Minnesota Psychology Education Overview
Psychology Licensure in Minnesota
Minnesota 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 both public and private have need of licensed Psychologists. From setting up a private practice in St. Paul to working in a school in Rochester, you will find a multitude of agencies that are looking to hire licensed Psychologists. Minnesota is home to over 5.3 million people, which brings rise to a need for many licensed Psychologists. A brief exploration of the information on the Bureau of Labor and Statistics website will show you that a Psychologist employed in Minnesota will earn a mean yearly wage of $64,3801. If you resonate with the idea of working in a medical environment, you may wish to seek a job with one of Minnesota’s 73+ Major hospitals2 such as the world famous Mayo Clinic. Some people have an innate desire to work with and help children to heal emotionally, if this resonates with you, then you might consider seeking employment in one of Minnesota’s 200+ school districts3. With such a tremendous amount of potential career niches you should be able to find one that will be an excellent fit for you. Below you will find a step-by-step guide to help you move along the process towards becoming a licensed Psychologist in the state of Minnesota.
Required Educational Background
If you want to gain licensure in Minnesota you will need to have attained a Ph.D. in Psychology. This will of course require that you have already earned your Bachelor and Master of Psychology as pre-requisites for earning your Doctorate of Psychology.
During your studies to earn your Bachelor of Psychology you will be able to really explore what a potential job as a licensed psychologist would be like. This will be very enlightening and help you decided if a career as a licensed psychologist is right for you. In addition to being a key stepping stone to earn advanced degrees, your Bachelor’s is very useful in finding a job in a wide variety of other human services positions.
Unlike some states, Minnesota does not allow you the practice of licensed psychology without first earning a Doctorate in Psychology. It is good to remember however, that a Master’s in Psychology is valuable in not just gaining your doctorate, but also in finding employment with a wide variety of human services agencies. You will find, that in addition to being a necessary step to get your Ph.D., a Masters of Psychology is a very sought after degree by prospective employers.
To begin your path to licensure you will need your doctorate in psychology from a board approved or APA accredited 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 2,000 hours of experience, in the form of an internship related to the focus of your doctoral degree. This internship must be under the supervision of a board approved supervisor.
- You will need to apply for licensure, be approved and take your EPPP (see below).
You will want to familiarize yourself with Minnesota’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 Minnesota 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_Minnesota
3 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hospitals_in_Minnesota