Maryland Psychology Licensure Requirements

500

COMAR 10.36.01.06A(1) requires a scaled score of at least 500 on the EPPP for examinations administered on or after January 1, 2002 (a raw score of 73 percent applies to EPPP administrations before that date). This matches the ASPPB-recommended cut score. Maryland's regulation refers to the EPPP as a single examination; the Board has not adopted an EPPP Part 1 / Part 2 split in regulation. The EPPP may be waived on limited examination reciprocity for applicants licensed elsewhere who already hold a qualifying EPPP score or an ASPPB Certificate of Professional Qualification (CPQ); the Maryland jurisprudence examination may never be waived.

Maryland requires 2 years of supervised professional experience totalling a minimum of 3,250 hours (COMAR 10.36.01.04A-B). The 1,750 figure shown as preDoc is the regulatory minimum for the doctoral internship itself (COMAR 10.36.01.04-2G). There is no fixed post-doctoral hour requirement: post-doctoral supervised experience is capped at a MAXIMUM of 1,500 hours and is required only if the applicant does not already have 3,250 hours of pre-doctoral supervised experience (COMAR 10.36.01.04-2I). Up to 1,500 hours may also come from pre-internship and pre-doctoral post-internship experience accrued after the first year of the doctoral program (COMAR 10.36.01.04-2C). Because hours may be accrued pre- or post-doctorally, the 3,250 total is not the sum of preDoc + postDoc. At least 75 percent of the experience must be supervised by a qualified psychologist (COMAR 10.36.01.04C(1)), and post-doctoral supervision must include at least 1 hour of individual supervision for every 20 hours of service-related activity (COMAR 10.36.01.04-3D). A separate statutory pathway for applicants with a respecialization certificate requires a minimum 1,750-hour supervised internship plus a minimum of 1,500 post-certification hours (Health Occupations Article Sec. 18-302(f)(2)).

Required

The Maryland Jurisprudence Examination (called the 'Maryland Examination' in regulation), prepared, administered and scored by the Board of Examiners of Psychologists. It tests the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (COMAR 10.36.05) and other regulations and laws governing the practice of psychology in Maryland. Passing score is 75 percent. It is taken after the Board approves the application, at times and places designated by the Board or the Board's agent.

Fee: $250

Required by statute for both psychologist licensure and psychology associate registration (Health Occupations Article Sec. 18-302(h)). The Board may not waive the Maryland Examination even under limited examination reciprocity (COMAR 10.36.01.06G(1)), and applicants using the abbreviated (mobility) application must still pass it. The Board states it provides each applicant access to all regulations and laws tested.

1. Earn a doctoral degree in psychology that meets the definition in Health Occupations Article Sec. 18-101(c); applicants with foreign degrees must have the doctorate evaluated by the National Register of Health Service Psychologists.
2. Accrue at least 2 years and a minimum of 3,250 hours of Board-approved supervised professional experience, including an internship of at least 1,750 hours completed within 24 months, with at least 75 percent of the experience supervised by a qualified psychologist.
3. Make up any shortfall with post-doctoral supervised experience (maximum 1,500 hours), registering with the Board as a psychology associate first if the post-doctoral activity is not exempt under Health Occupations Article Sec. 18-301 or 18-102(3).
4. Submit the notarized application to the Board with the $300 nonrefundable application fee, official transcripts, supervision attestations, and a CJIS/FBI criminal history records check; complete the file within one year or the application terminates.
5. After the Board approves the application, pay the examination fees and pass the EPPP with a scaled score of at least 500 and the Maryland Jurisprudence Examination with at least 75 percent.
6. Receive the license from the Board and renew it biennially for $400.

PSYPACT member

Maryland has no full licence-by-reciprocity, but offers several routes. Abbreviated (mobility) application: a psychologist holding an active licence in good standing in another state who is board-certified by ABPP or credentialed as a Health Service Psychologist by the National Register may apply on an abbreviated application requiring proof of good standing, proof of the ABPP/National Register credential, a passing score on the Maryland Jurisprudence Examination, a criminal history records check, and the application fee (COMAR 10.36.01.02L). Limited examination reciprocity: the EPPP may be waived for an applicant currently licensed for independent practice in another state who already has a qualifying EPPP score (500 scaled, or 73 percent before 2002), who holds an ASPPB Certificate of Professional Qualification (CPQ), or who was licensed in a state that did not require the EPPP; the Maryland Examination is never waived (COMAR 10.36.01.06G). Limited practice reciprocity: a nonresident licensed elsewhere may be granted a temporary exception to practice while awaiting the next Board-administered examination, if a complete application is filed within 90 days of establishing Maryland residence (COMAR 10.36.01.07B). Nonresidents who do not intend to reside or practice in Maryland must show that licensure would be in the interest of the citizens or government of Maryland (COMAR 10.36.01.05; Health Occupations Article Sec. 18-302(d)). PSYPACT: Maryland enacted the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact at Health Occupations Article Subtitle 3A (Sec. 18-3A-01, Ch. 329 of 2021), and the Board maintains a PSYPACT page; the compact provides authority to practice interjurisdictional telepsychology and temporary in-person practice, not a Maryland licence.

Maryland Board of Examiners of Psychologists

(410) 764-4787

Official board page →