In Your State: Massachusetts

Psychology Degree Schools in Massachusetts

How to Become a Psychologist in Massachusetts

How to Become a Psychologist in Massachusetts

Educational Requirements

Massachusetts administers two types of licensure for psychologists: licensed psychologist and psychologist-provider. Both categories require applicants to have a doctoral degree in psychology from an institution designated by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB). The difference between the licensed psychologist and psychologist-provider licenses is only the latter can independently offer health services to the public. As such, the psychologist-provider license requires an applicant to have 3,200 hours of supervised work experience in five consecutive years, half of which must be from a formal health service training program. The licensed psychologist license requires the same amount of work experience, but it doesn’t require participation in a health service training program. Massachusetts requires holders of either designation to complete continuing education courses to maintain their licenses.

Continuing Education Requirements

The requirements for continuing education for psychologists in Massachusetts are the completion of 20 hours every two year renewal cycle. Psychologists in Massachusetts are not required to complete any continuing education hours in a particular subject, such as ethics. The Massachusetts Psychological Association sponsors continuing education programs that meets criteria established by the American Psychological Association (APA), and also provides a list of programs that are not sponsored on its website.

Psychology Licensure in Massachusetts

Massachusetts’s requirements for the licensed psychologist and psychologist-provider licenses are essentially the same. The difference between the two licenses is the state requires applicants to the psychologist-provider license to have completed an internship and participated in a formal health service training program. In addition, half of the psychologist-provider’s applicant’s postdoctoral work experience must be supervised by a licensed psychologist. Read on to see the psychology licensure requirements in Massachusetts.

• Licensed Psychologist
  • Education: Doctoral degree in psychology.
  • Exam: Passing scores on the Examination for Professional Practice of Psychology (EPPP) and the Massachusetts Jurisprudence exam.
  • Work Experience: 3,200 hours in five consecutive years. Two years of supervised experience required.
• Psychologist-Provider
  • Education: Doctoral degree in psychology.
  • Exam: Passing grade (500) on the EPPP and the Massachusetts Jurisprudence exam.
  • Work Experience: 3,200 hours in five consecutive years. First 1,600 hours must be in a formal health service training program. Two years of supervised experience required.
  • Other Prerequisites: An internship is required by Massachusetts law.

Salaries for Psychologists in Massachusetts

Psychologists earned a mean annual wage of $81,670 in May 2011, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Meanwhile, clinical, counseling, and school psychologists received a mean annual salary of $77,070, the BLS reports. These estimates are no guarantee of actual salary, which is determined by a person’s credentials, location, employer, and condition of the economy.