Psychologist Licensure Requirements in Minnesota

Minnesota psychologists are licensed by the Minnesota Board of Psychology (https://mn.gov/boards/psychology/). Licenses are granted on the basis of education, examination, and supervised practice.

Current statutes require students to earn doctoral degrees. However, some licensees have been “grandfathered” in on the basis of master’s level education. Such licensees may convert their licenses after demonstrating that they have earned doctoral degrees that meet Board requirements.

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Education Requirements

A prospective psychologist must earn a doctoral degree with a ‘psychology major’ from a regionally accredited institution.

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A program that is accredited by the American Psychological Association or Canadian Psychological Association is deemed to meet coursework requirements. Otherwise, the candidate will need to document the following:

  • There must be six semester hours of coursework in research design, psychological measurement theory, and statistics (with at least one semester hour in each of these three core areas).
  • There must be six semester hours in problem identification. Topics may include assessment, evaluation, and/ or data collection.
  • There must be six semester hours in problem solution. Topics may include psychological intervention and/ or data analysis.

Additionally, there must be three semester hours in each of the following content areas:

  • Human development and personality theory
  • Human diversity
  • Cognitive-affective basis of behavior
  • Biological basis of behavior
  • Social basis of behavior
  • Ethics and conduct

The license application packet includes a list of courses that are typically accepted as meeting license requirements as well as courses that are commonly excluded. Courses that focus on particular stages of the lifecycle may be accepted for the human development requirement. Courses in animal learning may be accepted as satisfying the requirement for cognitive-affective bases of behavior. However, courses that approach ethics from a philosophical perspective do not meet the ethics requirement. Courses in family therapy or couples therapy do not satisfy the coursework requirements for social bases of behavior.

A candidate who has coursework deficiencies will be allowed to make up as many as 12 semester hours without enrolling in an organized or sequential program.

The doctoral student must complete 384 clock hours or 24 semester hours in residency over a 12-month period.

Internship Requirements

The student will need to do a pre-doctoral internship of at least 1,800 hours. The intern will work at least 20 hours a week and complete the internship in a period of 12 to 30 months. The intern will need at least two hours of supervision a week; at least one must be one-on-one with the primary supervisor. An intern who works more than 40 hours will need an additional hour of supervision for every 20 hours, or portion thereof.

The supervisor must be a licensed psychologist or a professional with a doctoral degree in psychology who works at an educational institution, research facility, or governmental agency.

Internships that are accredited by the APA or the Association of Predoctoral Psychology Internship Centers (APPIC) are deemed to meet requirements.

Psychologist Licensure Examination

Candidates may apply to take the state and national examinations after educational requirements have been met. Official transcripts must be sent straight to the Board from the issuing institution. If the program was not accredited by the APA or CPA, a course worksheet must accompany the application.

The state examination is the Professional Responsibility Examination (PRE). It is administered in Minneapolis. A list of upcoming examination dates is available on the Board site (https://mn.gov/boards/psychology/applicants/licexams/). Candidates are asked to select a first and second choice.

The national examination is the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP). It is given on an ongoing basis at testing sites around the nation. Candidate bulletins can be downloaded from the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) site (https://www.asppb.net/page/EPPPSignup).

A $150 fee is due with the examination application. Candidates should be prepared to remit $600 to a third party when registering for the national examination.

Minnesota allows examination retakes, subject only to limits placed by the testing company. The ASPPB currently allows up to four attempts in a year. Each attempt, however, incurs additional fees.

Post-Graduate Supervised Experience

The psychology graduate will need to work under supervision for a period of 12 to 30 months and until at least 1,800 experience hours have been accrued. Minnesota accepts both volunteer work and paid experience.

The primary supervisor must be a psychologist. Other master’s or doctoral mental health practitioners may function as “designated supervisors”.

A psychologist candidate who is working full-time will need at least two hours of supervision each week. It is acceptable for a designated supervisor to provide one of the hours; this session may be carried out one-on-one or in a group setting. At least one hour, though, must be spent in individual supervisory consultation with the primary supervisor.

A candidate who is working more than 40 hours a week will need an extra hour of supervision. The maximum number of hours that can be credited in a week is 50.

A candidate who works 20 hours or less per week will need one hour of supervision.

Application Process and Fees

Candidates will submit license applications when all requirements have been met. Applications forms can be downloaded from the Board site (https://mn.gov/boards/psychology/applicants/).

The standard licensing application must be accompanied by a $550 fee. Candidates who are converting from master’s level to doctoral level licensing pay a $150 fee.

Out-of-State Psychologists

License verification must be provided from all states of licensure.

The following credentials are accepted as evidence that the out-of-state psychologist has met most education, examination, and experience requirements.

  • American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) diplomate
  • Certificate of Professional Qualification (CPQ)
  • Health Service Provider registration

If the qualifying degree was not APA-accredited, the psychologist will be required to meet Minnesota’s diversity requirement.

Endorsement candidates must take the PRE. They are also required to provide contact information for two people who can act as “endorsers”.

Guest Licenses

A psychologist who is duly licensed in another jurisdiction may request a guest license to begin practice while going through the licensing process. This request may be made at the time of application or afterward. The request is to be submitted at least 30 days prior to the intended start of practice.

Guest licensure costs $150.

Guest licenses are also available to out-of-state psychologists who are not seeking permanent Minnesota licensing. Unless the nonresident’s work falls under an exemption category such as expert witness or lecturer, a license must be requested if work in Minnesota will exceed seven days. (This type of guest license authorizes up to nine months of practice.)

International Candidates

An individual who earned a psychology doctorate in a nation other than the United States or Canada will need to have the degree evaluated by an organization that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). The Board may require document translation at applicant expense.

Contact Information

If you are still in High School, hold a High School Diploma/GED, hold a bachelor’s degree, or hold a master’s degree check out suggested steps to take along the path to become a Licensed Psychologist in Minnesota.

The Board may be contacted at (612) 617-2230. Interested individuals may also opt to fill out an email contact form (https://mn.gov/boards/psychology/)

Minnesota Psychological Association: https://www.mnpsych.org/

Minnesota School Psychologists Association: https://mspaonline.net/