How to Become a Licensed Psychologist in Nebraska
Nebraska psychologists earn a median salary of $137,990, which stands substantially higher than the national median of $94,310. The path to becoming a psychologist in Nebraska demands dedication—you’ll need about 10 years to meet all licensure requirements.
Nebraska currently has 850 licensed psychologists who serve in different settings. The state’s board of psychologists upholds strict licensing requirements to maintain high professional standards. The future looks bright for this field, as psychologist jobs should grow by 6% between 2024 and 2034. Clinical psychologist roles show even more promise with an 11% growth projection through 2030.
This piece walks you through each step to become a licensed psychologist in Nebraska. You’ll learn about educational qualifications, supervised practice hours, exam specifics, and application steps that will help you build a career in the Cornhusker State.
Educational Pathways
Your trip to becoming a licensed psychologist in Nebraska starts with getting the right education. A doctoral degree in psychology builds the foundation for your career path in this field.
You’ll need a bachelor’s degree first, which takes four years of full-time study. A psychology major helps at this stage but isn’t required. Many future psychologists study other subjects during their undergraduate years.
After your bachelor’s degree, you must earn a doctoral degree from a program of graduate study in professional psychology. Nebraska accepts two types of doctoral degrees:
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Psychology
- Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)
Your doctoral program needs APA accreditation or must meet equivalent standards set by Nebraska’s Department of Health and Human Services. Programs without APA accreditation require detailed documentation to prove they meet Nebraska’s requirements, including:
- Clear identification as a psychology program
- Permanent standing within an academic setting
- Authority and primary accountability with identifiable psychology faculty
- Integrated, organized sequence of study
- Identifiable body of matriculated students
- Degree-granting authority and regional accreditation
The doctoral curriculum must cover these areas:
- Scientific and professional ethics
- Research design and methodology
- Statistics and psychometrics
- Biological bases of behavior
- Cognitive and affective bases of behavior
- Social bases of behavior
- Individual behavior
- Assessment and evaluation
- Treatment and intervention
Students must complete three full-time academic years of graduate study and an internship before getting their doctoral degree. Two academic years must be at the degree-granting program, with one year as full-time residency. Online programs require at least 600 hours of live, face-to-face, in-person interaction with faculty and students.
Nebraska also offers a master’s degree path to become a Psychological Assistant. This role lets you give and score psychological tests under a licensed psychologist’s supervision. The role has limited scope compared to a licensed psychologist.
Several Nebraska schools offer psychology programs. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln runs one of the country’s oldest psychology symposiums and first law-psychology programs. Their Psychology Department offers doctoral concentrations in clinical, social-cognitive, developmental, law-psychology, and neuroscience and behavior.
Wayne State College has a Psychology Education degree for future middle and high school psychology teachers. The University of Nebraska at Omaha provides guided pathways in psychology education.
After finishing your doctoral education, you need a one-year APA-standard internship. This internship counts toward supervised professional experience and prepares you for the provisional psychologist license. The license lets you get required post-doctoral supervised experience in Nebraska.
Online graduate programs exist in psychology, but program accreditation status remains significant. This directly affects your chances to get licensure from Nebraska’s board of psychologists.
Supervised Experience Requirements
Getting your psychology license in Nebraska requires a vital phase of supervised clinical experience. The state wants you to complete two years of supervised practice. This includes one year of internship and one year of postdoctoral experience.
The internship requirement in Nebraska accepts APA-accredited internships that meet their standard. In spite of that, the board may approve non-APA internships if they meet equivalent requirements. You need to show that your non-accredited internship meets several specific criteria:
- Your internship should last at least 12 months with 1,500 or more hours completed within 24 months (school psychology internships can be 10 months)
- A licensed psychologist must direct the internship
- You need at least 4 hours of supervision each week, with 2 hours minimum of individual face-to-face supervision
- The facility must have at least 3 on-site licensed psychologists who can supervise you
- The program needs positions for at least 2 psychology interns
- Your responsibilities and skills must grow progressively through a sequential organization
- You must finish all practicum requirements before starting the internship
After completing your internship and doctoral degree, you need 1,500 hours of postdoctoral supervised experience. During this time, you’ll need a provisional license from Nebraska’s board of psychologists. This provisional license lasts two years to complete all requirements. The board can reissue your provisional license once if you need more time, but you’ll need a new application.
Your postdoctoral experience must include at least 1,000 hours of direct service. Direct service covers case conferences and treatment planning but doesn’t include supervision hours, classroom teaching, or managed care reviews. Your supervisor must meet these requirements to count toward your psychologist license:
- Have a current unrestricted Nebraska psychologist license
- Co-sign all your clinical documentation
- Meet with you weekly for at least one continuous hour on a regular schedule
These meetings can happen face-to-face or through interactive video while maintaining confidentiality. The board might allow different supervision frequencies if you face geographical challenges. However, you still need at least 4 hours of face-to-face supervision monthly.
Your supervisor must notify the Department of Health and Human Services in writing if they end the arrangement. You need to file an updated application if you change supervisors or add new ones.
Licensing Examinations
Nebraska psychologists must pass two mandatory examinations to obtain their license. You can take these tests any time before applying for full licensure, including during your supervised experience period, but you need a provisional license first.
The Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) serves as the first requirement. The Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) administers this national standardized test. It includes 225 multiple-choice questions that test your knowledge in eight core areas, such as biological bases of behavior and ethical practices. You need to score at least 500 on the scaled scoring system to pass.
You must meet these requirements to register for the EPPP:
- Hold an active provisional license
- Submit an examination application to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
- Receive pre-approval from DHHS
DHHS uploads your information to the EPPP registration system after approval. You’ll get two emails – one confirms your information upload and another provides account verification instructions. The system gives you 90 days to verify your account.
The examination fee costs $600 and gives you a 60-day window to take the test. Prometric testing centers offer the EPPP throughout the United States, with Nebraska locations in Omaha and Columbus. Book your slot early since testing centers fill up quickly.
Nebraska’s jurisprudence examination is your second requirement. This open-book test features 100 multiple-choice questions. It tests your understanding of:
- Nebraska psychology statutes, rules, and regulations
- Federal requirements
- Ethical standards
- Professional and sexual relationships
- Counseling psychology
- Industrial/organizational psychology
- School psychology
- Advertisements
- Research protocols
The jurisprudence exam requires an 80% score to pass. Unlike the EPPP, you can take this test at home.
The Nebraska board of psychologists sends EPPP scores to candidates monthly. If you don’t pass either exam, you can retake it after a 90-day waiting period. The board places no limit on the number of attempts for these examinations.
Once you pass both exams and meet all other requirements, you can apply for your full psychologist license in Nebraska.
Application & Licensure Process
Nebraska psychologists must follow a step-by-step path to get their license. The journey starts with a provisional license and leads to full licensure. A clear understanding of each step will help you transition smoothly into professional practice.
Your first step after completing your doctoral degree is to apply for a provisional license. You need to be at least 19 years old and prove your legal presence in the United States. The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) requires your application with a $50 fee. Your application package must include:
- Completed application form
- Plan of supervision signed by your licensed supervisor
- Official graduate transcripts sent directly to DHHS
- Verification of internship completion
- Criminal background check ($45.25)
Your provisional license will last two years. During this time, you must complete your postdoctoral supervised experience. You can ask for one extension of your provisional license by submitting a new application if needed.
After completing all requirements—doctoral degree, internship, postdoctoral experience, and both examinations—you can apply for full licensure. Send the Psychology License Application form to DHHS with the required fee. The standard fee is $183, but drops to $45.75 if you apply in the last six months of an even-numbered year. Your supervisor must verify your supervised hours by completing the Verification of Postdoctoral Experience form.
Nebraska welcomes licensed psychologists from other states through several reciprocity paths. You might qualify if you:
- Hold a Certificate of Professional Qualification
- Have a National Register of Health Services Providers credential
- Are licensed in a state that participates in the ASPPB reciprocity agreement (Arkansas, Manitoba, Missouri, Oklahoma, Ontario, and Texas as of 2014)
Out-of-state applicants who meet these criteria can skip certain application sections. You must have practiced actively for at least one year in your current location and been active for at least three of the last five years.
Nebraska has also joined PSYPACT. This allows qualified psychologists to practice telepsychology in member states or work temporarily (up to 30 days) after getting proper certifications. The compact should be fully implemented by late 2025 or early 2026.
The Nebraska board of psychologists watches the application process carefully to ensure all practitioners meet professional standards. DHHS will notify you when they approve your application, and you can start your independent practice.
Continuing Education
Keeping your psychology license in Nebraska means completing continuing education (CE) credits. The Nebraska board of psychologists requires licensed psychologists to complete 24 hours of approved continuing education every two years. Licensed Psychologists and Special Licensed Psychologists must meet this requirement, with renewals due on January 1st of each odd-numbered year.
Nebraska’s system gives you more options than many other states. You can complete all 24 required hours through online courses or distance learning. This helps psychologists who work in remote areas or simply prefer to learn at their own pace.
Your CE credits must come from approved organizations to count toward license renewal. The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services accepts CE credits from any provider that the American Psychological Association (APA) approves. Many online CE providers offer Nebraska-approved courses that make meeting requirements simple.
Nebraska lets you choose most course topics during your renewal cycle. This means you can pick courses that match your practice specialty and professional interests. Some sources point to a possible requirement of 3 ethics hours related to psychology. You should check with the Department of Health and Human Services about current requirements.
If your license expires, you need 24 CE hours and must submit a complete reinstatement application with fees. The good news is that these reinstatement hours count toward your next renewal period, so you won’t need extra hours later.
The Nebraska Psychological Association works together with member organizations to create educational programs. These programs are a great way to get your CE credits while building connections with colleagues across the state.
Special State Variations
Nebraska distinguishes itself from other Midwestern states through its forward-thinking psychology practice regulations. The state joined the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (PSYPACT) in 2018. This interstate agreement lets licensed psychologists practice more flexibly across state lines.
PSYPACT membership gives Nebraska practitioners several key benefits. Psychologists can practice telepsychology in member states after getting an Authority to Practice Interjurisdictional Telepsychology (APIT). They can also work temporarily in person for up to 30 days in other member states with a Temporary Authorization to Practice (TAP). This system creates optimized access to clients across multiple jurisdictions without multiple licenses.
The PSYPACT legislation now includes fourteen states: Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Nevada, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Nebraska psychologists now have better opportunities for interstate practice.
Nebraska’s requirements match well with nearby states. Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, South Dakota, and Wyoming share similar standards. These states require APA-accredited programs or equivalents, internships, and 1500-1800 hours of postdoctoral supervised experience.
The state faces significant challenges in mental health service delivery. The shortage of behavioral health providers is a critical issue. Federal authorities designated 91 of Nebraska’s 93 counties as behavioral health professional shortage areas in 2019. Nebraska has only 7.9 psychiatrists per 100,000 residents compared to the national average of 14.8. Rural areas face even greater shortages with just 2.7 per 100,000. The state’s psychologist numbers also lag behind national averages (19.1 vs. 29.6 per 100,000).
Nebraska offers several pathways to licensure without retaking examinations. Qualified candidates can use certificates from the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology, hold a Certificate of Professional Qualification, or come from states in ASPPB’s Agreement of Reciprocity.
The Nebraska board of psychologists reviews each application thoroughly to ensure it meets state-specific psychologist license requirements while supporting mobility for qualified professionals.