Louisiana
Listed below are some of the popular schools offering child psychology graduate programs in Louisiana:
- Louisiana State University
- Capella University
- Nicholls State University
- University of Louisiana-Lafayette
- Louisiana State University-Shreveport
- University of New Orleans
- The Chicago School
- Southern New Hampshire University
Louisiana State University
Clinical Child Psychology Ph.D.
Clinical Psychology Training Program at the Louisiana State University adheres to the scientist-practitioner model of training. This means you will participate in advanced studies in classroom environments while also completing extensive psychological research and clinical training.
The clinical training component specifically focuses on evidence-based clinical services, including developing and implementing those services. Moreover, you will examine clinical research, test clinical procedures, and develop your personal style of psychological practice. All this is done under the mentorship of a faculty advisor.
This full-time, on-campus program requires at least five years to complete. During that time, you will participate in a variety of courses that explore topics like:
- History and Systems of Psychology
- Individual and Cultural Diversity
- Developmental Disorders and Psychopathology of Children
- Child Behavior Therapy
- Professional Considerations in Psychology
You will also complete a 12-credit practicum, a six-credit master’s thesis, and a 12-credit doctoral dissertation prior to completing a year-long clinical child psychology internship.
To apply to this American Psychological Association (APA) accredited program, you must have a bachelor’s degree with a minimum 3.0 GPA. You must also provide the following:
- Transcripts from each college or university you’ve attended
- A curriculum vitae
- A statement of purpose
- A writing sample
Nicholls State University
School Psychology Specialist Program
The School Psychology Specialist program at Nicholls State University is a three-year, full-time professional degree that requires 72 credits to complete. The program is recognized by the National Association of School Psychologists and leads to licensure as a school psychologist in Louisiana.
The majority of the coursework is done on campus at Nicholls State. However, 18 credits are in a hybrid format that blends online learning with on-campus meetings. Of the 72 credits needed to graduate, 60 are classroom-based learning, while the remaining 12 credits are dedicated to a yearlong internship.
Some of the topics you will study in this program include:
- The foundations of psychology
- The foundations of the educational system
- Psychological interventions
- Psychoeducational processes
- School psychology ethics
You will have the opportunity to put your learning in these and other areas into practice with multiple field experiences over the course of the program. These field experiences occur off-campus in a supervised school setting.
You can apply to this program online. To do so, you must have at least a bachelor’s degree from a regionally-accredited college or university with a GPA of 2.5 or above over the last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework. Additionally, you must provide transcripts from all colleges and universities you have attended. GRE scores are requested but are not required.
University of Louisiana-Lafayette
Master of Science in Psychology
MS in Psychology at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette doesn’t specifically focus on working with children. However, this generalist program gives you the advanced training you need to continue your education at the doctoral level. There, you can specialize in working with children and adolescents.
Since this is a generalist program, you will take part in learning activities of many kids and on many different subjects. For example, youwill have advanced coursework in ethics, psychological research, and psychopathology. You will also participate in field experiences and have the opportunity to work as a teaching assistant.
Some of the courses you will take in this program include the following:
- Conceptual and Philosophical Issues in Psychology
- Quantitative Models in Psychology
- Principles of Physiological Psychology
- Advanced Cognitive Psychology
- Advanced Developmental Psychology
A variety of elective courses allow you to tailor your learning to your specific educational and occupational goals. Electives include Psychological Assessment, Advanced Theories of Personality, and Introduction to Psychotherapy, to name a few. This program also requires you to complete a six-credit thesis. You must successfully defend the thesis prior to getting your degree.
You can apply to this program provided you have a bachelor’s degree with a GPA of 3.0 or higher and at least 18 credits of psychology courses, including courses in research and statistics. Preference will be given to you if you have taken an eclectic mix of undergraduate psychology courses.
When applying, you must provide the following information:
- Transcripts from every college or university you have attended
- Three letters of recommendation
- A curriculum vitae
- A personal statement
- A diversity statement
- An APA-style writing sample (optional)
Louisiana State University-Shreveport
Specialist in School Psychology
The Specialist in School Psychology program at LSUS is a full-time, three-year professional degree that focuses specifically on experiential learning and using evidence to make effective and appropriate decisions. To achieve this, the LSUS program includes advanced coursework, practicum experiences, and an internship. You will be eligible for national certification as a school psychologist upon completion.
To graduate, you must complete 72 credits of coursework and field experiences. This includes taking classes in the following:
- Child and Adolescent Psychopathology
- Single Subject Experimental Designs
- Psychological Assessment
- Science and Philosophy of Behavior
- Ethics and Professionalism for Behavioral Services
As noted earlier, you must also complete practicum and internship experiences. There are three practicums, each of which focuses on psychological assessment. These field experiences occur throughout the program.
The internship occurs during the final year of the program in a school setting and is supervised by an experienced school psychologist. It is a paid position, with the average placement paying $51,000.
LSUS has a two-part application process for this program. First, you must apply to the LSUS Office of Graduate Studies. When applying, you must submit official transcripts from all colleges and universities you have attended, official GRE scores, and immunization records. You must have a bachelor’s degree in psychology or a BA or BS with 12 or more psychology credits from an accredited institution. You must also have a 2.5 GPA or higher.
The second part of the application process involves applying to the SSP program. When doing so, you must submit a personal letter of intent, a resume or curriculum vitae, and two letters of recommendation. You might be asked to conduct an interview with the admissions committee as well.
University of New Orleans
Applied Developmental Psychology Ph.D.
The Applied Developmental Psychology program at the University of New Orleans is unique in that it focuses specifically on developmental psychopathology. As such, your coursework, research opportunities, and practicum experiences follow a science-based model of inquiry. This serves as the foundation for developing assessments and interventions for developmentally-related psychological issues.
More specifically, you will explore applied developmental psychology through thorough studies of the following:
- Developmental disorders
- Teaching strategies for developmentally-disordered children
- The family environment’s influence on behavior
- Health psychology
- Biopsychosocial influences on behavior
As a result of these and other studies, you will be well-equipped to be a developmental psychology researcher upon completion of this program. It should be noted that this is not a licensure-track Ph.D.
To apply, you must have an undergraduate degree from a regionally-accredited college or university and have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.5 or higher. Other factors that weigh on the admission decision include your relevant educational experience, relevant work experience, and recommendations.
Child Psychology Work Opportunities in Louisiana
Child psychologists in Louisiana work in many different environments and perform many different functions. One option is to work in an inpatient mental health setting, like a juvenile mental health facility. In this setting, you might be the lead psychologist that provides therapy and other interventions for juvenile residents. Likewise, you might be responsible for developing programs like support groups that help facilitate residents’ recovery.
Some child psychologists in Louisiana choose to work in public settings, like community mental health centers. If you choose this path, you might perform many of the same duties as if you work in a residential treatment setting, such as conducting individual and group therapy. But you might also teach parenting classes, oversee drug and alcohol diversion programs for youth, and other broad-based programs.
Research is yet another avenue you might pursue. With the appropriate degree (typically a Ph.D.), you might find employment in the research sector, such as studying child development issues like autism and working to identify biological factors that make autism more likely to develop. Moreover, you might work with other researchers to develop new interventions for childhood disorders, such as developing a new drug to treat ADHD.
Of course, there are also specializations in child psychology that enable you to work in school settings. You might focus your schooling on school psychology or school counseling and work with kids in an elementary, middle, or high school setting.
You could use a graduate degree in child psychology to advance your career in another field, too. For example, if you are a teacher, you might get your master’s degree in child psychology to help you understand children’s developmental periods and the strategies you can use to help them grow socially, emotionally, and academically.
In other words, child psychology is a field rich with employment possibilities. This isn’t just true of Louisiana, either. Whether you want to work in private practice, the public sector, psychological research, or another field, the chances are good that you can build a career for yourself in Louisiana!
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