Steve Knotek
Associate Professor of School Psychology also Learning Sciences and Psychological Studies
Knotek regards research as consisting of one foot in the academy and one foot in the community school. "I understand the importance of theory building and research," he says, “but I am also keenly aware of the developmental needs of children, teachers and parents.”
School Psychology, Ph.D.
Thank you for your interest in the School of Education's School Psychology Doctoral Program. We welcome your application!
If you have questions, please contact program coordinator, Dr. Steve Knotek at sknotek@email.unc.edu or by calling (919) 843-2049.
The deadline to apply for Fall 2012 admission is February 14th.
Please visit the UNC Graduate School's website to access the online application. All application materials must be submitted electronically as instructed on the online application.
In considering the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a place for graduate training in School Psychology, each applicant should bear in mind the following:
- The School of Education offers a PhD in School Psychology.
- Applicants should hold a master’s degree in School Psychology or a related area such as Psychology, Education, Social Work, or Counseling. Applicants with other related master’s degrees will be considered.
- The PhD in School Psychology is a 64 credit hour program that can be completed in three to four years. Years one and two consist of course work and field-based externships while years three and four are comprised of dissertation work and an internship.
- The UNC School Psychology PhD program is accredited by the American Psychological Association.
If you have questions, please contact program coordinator, Dr. Steve Knotek at sknotek@email.unc.edu or by calling (919) 843-2049.
Program Description
Overview
The program is undergoing renewal. Additional overview information will be added shortly.
The doctoral program is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) (Committee on Accreditation; 750 First Street, NE Washington, DC 20002; (202) 336-5979; www.apa.org), approved by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), and approved by North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) and National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).
Admissions
Admissions Data
We take into consideration several factors in making admission decisions, including GRE scores, undergraduate and graduate grades, letters of recommendation, research experience, pertinent experiences with children and youth, and how the applicant’s professional goals match with the program. The Graduate School at UNC recommends that applicants have a combined GRE total score of 1000 and a GPA of 3.0. In our doctoral program, statistics on admissions for the past two years shows that the average GRE total score is above 1200 and the average undergraduate GPA is 3.6.
Admissions Procedure
Decisions on admissions to the doctoral program are made during January and February preceding the fall enrollment. Once the initial review of applicants takes place, individuals are invited for on-campus interviews. The program receives between 50 and 70 applications a year for the doctoral program and asks approximately 15 students to interview. We seek an enrollment of between 4 and 6 doctoral students. Interviews are held on one of two Fridays in mid to late February. Students are informed of their admission status within two weeks of the interviews.
THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION RELATES TO OUR FORMER FIVE YEAR PROGRAM
Years to Doctoral Graduation
The following table provides information on the number of years from initial enrollment to graduation, for students graduating in the designated year. Most students graduate in five to six years.
| Years to Completion | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Graduation Year | 5 | 6 | 7 or More |
| 2008 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 2007 | 5 | 1 | 4 |
| 2006 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| 2005 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 2004 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 2003 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 2002 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
Internship data
The following table provides results from internship applications for the past seven years.
| Based on students applying for internships for the last seven academic years: | 08- 09 |
07- 08 |
06- 07 |
05- 06 |
04- 05 |
03- 04 |
02- 03 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # of Students Who Applied for Internship | 4 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 6 |
| # Who Received Funded Internships | 2 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 4 |
| # Who Received Unfunded Internships | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| # Who received APA or CPA-Accredited Internships | 2 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 |
| # Who received APPIC member Internships | 2 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 4 |
| # Who received Internships matching CDSPP guidelines | 3 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 6 |
| # Who obtained 2-year half-time internships | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
UNC School Psychology Program Attrition Data
The following table shows information on students by cohort who have graduated, are currently enrolled, or who have left the program. (Of the 5 students who have left the program the past 7 years, 2 left because their family moved out of state and 3 transferred to the master’s program.)
| Year of Enrollment | # Enrolled | # Graduated with Doctorate (as of 2008) | # Still Currently Enrolled (as of 2008) | # No longer enrolled (as of 9/2008) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 2 Attrition 25% |
| 2006 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 2 Attrition 25% |
| 2005 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 Attrition 0% |
| 2004 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 Attrition 0% |
| 2003 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 Attrition 25% |
| 2002 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 Attrition 0% |
| 2001 | 6
|
5 | 1 | 0 Attrition 0% |
Licensure Status (March 2009)
A requirement of doctoral degree programs approved by the APA is to report the number and percentage of program graduates over the past seven years who have obtained licensure as psychologists. Of the 35 doctoral students who graduated from the program between 2002 and 2009, 27 (77%) have obtained licensure as psychologists and 3 (9%) are in the process of obtaining licensure. Some graduates are employed in settings not requiring licensure and recent graduates are often in the process of completing supervised training.
Program Contact
General program inquires:
Kellie Belton, Program Assistant
belton@email.unc.edu, (919) 966-5266
Application questions:
ed@unc.edu,
(919) 966-1346
Contact the program coordinator:
Steve Knotek, Ph.D., Program Coordinator
sknotek@email.unc.edu,
(919) 843-2049