Florida Psychology Education Overview
Psychology Licensure in Florida
The beautiful state of Florida is an excellent state to begin a career in human services as a licensed Psychologist. Just as the state itself is diverse so too are there a great diversity of agencies both private and public that wish to employ licensed Psychologists. A great variety of potential careers await those who have attained their licenses in psychology. They include such diverse options as: working at a school in Miami, to being employed at a hospital in Orlando, there are myriad potential occupational niches for licensed Psychologists. With a population of over 19 million people, Florida needs Psychologists in a wide variety of contexts. A quick visit to the BLS website presents one with data revealing that Psychologists in Florida can expect to earn a mean yearly wage of $68,6001. For those who feel drawn to fast paced and stimulating environments, it is worth considering employment in one of Florida’s 250+ Major hospitals2. If the idea of helping children to heal emotional wounds is one that sounds appealing to you, or if you have a degree concentration in child Psychology, it may be worth looking for a job in one of Florida’s 67+ public school districts3. With so many potential avenues for your career, you have an excellent chance of finding a deeply fulfilling career. Below you will find our step-by-step guide to help you streamline the process of attaining your license to practice Psychology in Florida.
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Required educational background
- It is a long journey to earn your license in Psychology in the state of Florida, but it is a journey with tremendous rewards at its conclusion. You will need to first go to school to earn your Bachelor and Master of Psychology.
- Earning a Bachelor of Psychology is a great way to scout out your career in Psychology and see if it is a good fit for your natural talents and interests. Even if you discover you don’t like the thought of continuing your Psychology education and becoming a licensed Psychologist, you will discover that your degree is still extremely useful in the human services field. Many employers prefer a Psychology degree for perspective workers in human services.
- Florida does not have licensure for those who have earned less than a doctorate in Psychology. It is fortunate that once you have earned your Master’s – even if you decide you do not want to finish your schooling and earn your doctorate – you will find that your degree is still a highly sought after degree for many human services careers. Even if you choose not to pursue licensure, your degree will be very useful in finding employment.
- Once your doctorate 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 4000 hours of field experience over the course of 2 years. Your experience is required to be within the specialty you wish to practice. e.g. child psychology
- You will need to apply for licensure, including the supervising psychologist’s verification form, get approval and take your examinations as explained below.
You will want to learn about the Florida 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 Florida minimum.
You can find some helpful information about your EPPP here: