Arizona Psychologist License Requirements: Official 2026 Guide

A career as an Arizona licensed psychologist demands 8-10 years of dedicated education and supervised practice. The career outlook makes this investment worthwhile. Psychology employment should grow 7% between 2023 and 2033, which outpaces the average growth rate across all occupations. Clinical, counseling, and school psychologists in Arizona can expect to earn around $109,550 annually as of May 2023. This figure sits higher than the national median.

Independent practice requires meeting specific requirements set by the Arizona psychology board. Your journey starts with a doctoral degree and continues with 3,000 hours of supervised experience. The doctoral program internship must account for at least 1,500 of these hours. Successful completion of licensing examinations and meeting application requirements round out the process. This piece provides a detailed roadmap to get your psychology license in Arizona, covering everything from educational paths to ongoing education requirements.

Educational pathways

A doctoral degree is the foundation of Arizona psychologist license requirements. The Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners doesn’t offer any licensure path if you have only master’s-level education. Your trip to becoming licensed must include a doctorate in clinical psychology, counseling psychology, school psychology, educational psychology, or forensic psychology. These are the only doctorates the arizona psychology board approves.

The American Psychological Association (APA) accredited programs meet all state requirements automatically. Programs without APA accreditation need to meet specific criteria outlined in Arizona Revised Statutes § 32-2071. We reviewed the key requirements your doctoral program must have:

• A home at a regionally accredited institution
• Coverage of everything in ethics, research methods, biological basis of behavior, cognitive-affective basis of behavior, social basis of behavior, individual differences, assessment techniques, and treatment modalities
• At least three full-time academic years of graduate study, with two years minimum at the degree-granting institution
• A dissertation with psychological content that needs completion and defense
• Sequential, coherent training with clear entry and exit criteria
• Identifiable psychology faculty and leadership

The Board doesn’t keep a list of pre-approved programs or review transcripts before receiving a complete application. You need to make sure your program meets all requirements.

A re-specialization in applied psychology might qualify you if your doctorate is in a different field. Licensed psychologists from other states have options too. Universal Recognition could be your path if you’ve held a doctoral-level psychology license in good standing in another state for at least a year and are moving to Arizona.

The Credential pathway might work if you have Board-recognized credentials (ABPP, CPQ, or National Register HSP) and a license from another state for five or more years. These qualifications can verify your education and training.

The educational trip to becoming an Arizona psychologist is 8-10 years old. These years are the foundations of your supervised experience and examination requirements.

Supervised Experience Requirements

Becoming a licensed psychologist in Arizona requires 3,000 hours of supervised professional experience. This requirement is a vital part of proving your competency as a practicing psychologist.

Arizona’s statutes mandate completion of at least 1,500 hours through a predoctoral internship. Your internship should be approved by the American Psychological Association Committee on Accreditation, be a member of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC), or meet the Board’s specific approval criteria. These internships need completion within 24 months and should provide a planned, programmed sequence of training experiences.

You can complete the remaining 1,500 hours through any combination of:

• Supervised preinternship professional experiences (practicum hours)
• Additional internship hours beyond the mandatory 1,500
• Supervised postdoctoral experiences

Your pre-internship hours must follow appropriate academic coursework and include a written training plan between you and the graduate program. Each 20 hours of pre-internship experience needs at least 50% in psychological service-related activities, 25% in face-to-face client contact, and regular supervision. You must complete these hours within 72 months.

Arizona stands out because it doesn’t require postdoctoral hours for licensure. You can complete up to 1,500 hours of postdoctoral experience, but these hours remain optional. Should you choose this path, complete these experiences within 36 consecutive months.

The verification process needs careful attention. Whatever your previous state license verifications, document all supervised experiences using Arizona’s official verification forms. The verifier must send these primary source verifications directly to the Board’s office, not you.

Note that only the Application Review Committee and the Board can determine if your supervised experience meets requirements during the application review process. Accurate and complete documentation is significant for successful licensure with the Arizona psychology board.

Licensing Examinations

The Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) is a crucial step in your trip to meet Arizona psychologist license requirements. The Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) develops and administers this standardized test to review your readiness for independent practice.

You must get authorization from the Arizona psychology board before taking the EPPP. The board will send your information to ASPPB through their Certemy online registration system after approving your application. You’ll then need to register with ASPPB directly and pay the $600 examination fee. You’ll get an Authorization to Test (ATT) that lets you schedule your exam at a computerized testing center within 60 days.

The EPPP (Part 1-Knowledge) covers eight fundamental content areas:

• Biological bases of behavior
• Cognitive-affective bases of behavior
• Social and cultural bases of behavior
• Growth and lifespan development
• Assessment and diagnosis
• Treatment, intervention, prevention and supervision
• Research methods and statistics
• Ethical, legal, and professional issues

You need a scaled score of 500 or higher to pass. You have one year to take the exam after approval unless you ask for an extension.

Doctoral students can apply for the “EPPP Only” option to start the licensing process early if they’ve completed their coursework but haven’t graduated yet. Candidates who’ve finished 1,500 hours of internship can also take the exam before completing the full experience requirement.

The board requires a new authorization if you fail the exam. You’ll need to create a remedial plan after three failed attempts in any jurisdiction. Your fourth attempt requires a detailed written study plan with your new application.

If you’ve passed the EPPP in another state, you can request a score transfer from the EPPP Score Transfer Service instead of retaking the exam.

Arizona required both Part 1 (Knowledge) and Part 2 (Skills) of the EPPP between 2020 and 2023. Now, only Part 1 is needed for state licensure.

Application & Licensure Process

The Arizona psychology board application process is your next significant step after completing your educational requirements and examinations. Arizona provides three different paths to licensure: Universal Recognition, Licensure by Credential, and Exam and/or Licensure.

The Board’s online Applicant Portal is where you’ll submit all your materials. The standard application fee is $350, and qualifying candidates might be eligible for fee waivers. You must also provide these documents:

• A completed Arizona Statement of Citizenship and Alien Status form
• Current government-issued ID
• Fingerprint clearance card or proof of application submission
• National Practitioner Data Bank self-query (processed within 30 days)
• Recent photograph taken within 60 days of application

The process becomes much simpler with existing credentials. Universal Recognition applies to you if you have a doctoral-level psychology license in good standing for at least one year in another state and plan to establish Arizona residency. The Credential pathway might be right for you if you have an ABPP Specialist certification, Certificate of Professional Qualification (CPQ), or National Register Health Service Psychologist designation with five or more years of licensure elsewhere.

Most people take the standard Exam and/or Licensure pathway, which needs verification of all educational credentials and supervised experiences. Remember that third parties must send verification documents directly to the Board—not through you.

Your application goes through two review phases. The staff takes up to six weeks to check administrative completeness during busy periods. Then, two licensed psychologists from the Application Review Committee evaluate your qualifications.

You’ll get a notice to submit your initial license fee and issuance request form after approval, which leads to license issuance. Current processing times suggest you should plan ahead. Submit your application in January if you want to secure licensure by July.

Your application status shows as “open” right after submission but stays “administratively incomplete” until the Board office receives all required documents. This difference matters because only administratively complete applications move forward to substantive review and committee consideration.

Continuing Education

You retain control of your Arizona psychology board license through continuing education (CE). Licensed psychologists must complete 40 hours of continuing education during each two-year renewal cycle. These hours should cover specific areas to ensure comprehensive professional growth.

The 40-hour requirement includes:

• 4 hours focusing on professional ethics
• 4 hours addressing domestic violence, intimate partner abuse, child abuse, or abuse of vulnerable adults

The child abuse requirement can be met through courses on bullying. The remaining 32 hours can cover psychology practice areas of all types, provided 75% of the program hours focus on psychology practice.

The Board adjusts CE requirements for new psychologists. They calculate this by dividing 40 hours by 24, then multiply by the number of whole months from the original licensure until the license period ends. The ethics and abuse-related requirements get pro-rated at one hour each for every six months of licensure.

The Arizona psychology board allows unlimited continuing education through electronic platforms. This makes online courses a practical choice to meet all requirements. The Board doesn’t pre-approve continuing education providers or activities. APA-approved provider courses are accepted without question.

Your CE documentation must be kept until the license period after the one where you completed the hours. You can keep certificates of attendance, provider-signed statements, transcripts, or attestations for study groups as proof.

Random audits help the Board ensure compliance. While you don’t need to submit CE documentation during license renewal, keep your records well-organized and available. The Summary of Continuing Education form is the only document needed at renewal time.

If you can’t complete required CE hours before renewal, and with good reason too, you may request an extension. Valid reasons include illness, death of a family member, military service, or financial hardship. Extensions won’t go beyond one year.

Special State Variations

Arizona takes a unique approach that sets it apart from other states when it comes to psychologist licensure. The state does not allow direct license transfers from other states. You’ll need to submit Arizona-specific verifications and application materials, even if you’ve already filed similar documents in other states.

The state gives you three different paths to get licensed:

• Universal Recognition: Arizona led the way at the time it became the first state to make occupational licensure accessible to more people who hold a similar license in another state. This path needs you to have a doctoral-level psychology license in good standing for at least one year and live in Arizona.
• Licensure by Credential: This works if you’ve held specific credentials (ABPP, CPQ, or National Register HSP) and been licensed in another state for five or more years. Your credential proves your education and training in this path.
• Exam and/or Licensure: The standard path comes with seven sub-types based on your professional background.

Arizona differs from many states because it doesn’t offer any type of psychologist license if your highest education is a Master’s degree. This rule stays firm whatever credentials or experience you have.

You must get an Arizona Department of Public Safety fingerprint clearance card. The Board staff can’t suggest which application type fits your situation best or predict if your doctoral program or supervised experience meets the requirements.

The typical timeline runs 5-6 months from application to approval. Arizona stands out as a “no postdoc” state, which means you can get licensed with or without supervised postdoctoral experience.

The state only accepts online applications now – paper or PDF applications aren’t an option anymore. This optimized process shows how Arizona modernizes professional licensure while keeping high standards.

Next Steps

Starting your trip to get an Arizona psychologist license just needs careful planning and good preparation. The structured pathways mentioned earlier are important, but there are several practical points that need focus as you build this career.

Joining professional organizations like the Arizona Psychological Association or the American Psychological Association is a great first step. These memberships will give you networking opportunities and continuing education resources. They also provide advocacy support throughout your career growth.

Timing is a vital part of application success. The whole ordeal from application submission to license approval usually takes 5-6 months. You should start gathering required documents well before your target practice date. Early preparation gives you extra time to handle unexpected issues or requests from the Arizona psychology board.

Professional liability insurance is worth thinking over after you get your license. The state doesn’t require it, but this coverage protects you from potential risks – a smart investment for practicing psychologists.

Legislative changes that affect how to become a psychologist in Arizona need your attention. License requirements change over time, as shown by the temporary EPPP Part 2 requirement that was later withdrawn. Board newsletters and professional associations help you keep up with trends and current regulations.

Arizona’s psychology practice gives you chances to work in clinical, counseling, educational, and forensic specialties. The state’s geography and demographics create unique practice settings from urban Phoenix to rural communities. Each setting brings its own professional challenges and rewards.

This career path is an investment in meaningful work that serves Arizona’s diverse population’s mental health needs.