Specialist in Education (Ed.S.)

The purpose of NMSU’s Specialist in Education (Ed.S.) School Psychology program is to train professionals to promote the highest quality educational and mental health services for children and families. Students are trained to work:

• with preschoolers, children, adolescents, and families, school personnel, offering consultation, instruction, assessment, and intervention,
• toward making education a positive and rewarding experience,
• serve students with diverse educational, psychological, emotional, and behavioral needs, including students with severe social-emotional disabilities.
• adheres to a scientist-practitioner model, with a stronger emphasis on practice,
• adheres to an integrated approach toward best serving a multicultural population,
• is competency based,
• designed to meet accreditation standards of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)
• meets the New Mexico state licensure requirements.

Degree Granted

Program graduates receive the Specialist in Education (Ed.S.) degree, which is advanced training beyond the master’s degree, but not as advanced as the doctorate. Students receive the Ed.S. in School Psychology from the Counseling & Educational Psychology Department.

The College of Education at New Mexico State University was founded in 1956 with William B. O’Donnell serving as its first dean.

Preparing teachers has been a part of NMSU’s history since the 1800s, with education programming occupying different homes through the years. Educational programs were first housed in the School of Agriculture and in 1929-1930 a distinct Department of Education was created. In 1938 the department passed to the School of Arts & Sciences. The Department of Education and Psychology gained administrative autonomy in 1956 when the Department of Education and Psychology was changed to a School of Teacher Education. The term, College of Teacher Education, was employed when University status was gained in 1957.

In 1968, the college moved into its current home in O’Donnell Hall, and in 2008, the college celebrated a major renovation of O’Donnell hall, which modernized the building and created additional room for students and faculty.

The College has over 2,300 students and is a leading producer of teachers, counselors, principals and other educational leaders in New Mexico. The college has approximately 75 regular tenure/tenure track faculty members and usually employs an additional 20-30 part-time and temporary faculty members. The undergraduate program has approximately 1,500 students and the graduate program has about 750 students a year. The College of Education has a diverse student and faculty population, student diversity at the undergraduate level is over 50 percent and faculty diversity this year is at 55 percent with a 30 percent Hispanic representation.

The College has five departments which include Curriculum and Instruction, Counseling and Educational Psychology, Kinesiology and Dance, Special Education and Communication Disorders, and Educational Leadership and Administration. The programs in the college range from the bachelors degree to the doctoral degree and the college is typically the largest producer of doctoral graduates at New Mexico State University.

The College of Education collaborates with local districts and regional consortiums though partnerships, grant funded initiatives, and outreach programs. Many of the programs support teacher professional development, in math and science, administration, counseling, and community health. Several of our math and science initiatives have had direct impact on student performance. More recently the Communication Disorders Program through the Edgar Garrett Speech and Hearing Clinic recently began providing services for persons with Autism

The College of Education is committed to providing educational opportunities for those who have typically not had access. The College is also dedicated to providing excellent educational opportunities for traditional students and partnering with schools to enhance the education of New Mexico’s children.