Montana Psychology Education Overview
Psychology Licensure in Montana
The tremendously beautiful state of Montana has a vast array of potential career paths for human services professionals who have achieved licensure in Psychology. Whether you want to work in private practice in Bozeman, or at a hospital in Great Falls you will find that there are a wide variety of professional niches you can operate in as a licensed psychologist. Montana has a population of just shy of one million people. While the population is spread out across the large state there are numerous opportunities for those who are licensed to practice Psychology in Montana. A psychologist in Montana can expect to earn a mean yearly wage of $54,240 according to the BLS1. For those who enjoy working with children, finding work in one of Montana’s 350+ School districts2. If you enjoy a fast paced and highly stimulating environment with fellow professionals in a medical setting, then you may wish to seek employment with one of Montana’s 72+ major hospitals3. With so many options to choose from, you have a great chance of finding the ideal career for your personal temperament and abilities. Below you will find a step-by-step guide to help you in the process of earning your license to practice Psychology in Montana.
Required Educational Background
It is quite an undertaking to earn your license in Psychology in the state of Montana, but it is a task that has tremendous rewards, both financial and personal at its conclusion. You will need your doctorate of Psychology to be eligible to become licensed in Montana. This will mean that you have already attained both your Bachelor and Master of Psychology degrees.
Earning a Bachelor of Psychology is a great way to learn about your potential career in Psychology, seeing if it resonates with your skillset and interests. Even if you find that you don’t want to continue your psychology education and become a licensed Psychologist, you will find that your degree is still extremely helpful in finding work in the human services field. Many employers greatly value a psychology degree for perspective workers in human services.
Montana does not have licensure for those who have yet to earn their doctorate in Psychology. You will find that, even if you decide you do not want to finish your schooling and earn your doctorate, your Master of Psychology degree is still a highly sought after degree for many human services careers.
Once your doctorate in psychology from an APA, or board 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 will need to complete 2 years of supervised experience in a clinical setting. At least one year must be attained after you have been awarded your doctorate. This supervised experience cannot include more than 6 months of teaching or research.
- You will need to apply for licensure, get approval for and take your EPPP examination as explained below.
You will want to learn about the Montana 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 Montana 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_Mississippi
3 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hospitals_in_Montana