Psychologist Licensing by State
If you’ve decided to take the plunge and become a licensed, practicing psychologist, one of the first things you’ll realize is the process for obtaining your psychology license differs by state.
Some want 3,000 hours of supervised internship experience and others say 1,500 hours is enough. Some require a higher score on the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) than others. A few states request that their candidates take the EPPP along with their Professional Standards Exam (PSE).
Because there are 50 different versions of how you can earn your psychology license, it can become incredibly confusing. There are so many unique details. How can you keep the information straight?
The process may be overwhelming, but we’re here to break it down for you. After reading this article, you’ll know the general process of getting your psychology license, what it means to take the EPPP and the PSE, and requirements for psychology license by state.
If you’re feeling nervous, take a deep breath and read on to learn how to start your journey to earning your psychology license.
What are the Basic Steps of Becoming a Licensed Psychologist?
While each state has its own laws and requirements, no matter where you’re planning to practice there are three things you’ll need to do to earn your license: 1) get your doctorate in psychology (along with completing a bachelor’s and master’s degree), 2) have a certain number of supervised internship hours, and 3) take some kind of standardized psychology exam.
Every state has slightly different versions of this, but this is what it comes down to.
See also: How to Become a Psychologist
What Standardized Psychology Tests Will I Need to Take to Earn My License to Practice Psychology?
No matter which state you’ll eventually practice psychology in, you’re going to be taking a standardized psychology test. There are two major types: the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) and the Professional Standards Exam (PSE).
The EPPP is the more common psychology standard test. It covers eight unique psychological areas: Biological Bases of Behavior, Cognitive-Affective Bases of Behavior, Social and Cultural Bases of Behavior, Growth and Lifespan Development, Assessment and Diagnosis, Treatment, Intervention, and Prevention Supervision, Research Methods and Statistics, and Ethical/Legal/Professional Issues. This exam takes four hours to complete and is comprised of 225 questions. It also costs about $600.
If offered, the PSE is an exam that check’s the candidate’s knowledge of psychology ethics and laws for the state in which they’re going to practice. The way PSE is given is determined by the states that offer it. Some offer it as an oral exam while others give out a paper test. If it’s given as a regular test, it’s often made up of open-ended questions. This allows the state’s psychology licensing board to see how the license candidate would act in various ethical situations. The cost of this test varies by state, but the average price is $50.
State Requirements Overview
If you’re still deciding where you’d like to practice and are interested in comparing requirements, check out this handy list of psychology license information by state.
Alabama
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 1,500 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP and PSE
Alaska
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 1,500 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP and PSE
Arizona
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 3,000 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP
Arkansas
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 2,000 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP and PSE
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 3,000 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP and CPLEE
Colorado
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 3,000 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP
Connecticut
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 1,500 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP and PSE
Delaware
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 1,500 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 4,000 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP and PLRE
Georgia
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 1,500 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP and PSE
Hawaii
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 1,900 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP
Idaho
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 1,000 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP
Illinois
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 3,500 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP or American Board of Professional Psychology Boards (ABPPB) counseling or clinical psychology certification examination
Indiana
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 3,100 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP
Iowa
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 1,500 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP and PSE
Kansas
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 1,800 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP
Kentucky
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 3,600 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP and PSE
Louisiana
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 3,000 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP
Maine
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 3,000 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP
Maryland
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 3,250 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP
Massachusetts
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 3,000 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP
Michigan
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 3,000 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP
Minnesota
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 1,500 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP
Mississippi
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 4,000 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP
Missouri
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 3,000 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP
Montana
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 3,000 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP
Nebraska
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 3,000 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP
Nevada
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 3,000 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP and PSE
New Hampshire
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 3,000 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP
New Jersey
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 3,500 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP
New Mexico
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 3,000 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 3,500 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP
North Carolina
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 3,000 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP
North Dakota
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 3,500 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP
Ohio
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 3,500 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP
Oklahoma
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 3,500 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP
Oregon
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 3,500 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP
Pennsylvania
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 1,750 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP
Rhode Island
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 1,500 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP and PSE
South Carolina
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 1,000 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP
South Dakota
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 1,800 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP
Tennessee
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 1,900 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP
Texas
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 3,500 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP
Utah
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 4,000 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP and PSE
Vermont
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 4,000 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP
Virginia
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 1,500 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP
Washington
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 3,300 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP
West Virginia
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 3,500 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP
Wisconsin
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 3,000 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP
Wyoming
- Degree Type: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD or PsyD
- Supervised Internship Hours: 1,500 hours
- Standard Test: EPPP and PSE