Virginia Psychology Education Overview
Psychology Licensure in Virginia
Virginia is an excellent state to being your human services career once you have taken the steps to become a licensed Psychologist. You have a wide variety of potential career niches with your license such as: working at hospital in Richmond, or opening your own private practice in Virginia Beach. With a population of just over 8 million people, Virginia is about average for a US state. A population of that size creates need by organizations for licensed Psychologists. In Virginia, a Psychologist earns a mean yearly wage of $67,300 according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics1. If you have a degree concentration in Child Psychology, or you find that you enjoy the thought of helping children with emotional issues, then you may want to research the possibility of finding work in one of Virginia’s 135+ School districts2. If you enjoy the thought of working in a fast paced hospital environment, then you may wish to consider finding a job at one of Virginia’s 100+ major hospitals3. After you have your license to practice Psychology in Virginia you should have little problem finding a career path that resonates with you. We have produced a step-by-step guide to becoming licensed as a Psychologist in Virginia, you will find it below.
Required Educational Background
Being granted your Psychology license in the state of Virginia will require a lot of hard work and tenacity. However, those who attain licensure will find they have a developed a wonderfully fulfilling and financially rewarding career. In order to be eligible to apply for licensure you will need to first earn your Ph.D. in Psychology. To get accepted into your doctoral program you will need to have already earned your Bachelor and Master of Psychology.
Regardless of whether you ultimately decide to pursue your license in Psychology, you will find that a Bachelor of Psychology is one of the most flexible and sought after Bachelor degrees in the human services field. It is also requirement on the path towards getting your psychology license.
While Virginia does not allow licensing for those who do not hold a Doctorate in Psychology, getting your Master of Psychology will still open many doors for you in regards to career choices. In addition, your Master of Psychology is a necessary stepping stone to get your license. It is comforting to know that a Master of Psychology degree on your resume is a tremendous asset while looking for a career in human services. A wide variety of job opportunities will be available for you immediately after earning your Master of Psychology even if you choose not to continue on towards your doctorate and eventual licensure.
Once you have been awarded your Ph.D. 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 complete a board approved internship.
- You will also need to accumulate an additional 1500 hours of supervised work experience under the direction of a Psychologist who is licensed in the state of Virginia.
- You will need to apply for licensure, get approval and take your examinations as explained below.
You will want to familiarize yourself with the Virginia 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 Virginia minimum of 500.
- Pass the Jurisprudence exam
You can find some helpful information about your EPPP here: