Texas Psychology Education Overview
Psychology Licensure in Texas
After you have completed all of the steps necessary to become licensed to practice psychology in Texas, a great number of employment options in the field of human services will become available to you. These range from opening your own private practice in Houston to working at a school in San Antonio.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the average annual salary for clinical and counseling psychologists in Texas is $83,830.
If you graduated from a degree program with a concentration in child psychology, you will be well-suited for a career in one of Texas’ 1,050+ school districts. If you enjoy fast paced and stimulating medical environments, consider one of Texas’ 630+ major hospitals. You’ll discover many opportunities with your license to practice psychology in Texas.
You’ll find our guide on how to navigate the process of becoming a licensed psychologist in Texas 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
Texas is a great state to choose to become a licensed Psychologist in. To qualify to apply for your psychology license in Texas, you will first need to earn you Doctorate in Psychology. This in turn, presupposes you have already earned your Bachelor and Master of Psychology.
While you study for and earn your Bachelor of Psychology, you will gain valuable insight about your career potential in psychology. I for some reason you decide that you don’t like the idea of being a licensed Psychologist you will find that your degree is extremely useful in finding employment within the human services field.
Master Level Licensure
Some states such as Kansas will allow limited practice with a Master of Psychology degree. You also will have access to a wide variety of human services careers with your master’s degree if you prefer to work outside the field of licensed psychology. If you have your Master of Psychology you will be able to apply to become a Master’s Level Psychologist in Kansas by performing the following steps:
- You must provide proof of your educational background to the board
- You must pass the FAST criminal background check
- You must provide proof of a board approved practicum as described here: http://www.tsbep.state.tx.us/files/agencydocs/June2012.pdf
- You will need to provide proof of supervised field experience of at least 450 hours in the form of a practicum under the supervision of a licensed psychologist.
- Apply to take, and pass the Master level Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) with a 55% or higher
- Pass the Texas Jurisprudence exam at 80%.
You can find some helpful information about your EPPP exam here:
Doctoral Level Licensure
Once you have earned your doctorate in psychology from a board approved school you will need to start accumulating your required hours of field experience.
Field Experience
To begin gaining your required field experience for licensure, you will need to do the following:
- Provide three letters of reference from licensed psychologists.
- Apply for and receive your provisional license
- Have completed 2 years of professional supervised experience.
- One year may be accumulated while completing your doctorate
- One year must be post-doctoral under the supervision of a board approved supervisor.
- You will need to apply for licensure, get approval and take your examinations as explained below.
You will want to familiarize yourself with the Texas specific rules and regulations for 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 internship and field experience requirements, you can apply to take the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP).
- Pass the Doctoral level EPPP with a score meeting the Texas minimum of 70%
- Pass the Texas Jurisprudence exam with a minimum score of 90%
- Pass the Texas State oral examination
You can find some helpful information about your EPPP here: