In New Jersey, psychologist licenses are issued by the State Board of Psychological Examiners (the Board). To become a practicing psychologist in New Jersey, you will need to complete a doctoral degree in psychology, pass national and state examinations, and complete at least two years of supervised work. On this page, you’ll find step-by-step instructions for becoming a psychologist in New Jersey.
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The first step towards becoming a psychologist in New Jersey is to complete a a bachelor’s degree. A bachelor’s degree takes about four years to complete, with approximately 120 credit hours. Although many future psychologists study psychology while completing their bachelor’s degrees, this is not necessary. Many others study related areas such as social work or statistics, and some do not begin studying psychology until their graduate education. Keep in mind, however, that if your bachelor’s degree is not in psychology or a closely related subject, you will likely have to complete some prerequisite coursework before being accepted into a graduate psychology program.
Some people choose to complete a stand-alone master’s degree in psychology after they have finished their bachelor’s degrees. This is not a required step, as many students who attend doctoral programs in psychology also earn a master’s degree during their studies. However, this can be a helpful step if you did not study psychology during your bachelor’s degree or if you want to learn more before committing to a doctoral degree. Stand-alone master’s degrees in psychology usually take around two years of full-time attendance to complete and require between 30 and 40 credit hours.
After completing a bachelor’s degree (and master’s degree, if you choose), the next step is to complete either a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in psychology or a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) degree. Both of these degrees will fulfill the requirement for a doctoral-level psychology degree that you need for licensure in New Jersey. To learn more about the differences between these degrees, see our home page. Both PhD and PsyD programs take between four to seven years to finish.
In New Jersey, applicants for psychology licensure must have attended a psychology program that is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) or the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA), is listed in the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Board’s (ASPPB) National Register Joint Designation, or meets criteria comparable to those set forth by these organizations.
For more information about doctoral programs in New Jersey, please see our page on Psychology Schools in New Jersey.
After you have completed your doctoral degree, the next step in the licensure process is to submit a completed application online. Supporting documents required include the application fee of $125; a summary of educational and employment experience; official transcripts; an abstract of your doctoral dissertation; a passport-style photograph; and two Certificates of Good Moral Character. You will also need to submit to a criminal background check.
New Jersey also offers one regular (permanent) license, as well as two temporary permits for applicants who have not yet completed all steps of the licensure process and for out-of-state applicants. A one-year unsupervised permit is issued to applicants who otherwise meet the requirements but have not yet taken the jurisprudence examination. A three-year supervised permit is issued for the supervised practice of psychology to candidates who have satisfied all requirements except for their postdoctoral supervised experience and/or the passing of the written and jurisprudence exams. If you are applying for the three-year supervised permit, you should include the Application for Proposed Supervisors. Temporary permits cost $110 plus $50 for each additional supervisor.
To become licensed in New Jersey, applicants must first complete a total of two years (3,500 hours) of full-time supervised clinical experience. At least 1,750 of these hours must be obtained after completing your doctoral degree. The New Jersey Board also specifies that each year must consist of at least 1,000 client contact hours, 200 hours of supervision, and 550 hours of support/administrative work. Your supervisors for these hours must be psychologists who have been licensed for at least two years (either in New Jersey or in the state where you are completing the hours). You will need to document your supervised hours using the Supervisory Form for Psychology Candidates.
After your application has been approved, the Board will notify you that you are eligible to take the psychology licensing exams. The first of these exams is the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) from the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB), a national exam that assesses your broad knowledge of psychology. The EPPP consists of 225 multiple-choice questions, and you will need a scaled score of 500 or more to pass. When you are approved to take the EPPP, the Board will send you information on signing up for the test.
Within 90 days of being notified that you have passed the EPPP, you will need to take the New Jersey written jurisprudence exam. This is a written exam that tests your knowledge of laws and statutes that are relevant to the practice of psychology in New Jersey. The jurisprudence exam costs $100.
After all remaining materials and forms have been submitted to the Board, you will need to pay for your initial license fee, which is $300 or prorated to $150 during the second year of the renewal period. Once your application materials have been approved, you will receive your license from the Board.
Unfortunately, New Jersey does not have reciprocity with other states, meaning that you cannot automatically transfer your license to New Jersey if you have already been licensed in another state. However, you may be able to expedite the licensure process if you have an out-of-state license in good standing. You will need to register and submit an application online With this application, you will need to pay a $125 application fee. After the application has been reviewed, you will also have to pay a $58.69 fee to have your fingerprints taken.
If you can prove that you have met the supervised hours requirement in New Jersey, the Board will issue you a one-year unsupervised temporary permit that allows you to work independently (i.e., without being supervised). This permit is valid for one year, during which time you are expected to pass New Jersey’s jurisprudence exam. If you do not have the 3,500 supervised hours that New Jersey requires, you will be issued a three-year temporary permit. During the time this permit is valid, you are expected to complete your supervised experience as well as pass New Jersey’s jurisprudence exam. In both of these situations, you will be eligible to receive your full license in New Jersey after you provide proof to the Board that you have completed the requirements associated with your temporary permit.
Once you have obtained your psychologist license in New Jersey, you will need to renew it every two years for $300. All psychology licenses expire on June 30 of odd-numbered years, so your renewal paperwork needs to be submitted before this date. To be eligible for renewal, you will need to obtain 40 continuing education (CE) credits. Additionally, New Jersey has some rules about CE credits. Four of your credits must be from education in topics related to domestic violence. 20 credits must be directly related to psychology and be approved by APA, ASPPB, the National Register of Health Service Psychologists, or the American Medical Association. Up to 20 of the remaining credits can come from approved activities such as publishing articles or giving presentations. If you earn more than 40 CE credits in a renewal period, you can carry up to 10 of them to the next period.
In order to qualify for a School Psychologist Standard Certificate with the State of New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE), you need a master’s degree or higher from a regionally-accredited school and have completed a state-approved graduate program in school psychology or a minimum of 60 graduate semester hours in each of seven required areas. Applicants who hold a valid Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) license will be automatically issued a school psychologist license by submitting a copy of the license as well as official transcripts. To apply, you can complete an online application and pay the fees through the New Jersey Educator Certification (NJEdCert) Portal.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the average psychologist salary in New Jersey as of May 2021, excluding teachers, was $108,937. 1 Clinical and counseling psychologists earned an average annual salary of $143,150, which is the highest in the nation. 1,2 Clinical, counseling, and school psychologists in New Jersey jobs are expected to increase by 10.5% between 2020 and 2030, while postsecondary psychology teacher jobs are expected to increase by 11.3%. 3
| Occupation | Number Employed 1 | Average Annual Salary 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical and Counseling Psychologists | 910 | $143,150 |
| Industrial-Organizational Psychologists | N.Av. | N.Av. |
| Psychologists, All Other | 330 | $95,090 |
| Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary | 1,300 | $99,230 |
| School Psychologists | 2,560 | $88,570 |
The process of becoming a psychologist in New Jersey is not short; it requires approximately 10 years of education after finishing your high school degree as well as additional supervised experience after you have earned a doctoral degree. However, completing these steps can lead to a rewarding, well-paid career.
To become a licensed psychologist in New Jersey, you will need to earn either a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Psychology or a Doctor of Psychology degree. These will need to be earned through programs that are accredited by certain psychology organizations or meet similar requirements.
Psychologists in New Jersey are well-paid; on average, psychologists in the state (excluding teachers) earned $108,937 per year as of May 2021. 1 Clinical and counseling psychologists earned $143,150, the highest in the nation as of May 2021. 1