North Carolina Psychology Licensure Requirements

500

21 NCAC 54 .1901(a)(1) sets the EPPP passing point at a scaled score of 500 for the Licensed Psychologist (doctoral) level. The separate Licensed Psychological Associate (master's) level passes at 440, except that an LPA seeking to practice under Rule .2008(h)(3) must meet 500. The rule refers to a single EPPP; North Carolina rules contain no reference to EPPP Part 2 (Skills). The EPPP is waived for applicants qualifying under the Senior Psychologist rule (.1707) and, by statute G.S. 90-270.146(d), for ABPP diplomates.

21 NCAC 54 .2009(a) requires a minimum of 2 years consisting of at least 3,000 hours of supervised practice for a permanent Licensed Psychologist license, of which a minimum of 1 calendar year and at least 1,500 hours must be postdoctoral. The rule does not require a fixed number of predoctoral hours: G.S. 90-270.139(d)(2) says only that 'One of these years may be predoctoral,' so the remaining 1,500-hour year may be a predoctoral internship or additional postdoctoral experience - preDoc is therefore left null. Each qualifying year must consist of at least 1,500 hours over at least 1 calendar year, completed within a consecutive 4-year period, with a minimum of 1 hour per week of face-to-face individual supervision (.2009(i)). An applicant who meets all other requirements except the 2 years of supervised experience is issued a provisional license and must be supervised at least 1 hour per week until permanent status is approved (.2009(b)-(c)). Separately, HSP-P (health services provider) certification - mandatory for permanently licensed doctoral psychologists who provide health services - requires two years of supervised health services experience, at least one of them postdoctoral (G.S. 90-270.153(b), 21 NCAC 54 .2704(a)).

Required

Yes - a Board-developed State Examination, taken after the Board approves the applicant for examination. It assesses knowledge of the North Carolina Psychology Practice Act, the Board's rules in 21 NCAC 54 (education, supervision and other legal requirements), and the APA Ethics Code. It is multiple-choice and computer-based with a two-hour time limit, delivered by a link sent to the applicant rather than at a testing center.

Fee: $200

21 NCAC 54 .1901(a)(2) sets the passing point at 78 percent of the total scored items for all licensure levels; the Board's Examinations page states applicants 'will be required to get 50 correct answers for all levels of licensure.' (The Board's older Application-for-Licensure page also calls it 'a 50-item, multiple choice examination,' which is inconsistent with the 50-correct-answers threshold, so the item count is not reported here.) Applicants qualifying under the Senior Psychologist rule (.1707) are exempt from the EPPP but must still pass this State Examination. A separate Board-developed ethics renewal examination ($50) must be taken every two years at license renewal and counts as one Category A ethics CE credit (.1901(a)(3)).

1. Earn a doctoral degree in psychology that was APA- or CPA-accredited at graduation, or that meets the program, residency and 60-semester-hour coursework standards of 21 NCAC 54 .1803.
2. Apply to the North Carolina Psychology Board within 30 days of offering to practice psychology in the state, submitting the application form, a signed supervision contract form, the $100 application fee, and the fingerprint card with the $38 background-check fee; the Board issues a provisional psychologist license to applicants who meet everything except the supervised experience.
3. After Board approval to test, pass the EPPP with a scaled score of at least 500 (waived for Senior Psychologist applicants and ABPP diplomates).
4. Pay the $200 fee and pass the Board-developed State Examination on the NC Psychology Practice Act, Board rules and the APA Ethics Code, scoring at least 78 percent of the scored items.
5. Complete at least 2 years and 3,000 hours of supervised practice - at least 1 calendar year and 1,500 hours of it postdoctoral - with at least one hour per week of face-to-face individual supervision, and keep supervision contracts and supervisor reports on file with the Board until permanent licensure is granted.
6. Apply for Health Services Provider Psychologist (HSP-P) certification with the $50 fee, which is mandatory for a permanently licensed doctoral psychologist who provides or offers health services in North Carolina.
7. Renew the license biennially by October 1 of each even-numbered year with the $250 renewal fee, the required continuing education, and the Board's ethics renewal examination.

PSYPACT member

The Board states plainly that 'There are no reciprocity agreements between North Carolina and other jurisdictions.' Two abbreviated routes exist for already-licensed psychologists. (1) Senior psychologist (21 NCAC 54 .1707): an applicant with a doctoral degree who has been licensed at the doctoral level for 12 continuous years by ASPPB-member boards, has practiced psychology at least 10 years for at least 20 hours per week, has had no disciplinary sanction and has no unresolved complaint, may be licensed without the EPPP - but must still pass the North Carolina State Examination. (2) Mobility credential (21 NCAC 54 .1701(b) and G.S. 90-270.146(a1)): an applicant holding a doctoral degree, a license in good standing elsewhere, no unresolved complaints, and a current ASPPB Certificate of Professional Qualification (CPQ), National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology registration, or ABPP diplomate status may use an abbreviated application; the Board's examination requirement still applies, and G.S. 90-270.146(d) waives the national written examination for ABPP diplomates. G.S. 90-270.146(b) permits the Board to establish formal reciprocity agreements, but none have been established. North Carolina is a PSYPACT state: the Psychology Interjurisdictional Licensure Compact is enacted at G.S. 90-270.160 through 90-270.173 (Article 18H of Chapter 90, S.L. 2020-82), and the Board links to psypact.org from its Resources menu.

North Carolina Psychology Board

(828) 262-2258

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