North Dakota

North Dakota Psychology Education Overview

Psychology Licensure in North Dakota

The state of North Dakota is an excellent state to begin your career as a human services professional with a license to practice Psychology. North Dakota has a vast array of options to find employment as a licensed Psychologist, in organizations, agencies and institutions. There is a great diversity of potential career paths for those who hold a license to practice Psychology in North Dakota, including: working at a school in Fargo, being employed at a hospital in Bismarck or setting up a private practice in Grand Forks. With a population of over 683,000 people, North Dakota has a small population, but one that still needs Psychologists in a variety of positions and organizations. When one goes to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics website and search for information on Psychology, you can quickly find information showing that Psychologists in North Dakota earn a mean yearly wage of $62,5501. If you like the idea of working in a fast paced hospital setting, then you may wish to seek a career at one of North Dakota’s 42+ Major hospitals2. If you wish to help children with their mental and emotional problems, then you may wish to research the possibility of working at one of North Dakota’s 250+ public school districts3. There are a plethora of potential occupational niches you can fill as a licensed Psychologist, which greatly increases your chances of finding the career of your dreams. Below you will find a guide to help you step-by-step with the process of attaining full licensure to practice Psychology in the state of North Dakota.

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Required Educational Background

Becoming a licensed psychologist in North Dakota is a challenging enterprise, but one with great rewards for those who are able to see it through to the end. In North Dakota, you need a Ph.D. in Psychology to apply for licensure. To earn a doctorate you will need to have already earned your Bachelor and Master of Psychology.

Completing your studies to earn a Bachelor of Psychology is an excellent route to finding out if a career in Psychology is one that resonates with you. One of the best things about earning a Bachelor’s degree in psychology is that even if you discover you don’t like the discipline, the degree itself is one of the most sought after Bachelor degree’s by prospective employers in the human services field.

North Dakota is a state that does not allow licensure for those who without a doctorate in Psychology. Even though it is a requirement to earning a doctorate, having your Master of Psychology is extremely useful even if you choose to end your schooling without earning a Ph.D. You will find that your degree is an extremely marketable one for many careers in human services.

Once your doctorate in psychology from a board approved school, you will need to start accumulating your required hours of field experience.

Field Experience

To meet your field experience requirement, you will need to do the following actions:

  • You will need to complete a 1 year APA approved internship while working on your doctorate as described here:
  • You will need to accumulate an additional 1500 hours after you have completed your internship
  • Your experience must be earned over the course of not more than 2 years.
  • You will need to apply for licensure, get approval and take your examinations as explained below.

You will want to be well versed in North Dakota specific rules and regulations for licensure. These laws change so it is good to make sure you have current information, you can find that information here:

Examination

Once you have completed your field experience you can apply to take the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP).

  • Pass the EPPP with a score meeting the North Dakota minimum
  • Pass the North Dakota State Board of Psychologist Examiners Oral Exam

You can find some helpful information about your EPPP here:

1 http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes193031.htm
2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hospitals_in_North_Dakota
3 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_school_districts_in_North_Dakota