Mississippi Psychology Licensure Requirements

500

Board rule adopts the ASPPB-recommended passing score (national scaled score) of 500. Mississippi still uses the single EPPP (Part 1); the rules contain no reference to EPPP Part 2. The EPPP is not the only exam: applicants must also pass a Mississippi jurisprudence examination (minimum score 90) and a Board-administered oral examination.

Statute requires a supervised internship from an APA- or CPA-accredited program comprised of at least 1,800 hours of actual work (direct service, training and supervisory time). Board Rule 7.2 states the internship must be a minimum of one year full-time or two years half-time predoctoral experience. No postdoctoral hours are required: 2021 House Bill 208 amended Miss. Code Ann. Sec. 73-31-13 expressly 'to remove the postdoctoral training requirement for licensure' (approved by the Governor 3/10/2021), and the section as reenacted by 2025 Senate Bill 2731 (approved 4/2/2025, effective 7/1/2025) contains no postdoctoral requirement.

Required

Mississippi jurisprudence examination covering the state licensure law and the Board's Rules and Regulations; a written exam that must be passed with a minimum score of 90 after passing the EPPP and before being approved to sit for the Board's oral examination.

The Board's published fee schedule lists no separate jurisprudence examination fee (it lists a $150.00 Oral Examination Fee). Applicants licensed in other jurisdictions, Universal Recognition applicants, and Temporary Practice Certificate applicants must also pass the jurisprudence examination. Note that Mississippi additionally requires a Board-administered oral examination, conducted no less than twice each year and lasting roughly 45 minutes to 1 hour.

1. Earn a doctoral degree in psychology from a regionally accredited institution of higher education and from a program accredited by the APA or CPA, including at least one year of continuous full-time residence at the degree-granting institution.
2. Complete an APA- or CPA-accredited supervised internship of at least 1,800 hours of actual work (minimum one year full-time or two years half-time predoctoral); no postdoctoral year is required in Mississippi.
3. Submit the Board's demographic form and non-refundable fee, complete a fingerprint-based criminal background check, and supply official transcripts, a passport-size photograph, and references from three licensed psychologists who have known or worked with you in the past five years.
4. Complete the full ASPPB PLUS application (the Board processes all applications through ASPPB's Psychology Licensure Universal System), which carries an additional ASPPB fee, and wait for the Board to approve you to test.
5. Pass the EPPP with the ASPPB-recommended national scaled score of 500.
6. Pass the Mississippi jurisprudence examination on the licensure law and Board rules with a score of at least 90, then pass the Board-administered oral examination (held at least twice a year, about 45-60 minutes, before a three-psychologist panel).
7. Once licensed, renew annually by June 30 ($300) and document 20 clock hours of Board-approved continuing education each biennium, at least 2 of which cover professional ethics or legal issues.

PSYPACT member

Miss. Code Ann. Sec. 73-31-15 allows the Board to license a psychologist who is an ABPP diplomate in good standing, holds a valid ASPPB Certificate of Professional Qualification (CPQ), or has at least 20 years of doctoral-based licensure in another U.S. or Canadian jurisdiction, provided the applicant has had no disciplinary sanction, is not under investigation, and passes the oral and jurisprudence examinations. Board Rule 5.1 mirrors this and allows such applicants to be exempt from the EPPP requirement and to be given an abbreviated oral examination. Applicants licensed elsewhere who have passed the EPPP but not yet taken the oral exam may apply for a temporary license (Rule 4.7A). Out-of-state psychologists who are not Mississippi residents may apply for a Temporary Practice Certificate for up to 30 days in a 12-month period, up to three times (Rule 4.7B). Under the Universal Recognition of Occupational Licenses Act, an applicant holding a current out-of-state psychology license in good standing for at least one year who documents Mississippi residency may receive a one-year temporary practice permit while completing the full application and the jurisprudence/oral examination. Mississippi joined PSYPACT effective April 8, 2024; telepsychology practice requires an ASPPB E.Passport plus APIT, and temporary in-person practice requires an IPC plus TAP, both applied for through PSYPACT rather than the Board (see also Miss. Code Ann. Sec. 73-31-51).

Mississippi Board of Psychology

(601) 576-2577

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