To practice as a psychologist in Arizona, you must seek licensure through the Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners (the Board). Licenses will not be granted without meeting several state-specific requirements, including getting a doctoral degree, gaining supervised professional experience, and passing national exams. To help you understand the necessary steps, we have created this guide to help cover the steps involved and provide an in-depth understanding of each step.

Table of Contents

How to Become a Psychologist in Arizona

1. Earn a bachelor’s degree and (optionally) a master’s degree in psychology.

To become a practicing psychologist in Arizona you must first earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology or a related area. If you major in another subject, you will likely need to take additional psychology courses to meet graduate school requirements. Undergraduate degrees typically require 120 credit hours, or four years of full-time study.

After earning a bachelor’s degree, you may pursue a master’s degree in psychology. Master’s degrees usually take 30 to 40 credit hours and two years to complete. A psychology master’s may be stand-alone or part of the doctoral degree.

2. Earn a doctoral degree in psychology.

Those seeking licensure in Arizona must hold a doctoral degree in clinical, counseling, forensic, school, or educational psychology from an accredited institution. You can meet this requirement with a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) or Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Psychology degree. You can find out the differences between the two types of degrees on our home page.

To meet Arizona’s requirements, the doctoral program must consist of at least three full-time years of study. During the degree program, candidates must complete a dissertation, preinternship professional experience, a supervised internship, and a supervised residency. The residency must require 18 semester hours and be completed within a span of 12 months. In addition, at least 1,500 hours of the supervised professional experience required for licensure must be completed during the doctoral internship.

Find psychology schools in Arizona that offer programs meeting education requirements.

3. Submit your application to the Board.

After earning a doctorate, those seeking psychology licensure in Arizona will need to submit an Application for Examination and/or Licensure with the $350 application fee. To support the application, candidates must include National Practitioner Data Bank self-query results, an Arizona Statement of Citizenship and Alien Status form, the Required Mandatory Confidential Information form, verification forms for other certificates and licenses if applicable, and two references. You must also include an Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) fingerprint clearance card, or proof that an application for one has been submitted to DPS.

4. Gain two years of supervised experience in your area of training.

Psychologists in Arizona will need a total of 3,000 hours of professional experience under the supervision of a licensed professional. At least 1,500 of these hours must be accrued through an internship during the doctoral program. The other 1,500 hours can be earned through a combination of supervised preinternship experience, additional internship training, or supervised postdoctoral experience.

To be applied toward hour requirements, a supervised preinternship must be preceded by appropriate educational coursework that prepares the student for the experience. Multiple part-time preinternships may be applied. A training plan that describes the activities, goals, and objectives for the training will be required for each training site. If you are applying preinternship hours toward licensure, the work documentation and training plans must be sent to the Board upon preinternship completion using the Supervised Preinternship Experience Verification form along with the Preinternship Site form (only if you have multiple preinternship sites).

Internships must meet the standards of the American Psychological Association (APA), be in an Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) member site, or be approved by the Board. Internships should be completed within a 24-month time span. You must document your supervised internship experience on the verification form.

Up to 1,500 hours of postdoctoral professional experience may be applied to license hour requirements after an applicant has finished their degree and completed the initial 1,500 hours of internship experience. Postdoctoral supervised experience should be completed within a 36-month timeframe and documented using the Postdoctoral Professional Psychology Experience Verification form.

A temporary license may be required by your employer to accrue supervised professional experience. In this case, a written training plan must be submitted with the supervised temporary license application, which carries a $200 fee.

5. Pass the Arizona psychology licensing exam.

All applicants must pass the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP). The EPPP may be taken before, during, or after the supervised experience is earned. A scaled score of 500 is considered passing. After Board approval of the initial application, your information will be passed on to the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB), which will make you eligible to register for and take the exam. Practice exams are available on the ASPPB website.

6. Receive your psychology license from the Board.

After you’ve passed the EPPP, the Board will be notified by the ASPPB. Once the Board has approved and verified all parts of your application, your psychology license will be sent to you.

Arizona Licensure by Reciprocity

Licensure by Credential

To qualify for psychology licensure by credential, candidates must hold one of three credentials the Board recognizes: American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) diplomate status, Certificate of Professional Qualification in Psychology (CPQ) from the ASPPB, or the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology (NRHSPP) credential.

All applicants will be required to pay a $350 fee and complete an Application for Licensure as a Psychologist by Credential. The Board additionally requires the results from a National Practitioner Data Bank self-query. Verification of all professional licenses must be sent separately and come directly from the sources.

Licensure by Universal Recognition

The Board also accepts applications for licensure by universal recognition. To be eligible, applicants must hold a doctoral degree in psychology, be a current resident of Arizona, be currently licensed as an independent practitioner for at least one year in another state, and meet all education, work, exam, and supervision requirements. Candidates who qualify may submit an application with the $350 fee and a photo taken in the last 60 days. Applicants will also need to submit results from a National Practitioner Data Bank self-query. Verification of all professional licenses must be sent separately and come directly from the sources.

License Renewal and Continuing Education

Arizona psychologists with odd-numbered licenses renew them in odd-numbered years, and those with even-numbered licenses renew them in even-numbered years. The license must be renewed on or before the last day of your birth month. Renewal applications are submitted through the online Licensee Portal. Active status renewals require fees of $500, while inactive renewals cost $85.

To renew, licensees must have completed at least 40 continuing education hours, which must include four hours of ethics, four hours of domestic violence/child abuse, and four hours of the state-approved Jurisprudence Education Tool (JET). All hours must be documented with the renewal application.

Behavior Analyst

The Board also regulates licensure for behavior analysts. To qualify for licensure, individuals need a graduate-level degree in the area of psychology, behavior analysis, education, or a related field deemed appropriate by the Board, unless candidates completed a program with coursework that is Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB)-approved. They must also complete a minimum of 1,500 hours of supervised training from work experience, independent fieldwork, or a university practicum and pass the BACB exam for Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA). Applications, supporting forms, and detailed instructions are provided on the Board website.

School Psychologist

In Arizona, school psychologists are regulated by the Arizona Department of Education (ADE). In order to qualify for the School Psychologist, PreK-12 certificate, applicants must have one of the following:

  • A diploma in school psychology from the American Board of School Psychology (ABSP)
  • A doctoral degree in psychology plus a re-training program in school psychology from an accredited institution or Board-approved program, with a letter of institutional endorsement
  • A graduate program in school psychology of at least 60 graduate semester hours
  • A Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) credential
  • Five years of full-time experience within the last 10 years as a school psychologist in a school setting serving any part of grades K-12

Candidates must complete a supervised internship of at least 1,200 hours with at least 600 hours in a school setting or have three years of experience as a certified school psychologist within the last 10 years. If you meet these requirements, you can submit the online application along with the $60 certification fee and supporting documents.

Arizona Psychologist Jobs and Salary Information

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), as of May 2021, the average annual salary for clinical, counseling, and school psychologists is $76,870 in the state of Arizona.1 Postsecondary psychology teachers earn a yearly average of $77,770 and all other psychologists in Arizona earn a yearly average of $96,710.1

Projections Central estimates that jobs in the clinical, counseling, and school psychologist field will experience a change of 10.4% by the year 2030.2 These positions have the greatest average projected growth. Psychologist jobs in the “all other” category are expected to increase by 2% within the same timeframe.2

OccupationNumber Employed1Average Annual Salary1
Clinical and Counseling Psychologists720$76,870
Industrial-Organizational PsychologistsN.Av.N.Av.
Psychologists, All Other180$96,710
Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary570$77,770
School Psychologists1,070$76,870

Additional Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to become a psychologist in Arizona?

Bachelor’s degree programs generally take four years of full-time study to complete. Doctoral programs with included master’s degrees can take between five and seven years. Some individuals will need to complete 1,500 hours of postdoctoral experience to meet state requirements. It is likely that the process to become a psychologist in Arizona will take around a decade to complete.

What degree do I need to be a licensed psychologist in Arizona?

A doctoral degree in either counseling, school, educational, or clinical psychology or a related area as determined by the Board will be necessary to become a psychologist in Arizona. The institution from which the degree is granted must hold regional accreditation. Individuals who hold a master’s degree are eligible to become licensed behavior analysts in the state.

How much do psychologists in Arizona make?

Data from the BLS indicates that clinical, counseling, and school psychologists practicing in the state of Arizona earned a yearly average salary of $76,870 as of 2021.1 “All other” psychologists earned an average annual salary of $96,710, while postsecondary psychology teachers earned $77,770.1

References:
1. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics, State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, Arizona: https://data.bls.gov/oes/#/area/0400000
2. Projections Central, Long Term Occupational Projections: https://projectionscentral.org/Projections/LongTerm