New York Psychologist Licensing

One popular place to practice psychology is in the state of New York. Whether you’re interested in starting your own practice in New York City or are drawn to the woodsy upstate region, it’s important to know exactly what it takes to earn your psychologist license there.

Confused about New York’s requirements? Here’s a resource of what you’ll need to do to earn your license to practice psychology.

What are New York’s Educational Requirements? 

Like other states, someone who wants to be a working psychologist, must first earn their doctorate degree in psychology, but unlike most states, New York maintains its own list of acceptable colleges.

When you’re choosing your psychology program, the accreditation information should be included in the university’s course catalog. You can also check New York’s college list.

If you’re attending college in another state and want to get a New York-based psychology license, your college will need to be regionally accredited. The psychology program also needs to take the equivalent of three years of work or 30 semester hours.

In addition to earing your doctorate, you must take three semester hours of each of the following subjects:

  • Psychology history and design
  • Research design, methodology, and statistics
  • Psychometrics
  • Biological basis of behavior
  • Individual differences
  • Social basis of behavior
  • Cognitive-affective basis of behavior

Psychology students must also take classes that cover cultural and ethnic diversity and scientific and professional standards. Their coursework will include child abuse training as well. New York-based students will have this content included in their classes, but transfers will need to get this training through an approved provider.

Before graduating, candidates must also have a year’s worth (or 1,750 hours) of practical experience. This could be a practicum, internship, or applied research.

What are New York’s Requirements for Supervised Internship Hours? 

New York psychologists will need to complete two years of supervised experience to earn their license to practice psychology. The state code mandates that 1,750 hours is a year’s worth of experience.

While they’re still pursuing their graduate degree, students can accrue up to 1,750 hours. Their experience activity must be through a college-approved program. They do have the option to research instead of completing an internship experience, but their research must be different from their dissertation or thesis subject.

The second half of their work experience must be finished after they’ve received their doctorate. Depending on where they’re working, psychology candidates must receive a limited license before accruing their hours. There are some locations that are exempt from this requirement. If your supervised experience incorrectly categorized, your hours will not count toward your 3,500 total.

You may take up to three years to complete the second half of your psychology hours under your limited license, but the New York Psychology Board can extend this up to another year.

While you’re earning hours, you’ll need to work at least 16 hours a week to be considered part-time and 35-45 hours to be a full-time worker. Part-time employees only need supervision two hours every two weeks while full-timers require two hours weekly.

Which Standardized Psychology Tests are Mandatory in New York? 

If you’re getting your license to practice psychology in New York, you’re only required to take the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP). This is a location that doesn’t have a state-specific exam.

The EPPP is a computer-based, multiple-choice test that was created by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB). Candidates have about four hours to complete the 225 questions. The test costs $600 in New York and it’s $79.56 to schedule it.

To pass the EPPP, the prospective psychologist must earn a converted score of 75 points. The New York State Board of Psychology only counts the candidates score on the Part 1 — Knowledge section of the EPPP. Currently Part 2 — Skills isn’t considered necessary per the state code.

There isn’t an extra penalty for selecting the wrong answer on a multiple-choice question, so if you are stuck between choices, don’t worry about guessing.

Future psychologists may register for the EPPP when they’ve completed 1,750 hours of their experience requirement. Most students are eligible to take the take after they’ve received their graduate degree.

More information about the EPPP’s content and what to expect while taking it are available on the ASPPB website.

If you fail the EPPP, you have the option of retaking it, but you’ll still pay the same $679.56 every time. New York allows psychology candidates four attempts per year.

How Do I Apply For My License in New York? 

The required license forms are available on a section of the NYS Licensure Department website. As the candidate completes certain requirements for their psychology license, they will need to submit each required form.

Applicants are allowed to fill out their applications before they’re finished with all of the requirements, but they will not receive their license until these are completed. As they send in proof of their coursework and work hours, these documents will be added to their file.

Applying costs $294 in total, while the limited license is $70.

Will My Out-of-State Psychology License Carry Over to New York? 

If you earned your license in another state, you’ll need to show the New York Board your EPPP score or ask them to review a copy of the type of test you took for your out-of-state license.

For those who need to take this test, you’ll receive a temporary six-month license to practice. If you fail the EPPP, this will be revoked.

Those who received their license before October 1, 1992 do not need to meet the state’s supervised work experience requirements.

What are New York’s Board and Professional Organizations?

The entity responsible for overseeing the psychology licensing process is the NYS Licensure Department. They have a webpage that gives extra details on the licensing process.

For more information about being a practicing psychologist in New York, check out the New York Psychological Association.