Ohio Psychology Education Overview

Psychology Licensure in Ohio

Human services professionals who are licensed Psychologists in Ohio, will find that have many possible career choices available to them. A wide array of organizations both public and private, want to hire licensed Psychologists. Some will be called to set up their own private practice in Cleveland; others will feel drawn to work at a school helping children in Columbus. Ohio offers many different occupational choices for those who wish to become licensed as Psychologists. Ohio boasts a population of over 11.5 million people, with a population of this size there arise the need for licensed Psychologists in a wide variety of contexts and institutions. By searching the Bureau of Labor and Statistics website for information on Psychology, one will find that a mean yearly wage of $76,0501 can be expected for a Psychologist in Ohio. If you find yourself attracted to working in a fast paced environment, you may wish to research the possibility of employment at one of Ohio’s 190+ Major hospitals2. If you have a degree where your studies emphasized child Psychology, then you may wish to consider finding employment at one of Ohio’s 611+ school districts3. Once you have your license, you will find that a vast raft of potential work environments has become available to you. We have created a guide to help you streamline the process of earning your license to practice psychology which you will find below.

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Required Educational Background

If you wish to gain licensure in Ohio, then you will need to have attained a Ph.D. in Psychology. This will of course require that you have already earned your Bachelor’s and Master of Psychology as pre-requisites for earning your Doctorate of Psychology.

As you perform your studies to earn your Bachelor’s degree, you will be able to really explore in-depth what a potential job as a licensed psychologist might look like. This will be very enlightening and will be extremely helpful in deciding if a career as a licensed psychologist is one that resonates with you. In addition to being a key component to earn advanced degrees, your Bachelor of Psychology degree is extremely useful in finding a career in a wide variety of other human services positions.

Ohio does not allow you to become a licensed psychologist without first earning a Doctorate in Psychology. Remember, a Master’s in Psychology is valuable, not just as a stepping stone towards 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 in the human services industry.

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 must pass a criminal background check
• You will need to provide at least three letters of reference from psychologists which you will submit to the board
• You will need two years of supervised experience which equates to 3,600 hours of experience
• You may earn one year during your doctoral studies
• One year of experience, or 1,800 hours, must happen after you have received your doctorate.
• You will need to apply for licensure, be approved and take your EPPP (see below).

You will want to familiarize yourself with Ohio’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: https://www.psychology.ohio.gov/

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 Ohio minimum
• Pass the Ohio oral exam as determined by the board

You can find some helpful information about your EPPP here:

¹ http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes193031.htm
¹ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hospitals_in_Ohio
¹ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_school_districts_in_Ohio