How to Get Your Psychology License in New Jersey

Getting your psychology license in New Jersey can open doors to one of the best-paying careers in mental health. New Jersey’s clinical and counseling psychologists earn an average of $143,150 annually – the highest in the nation. The state’s median salary stands at $110,190, and top performers can earn up to $217,260 per year.

The path to becoming a licensed psychologist in New Jersey demands deep commitment. You’ll need 10-12 years to complete the process, which includes extensive education and clinical training. The requirements include 3,500 hours of supervised work experience, with 1,750 hours at the post-doctoral level. The career outlook remains bright as clinical, counseling, and school psychologist positions are expected to grow by 10.5% between 2020 and 2030.

This guide takes you through each step needed to meet New Jersey’s psychologist license requirements. You’ll find details about educational paths, examination procedures, and specific regulations from the New Jersey Board of Psychologists. These insights will help you direct your path toward becoming a licensed professional in this rewarding field.

Educational Pathways

Starting a career as a licensed psychologist in New Jersey requires a strong educational foundation. The New Jersey Board of Psychological Examiners has set specific educational requirements that candidates must meet to qualify for licensure.

A bachelor’s degree serves as the original educational requirement. Students need about 120 credit hours and four years to complete this degree. While many aspiring psychologists choose psychology as their major, it’s not mandatory. Students can major in related fields like social work or statistics. Notwithstanding that, students without a psychology degree or related field background might need prerequisite courses before entering graduate programs.

A stand-alone master’s degree in psychology becomes a great option after completing your bachelor’s. This optional step helps students who have an unrelated undergraduate degree. Most master’s programs take two years of full-time study with 30-40 credit hours.

The foundation of New Jersey psychology license requirements lies in completing a doctoral degree. Candidates must earn either a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in psychology or a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) from an accredited institution. These programs usually take 4-7 years. The American Psychological Association (APA) has accredited 11 doctoral programs in New Jersey as of 2022.

Your doctoral program must meet these accreditation standards. The New Jersey Board of Psychological Examiners requires programs to be:

• Accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) or Canadian Psychological Association (CPA)
• Listed in the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Board’s National Register Joint Designation
• Or meet comparable criteria to these organizations

The doctoral program requires at least 40 semester hours of psychology courses, including six credit hours in each core area:

• Personality theory and human development
• Psychological measurement and assessment
• Physiological psychology and learning theory
• Psychological therapy/counseling or industrial/organizational psychology
• Psychopathology
• Research and statistical design

Students must complete 20 additional semester hours of psychology courses. These hours don’t need to be part of the doctoral program. Students with six or fewer semester hours of deficiencies can make them up through extra academic study.

Several New Jersey schools offer APA-accredited doctoral programs in various specializations:

• Rutgers University
• Kean University
• William Paterson University
• Felician University
• Seton Hall University

These programs follow either the scientist-practitioner model (PhD programs) or the practitioner-scholar model (PsyD programs). To name just one example, William Paterson University’s PsyD in clinical psychology combines academic coursework, supervised clinical training, and research experience. Kean University’s PsyD program offers combined school and clinical psychology training that creates more career flexibility.

Doctoral programs include intensive coursework, practicum experiences, internships, and research or dissertation projects. These elements build scientific knowledge and applied clinical skills that prepare students for licensure and professional practice in New Jersey.

Supervised Experience Requirements

Your next significant step toward New Jersey psychology license requirements happens after completing your doctoral education. You need supervised experience. The New Jersey Board of Psychological Examiners has created specific guidelines to ensure competent clinical practice.

The path to licensure requires 3,500 total hours of supervised professional experience. This equals two years of full-time practice. These hours break down into specific categories:

• 2,000 client contact hours
• 400 supervision hours (at least 200 must be individual face-to-face supervision)
• 1,100 hours dedicated to work-related activities like recordkeeping, consultations, and report writing

Each year of professional experience adds up to 1,750 hours. Here’s how they split:

• 1,000 client contact hours
• 200 supervision hours (minimum 100 individual supervision)
• 550 hours in other work-related activities

Note that you can’t speed up this process beyond certain limits. Your client contact hours before licensure must not exceed 1,000 (20 hours per week). Any extra hours won’t count toward your requirements. This rule ensures quality training over quantity.

Your supervisor must meet specific qualifications. They need to be a licensed psychologist with at least two years of experience in the state where supervision takes place. Supervision from outside New Jersey requires the supervisor to hold a license in that state and qualify for New Jersey licensure.

The New Jersey board of psychologists issues a temporary permit during your supervised experience. This permit lasts three years and extensions need good cause. Your progress and competence get evaluated every six months.

A recent change has made things better for aspiring psychologists in New Jersey. Since October 2020, candidates can count supervised experience from before their doctoral degree. This is a big deal as it means that you don’t need separate post-doctoral supervised experience anymore. The hours can now combine pre-doctoral and post-doctoral experience. Anyone who applied but didn’t get licensed before December 14, 2020, can update their application to include professional experience from before their doctorate.

Once you complete your supervised experience, you’ll be ready to take the required examinations for licensure. This brings you closer to becoming a licensed psychologist in New Jersey.

Licensing Examinations

Getting your psychology license in New Jersey requires passing key examinations. You need to complete your education and supervised experience before proving your competence through two required tests.

The first test is the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP), which the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) administers. This standardized test shows your basic knowledge of psychology and how to apply it. You’ll need to answer 225 multiple-choice questions and get a scaled score of 500 or higher to pass. The board will send you registration instructions after approving your application.

You must take the New Jersey jurisprudence examination within 90 days of passing the EPPP. This test checks if you understand New Jersey’s laws and ethical standards for practicing psychology. The New Jersey board of psychologists has moved this test online. This change helps candidates who can now take the test right after meeting other license requirements, which cuts down the waiting time.

The jurisprudence test includes 25 true-or-false questions about New Jersey’s specific laws and rules. Questions focus on laws (N.J.S.A. or New Jersey Statutes Annotated) and regulations (N.J.A.C. or New Jersey Administrative Code). This is an “open-book” test that lets you use reference materials while taking it. The test costs $100.

The Board gives you your psychology license after you pass both tests and meet all other requirements. Psychologists who have an American Board of Professional Psychology diploma (earned through examination) and meet New Jersey’s other requirements only need to take the jurisprudence test.

The jurisprudence test is also part of licensed psychologists’ continuing education. The Board requires licensees to pass this online test as part of their professional development, which counts as one credit toward the required 40 credits.

These examination requirements ensure New Jersey’s licensed psychologists know both general psychology and the state’s ethical practice laws.

Application & Licensure Process

The final step to become a licensed psychologist in New Jersey comes after completing your education, supervised experience, and examinations. You’ll need to submit your application to the New Jersey Board of Psychologists. The process has moved online and now offers a more efficient path to get your license.

The application begins when you register on the Board’s website. Your third-party documents, including official transcripts and license verifications, should be sent directly to the Board by email. You’ll need to pay a non-refundable application fee of $125.00.

Your application package must include:

• A summary of your educational and employment experience
• Official transcripts
• An abstract of your doctoral dissertation
• A passport-style photograph
• Two Certificates of Good Moral Character

The process requires a fingerprint-based background check. This step takes four to five weeks and could delay your license approval.

The Board reviews your qualifications after receiving your complete application. You’ll get a notification to take the required examinations once approved. The initial license fee is $300.00, but drops to $150.00 during the second year of the renewal period.

Yes, it is possible to get temporary permits in New Jersey while completing certain requirements. A three-year supervised permit lets you practice under supervision while you complete your postdoctoral experience hours. The Board allows this permit to pause for approved extended leaves due to illness or major life events.

Your citizenship status won’t affect your eligibility for licensure in New Jersey. The state law allows anyone to get professional licensure if they meet all requirements, whatever their citizenship status.

License renewal happens every two years. Psychology licenses expire on June 30 of odd-numbered years. You’ll receive renewal notifications about 60 days before expiration. A $75.00 late fee applies for renewals up to 30 days after expiration. Your license status changes to expired without notice after 31 days.

The Board’s online portal lets you request license verification, name changes, or duplicate licenses throughout your career. Each verification costs $35.00, and duplicate license requests cost $25.00.

The application process ends up being your gateway to professional practice as a psychologist in New Jersey.

Continuing Education

New Jersey licensed psychologists need to keep their professional credentials current through continuing education. The state’s board of psychologists has set specific requirements that help practitioners stay up-to-date with evolving standards and best practices.

The biennial renewal period requires licensed psychologists to complete 40 credit hours of continuing education. These credits must include:

• At least 4 credits in topics related to domestic violence (including intimate partner violence, elder abuse, and child abuse)
• 1 credit in topics concerning prescription opioid drugs, including risks and signs of abuse, addiction, and diversion
• 1 credit for completion of the Board’s jurisprudence orientation

The approved education sources require at least 20 of the 40 credits to relate to psychology practice. These must be presented or approved by the American Psychological Association, National Register of Health Service Psychologists, Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards, or American Medical Association.

Licensed psychologists must get a minimum of 10 credits through courses or programs that offer live instructor interaction. The rest can come from graduate coursework, authorship of textbooks or peer-reviewed articles, presenting lectures, or developing new psychology courses.

Psychologists can carry over up to 10 excess credits from one renewal period to the next. This flexibility helps them manage their professional development effectively.

Record-keeping rules are strict. Licensees must keep proof of their continuing education completion for four years after finishing the credits. The Board conducts random audits to verify compliance when psychologists renew their licenses.

The requirements are different for newly licensed psychologists. Those getting their first biennial license renewal don’t need to show completion of continuing education.

License renewals happen by June 30 of each odd-numbered year. The Board considers waiving requirements in hardship cases like severe illness, disability, or military service. Psychologists must ask for these waivers at least 90 days before their license renewal.

These education requirements ensure New Jersey’s licensed psychologists keep enhancing their knowledge and skills throughout their careers.

Special State Variations

New Jersey takes a unique approach to psychology licensure with several notable provisions. The state law allows people of any citizenship status to get licensed if they meet all requirements. This welcoming policy lets undocumented individuals receive psychology licenses without needing a social security number.

The state made changes to its training requirements. This key legislation now lets candidates use more than one year of pre-doctoral experience toward the required 3,500 supervised hours. This marks a radical alteration from the previous rule that required mandatory one-year post-doctoral experience, which benefits aspiring psychologists.

Licensed psychologists need to renew their licenses every two years. All licenses expire on June 30 of odd-numbered years. The board sends renewal notifications about three months before expiration dates.

New Jersey requires specific training beyond standard continuing education in two key areas. Psychologists must complete 4 credits in domestic violence topics that include intimate partner violence, elder abuse, and child abuse. They also need 1 credit in prescription opioid education that covers abuse risks, addiction signs, and diversion.

The Board’s interpretation of domestic violence includes treatment for survivors, family protection, and related issues. Note that you must keep continuing education documentation for four years after completion. The Board performs random compliance audits instead of collecting proofs directly.