New Mexico Psychology Education Overview
Psychology Licensure in New Mexico
New Mexico offers human services professionals who are licensed to practice psychology a great choice of work environments. Some might feel drawn to work at a school in Albuquerque, others to set up a private practice in Las Cruces.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the average annual salary for clinical and counseling psychologists in New Mexico is $87,710.
If you are someone who enjoys helping children with their emotional healing, you may want to seek employment in one of New Mexico’s 48+ school districts. If you’re drawn to the stimulating environment of a hospital, you can consider employment with one of New Mexico’s 57+ major hospitals.
There is a vast array of potential career paths for licensed psychologists in New Mexico. You’ll find our guide on how to earn this license below.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2024. Salary figures for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists. Salaries based on state data not school specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed May 2025.
Required Educational Background
If you wish to attain your psychology license in New Mexico you will need to have a doctorate in Psychology from a board approved school. You will need to also earn your Bachelor and Master of Psychology as they are pre-requisites for entering your Ph.D. program in Psychology.
While in school to earn your Bachelor of Psychology, you will be able to really learn in-depth what a potential career in psychology would be like. This can help you to decide if a career as a licensed psychologist is a good fit for you. In addition to being a requirement to earn more advanced degrees, your Bachelor of Psychology is very useful in finding employment in other human services jobs.
Unlike a handful of states, New Mexico does not allow you to apply to become a licensed psychologist without first earning your Doctorate in Psychology. However, a Master of Psychology is extremely useful in its own right. Earning your Master of Psychology need not be seen as just a step towards gaining your doctorate. It is also an extremely helpful resume item that can aid you tremendously in finding employment in a wide variety of jobs within the human services sector.
To begin your path to licensure you will need your doctorate in psychology from a board approved school. Once you have your doctorate you will need to earn your post-doctoral field experience.
Field Experience
To begin earning your field experience on the way to licensure, you will need to do the following:
- You will need at least two years of supervised experience equating to 3,000 hours of experience
- You can earn one year of experience by completing an approved internship after you have earned your Master of Psychology.
- You can find more information about an acceptable internship here:
- You will need to accumulate 40 hours of Cultural Competency training as described here:
- You will need to apply for licensure, be approved and take your EPPP (see below).
You will want to familiarize yourself with New Mexico’s specific laws and regulations regarding licensure. These laws change so it is good to make sure you have current information, which you can find 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 New Mexico minimum.
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_school_districts_in_New_Mexico
3 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hospitals_in_New_Mexico