COLLEGE OF EDUCATION & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Texas A&M University

Fast FAQs and Facts

FAST FAQS and FACTS

 

Who are the Graduate Students at TAMU?
How long does it take to complete the doctoral program?
How much does it cost?
What kinds of financial assistance are available?
Where do students do their internships?
How many students do not complete the program (attrition)?
How many graduates obtain licensure as a psychologist?
Where do our graduates end up?

 

Who Are the Graduate Students Here?       

This year, the first year cohort is comprised of 8 students - 5 of them are post-baccalaureate, 3 already have completed a master's program. Notably, of the 8 students, 4 are female and 4 are male; 2 are Hispanic, 1 is African American, and 5 are white, non-Hispanic. Students currently enrolled in the School Psychology program speak a variety of languages including Spanish, Greek, and Japanese.

Since 1999, the breakdown by gender and race/ethnicity for graduates is as follows:

 

Number

Percent

Females

52

82.54

Males

11

17.46

 

 

 

African American

6

9.52

Asian

3

4.76

Hispanic

11

17.46

White, non-Hispanic

34

53.97

Other

2

3.17

           

 

 

Time to Completion                                                                                    

Students entering the School Psychology Doctoral program at TAMU, enter with a range of backgrounds and experiences.  Time to completion varies as a result of background (bachelor level, unrelated or related graduate work), as well as individual factors.  The program is designed and intended to be completed, from bachelor degree to doctorate in five years.  Data for the past seven years of graduates (graduating December 1999 - August 2007) indicates:

For students entering with bachelor level training (46 ):

            Mean number of years to program completion = 6.03 (SD= 1.62 )
            Median number of years to program completion =  5
                   1 or 2.2% completed in less than 5 years
                 25 or 54.4% completed in 5 years
                   8 or 17.4 % completed in 6 years
                   5 or 10.9% completed in 7 years
                   7 or 15.2% took longer than 7 years

For students entering with graduate standing* (Master's degree) (17 ):

            Mean number of years to program completion =  5.17  (SD=1.32 )
            Median number of years to program completion = 4
                 8 or 47.1% completed in less than 5 years
                 2 or 11.8% completed in 5 years
                 4 or 23.5% completed in 6 years
                 1 or 5.9% completed in 7 years
                 2 or 11.8% took longer than 7 years
*In several instances although students entered with graduate standing, it was in an unrelated field (e.g., business, engineering) and previously earned credits were not applicable

 

                                        Program Costs

Tuition : All graduate students are charged tuition on a per credit hour basis.  Complete information on tuition and fees for TAMU can be found at http://finance.tamu.edu/sbs/tuition/cost_attendance.asp.  This is updated each year based on changes made in the Spring.
For the 2007-2008 academic year tuition per credit hour follows below:


RESIDENT TUITION COST

NON RESIDENT TUITION COST

9 Credit hours -
    State minimum tuition - $450.00
    University authorized tuition - $954.00
    Graduate tuition - $450.00
            TOTAL TUITION:  $1,854.00

9 Credit hours-
     State minimum tuition - $2,925.00
     University authorized tuition -$954.00
     Graduate tuition - $450.00
            TOTAL TUITION:  $4,329.00

10 Credit hours -
    State minimum tuition - $500.00
    University authorized tuition - $1,060.00
    Graduate tuition - $500.00
            TOTAL TUITION:  $2,060.00

10 Credit hours -
    State minimum tuition - $3,280.00
    University authorized tuition - $1,060.00
    Graduate tuition - $500.00
            TOTAL TUITION:  $4,840.00

13 Credit hours -
     State minimum tuition - $650.00
     University authorized tuition - $1,378.00
     Graduate tuition - $650.00
            TOTAL TUITION:  $2,678.00

13 Credit hours -
    State minimum tuition - $4,264.00
    University authorized tuition - $1,378.00
    Graduate tuition - $650.00
            TOTAL TUITION:  $6,292.00

PER CREDIT HOUR
      State minimum tuition - $50.00
      University authorized tuition - $106.00
      Graduate tuition - $50.00
TOTAL TUITION PER CREDIT HOUR:  $206.00

PER CREDIT HOUR
      State minimum tuition - $328.00
      University authorized tuition - $106.00
      Graduate tuition - $50.00
TOTAL TUITION PER CREDIT HOUR:  $484.00

Student Fees :     $412.33

Student Fees :     $412.33

Additional Fees per credit: $98.33

Additional Fees per credit: $98.33

Instructional Enhancement/Lab Fees -  vary by course; range from $75 to $225

Instructional Enhancement/Lab Fees -  vary by course; range from $75 to $225 

Estimated Total Cost (Tuition and Fees) for Fall 2007 with 13 credits (4 classes):
$4,800.00

Estimated Total Cost (Tuition and Fees) for Fall 2007 with 13 credits (4 classes):
$8,200.00

FEE SCHEDULE INFORMATION:
These are charged as a flat fee, regardless of the number of credits registered for:


Health Center Fee

$66.00

Recreation Sports Center Fee

$98.00

Student Center Complex Fee

$40.00

International Education Fee

$4.00

Transportation Fee

$60.00

University Writing Center

$8.00

ID Card Fee

$3.00

Energy Fee

$8.00

 

 

TOTAL FLAT FEES

$287.00

 

 

Instructional Enhancement Fees - Variable

$75.00 - 225.00/per class

These are charged on a per-credit basis:


Software Licensing Fee

$1.25

Student Services Fee

$13.83

Advising Services Fee

$9.10

Bursar Services Fee

$0.55

Computer Access Fee

$20.30

Library Access Fee

$23.30

Enhancement Fee

$30.00

 

 

TOTAL PER CREDIT FEES

98.33



Adjustments to Tuition (financial aid, grants, tuition remission, assistantships, and fellowships)
Texas A&M University and the department offer a variety of financial assistance for their admitted graduate students. This assistance includes in-state status for tuition charges for students holding assistantships or fellowships,  tuition remission for students holding 20 hour assistantships, graduate assistantships funded by departmental  monies as well as grant monies, and fellowships that are awarded by the University. 
Graduate Assistantships - Graduate students who are admitted to a graduate degree program full time and are awarded a departmental assistantship of at least 20 hours per week (50% time) are eligible to receive resident tuition status.  Students may also be provided assistantships through other on campus departments or through grants or contracts, but the funding for these assistantships is at the discretion of the individual departments and grants.  Assistantships also include benefits, primarily health insurance for the student.  Additional insurance may be purchased for immediate family members if desired.
Tuition Remission - In conjunction with departmental assistantships and through the Office of Graduate Studies, tuition remission (reimbursement for tuition) can be obtained. Students who hold a university fellowship are not eligible for the tuition payment by OGS.  Specific funds included in the fellowships are designated as tuition assistance.
Graduate Merit Fellowship - Students who are nominated for this fellowship must demonstrate academic excellence in their previous academic work and/or extracurricular activities, as well as academic potential for their graduate studies.  Students are awarded a Graduate Merit Fellowship receive:
            A one year fellowship at $20,000
            Two years tuition and required fees at the resident rate at $8,000 per year
            Student insurance reimbursement for the first year at a maximum of $1,000 
            (The total fellowship award is $37,000 over a two year period.)
Graduate Diversity Fellowship - Students who demonstrate that they embrace some aspect of diversity in their personal or professional work and who also demonstrate academic potential for graduate study are nominated for this fellowship.  Students who are awarded this fellowship package receive:
            Three year Fellowship at $13,000 per year
            Resident tuition and fees at $8,000 for three years
            Departmental assistantship at $7,000 a year for three years (This is the
department's commitment to the student; however the student may secure an alternate assistantship)
            (The total fellowship award is $84,000 over a three year period.)
Regent's Fellowships - In the Department of Educational Psychology these funds are divided among the various academic programs.  For the past several years, the School Psychology program has awarded one Regent Fellowship to an incoming full-time doctoral student.  The award is $5000 for one year and it is spread over the entire academic year. The awardee is also eligible to pay in-state tuition.

Heather Bradley Fellowship -  Within the Department of Educational Psychology, each year one first year graduate student receives a one-time fellowship based on interest and experience in working with children with disabilities in urban settings.  This fellowship is in the amount of $1000; SPSY graduate students have received this fellowship for 5 of the seven years it has been awarded thus far.
Doctoral Training Grant - For the past 20+ years, the SPSY program has had a Personnel Preparation/Development Grant through the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) to train bilingual (Spanish-speaking) school psychologists with an emphasis in working with Hispanic children with disabilities.  Over the course of that time, more than 50 students have received fellowship support for up to four years of their program.  Participation in the program is competitive, requires that the student be fluent in Spanish and have an interest in working with Hispanic children with disabilities and their families.
Loans and Financial Aid - Students are permitted to pursue various methods for paying for their graduate education.  Students may apply for private or governmental loans as well as private or institutional scholarships and fellowships in an effort to fund their graduate education.


Internships

The School Psychology Program strongly encourages students to pursue APA-accredited or APPIC member internship placements.  Data for the past seven years indicates that all of our students obtain paid internships, and the majority obtain internships at APA/APPIC sites.  These figures include the 12 students currently on internship.

 

Number

Percent

Obtained Internships

67

100

Obtained Paid Internships

 

67

 

100

Obtained APPIC Member Internships

 

63

 

94.03

Obtained APA/CPA Accredited Internships

 

60

 

89.55

Obtained Internships Conforming to CDSPP Guidelines

 

67

 

100

Obtained two year half-time Internships

0

0

 

Attrition

Including the current cohort of 8 students, a total of 82 students have matriculated in the program beginning in the Fall of 1999 or later. Of these students, 9 left the program prior to completion of the program for an attrition rate of 10.98%. Attrition information is often interpreted as "failure to complete the program", however in some instances, students who matriculated into the School Psychology Program chose to leave the program and obtain a degree in a related field (e.g., Educational Psychology) - 6 of these students obtained a different degree within the same department; 2 left to pursue a related degree elsewhere; 1 student left due to health/medical issues; 2 students left due to family issues within the first month. At this time, of students who began in Fall 1999 or later, only 2 students are currently ABD (all but dissertated) and they continue to be enrolled and actively engaged in completing their dissertation.

Licensure            

As of January 1, 2008, programs are expected to report the number and percentage of program graduates who have become licensed psychologists within the preceding decade.  Of those students who graduated between 1997 and 2005 (n= 59), at least 25 (42.37%) have pursued and obtained licensure as a psychologist; however, data is not available for all graduates.  In many instances, graduates indicate that they do not pursue licensure as a psychologist as it is not required for employment in public school settings; it is also not always required in academic settings.

Graduate Outcomes

Over the course of the program's history, graduates have gone into academic positions, medical or clinical settings including private practice, correctional settings, or school/educational settings.  For the graduates over the past seven years (n=63) their current primary settings (some do a number of things!) are as follows:

 

Position

Number

Percent

Academic Position

13

20.64

School/Education Related Setting

 

30

 

47.62

Medical/Clinical Setting

16

25.40

Juvenile Justice/ Corrections

 

2

 

3.17

Homemaker/Not employed

 

2

 

3/17

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