Oklahoma Psychology Education Overview
Psychology Licensure in Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state with a tremendous amount of career options in human services for those who are licensed to practice Psychology. Many different organizations and institutions in both the public and private sectors have need of licensed Psychologists. Some people have an entrepreneurial nature will feel called to set up a private practice in Oklahoma City; others might feel drawn to work at a school in Tulsa. Regardless of what your final choice might be you will find that a great diversity of agencies that are looking to hire licensed Psychologists. Oklahoma is home to over 3.7 million people. If you take the time to peruse the information on the Bureau of Labor and Statistics website, you will be able to find that Psychologists employed in Oklahoma earn a mean yearly wage of $52,2401. If you like the idea of being in contact with fellow professionals in a medical environment, then you may wish to seek out a job at one of Oklahoma’s 205+ Major hospitals2. For those who have an inborn pull to help children to heal emotionally, then you may wish to consider finding employment at one of Oklahoma’s 537+ public school districts3. Such a great diversity of career choices gives you the ability to find a career niche that matches your personality and takes advantage of your natural skills.
Required Educational Background
Being granted your Psychology license in the state of Oklahoma will require a lot of hard work and tenacity. However, those who attain licensure will find they have a tremendously fulfilling and lucrative career. In order to be eligible to apply for a license you will need to earn your Ph.D. in Psychology. To get into a doctoral program you will need to have already earned your Bachelor and Master of Psychology.
Regardless of whether you ultimately decide to pursue your license in Psychology, you will find that a Bachelor of Psychology is one of the most flexible and sought after Bachelor’s in the human services field. It is also of course a necessary step towards getting your psychology license.
While Oklahoma does not allow for licensing for those who do not hold at doctorate, getting your Master of Psychology will still open many doors for you, in addition to being a necessary stepping stone to get your license. Having a Master of Psychology degree on your resume is a tremendous asset while looking for a career in human services. A wide variety of job opportunities will be available for you immediately after earning your Master of Psychology even if you choose not to continue on towards a doctorate and licensure.
Once you have been awarded your Ph.D. in psychology from an APA approved school you will need to start accumulating your required hours of field experience.
Field Experience
To verify your field experience component, you will need to do the following actions:
You are required to amass 2000 hours of field experience over the course of 2 years.
You can earn half of this during your doctoral studies in a board approved internship.
The remaining 1000 hours must be in supervised form under the direction of a Psychologist who is licensed in the state of Oklahoma.
You will need to apply for licensure, get approval and take your examinations as explained below.
You will want to familiarize yourself with the Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma minimum of 500.
- Pass the Jurisprudence exam with a minimum score of 70%
- Pass the Oklahoma oral exam as administered by the board.
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_Oklahoma
3 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_school_districts_in_Oklahoma