Professional School Movement

The first professional school in psychology was established at Adelphi University, and the first PsyD program at the University of Illinois. Over the years, the professional school model has grown to the point that it now graduates about half the doctorates in clinical psychology annually. The practitioner model at these programs now vies with the scientist–practitioner model, although there are questions as to how well the scientist–practitioner has been implemented. The National Council of Schools of Professional Psychology represents these schools. Professional schools have been criticized, some would say unfairly, for having a lower quality student and causing the internship crisis, and some would say more fairly for the high student debt amassed by their graduates. Keywords: clinical training; graduate education; NCSPP; professional schools; training conferences