To practice as a licensed psychologist in North Carolina, an individual must obtain a license from the North Carolina Psychology Board. The Board regulates the profession by setting standards for education, training, and competency to ensure public protection. Achieving licensure is a mandatory, multi-stage process requiring a doctoral degree for anyone providing psychological services for compensation in the state.
Required Doctoral Education and Accreditation Standards
The first step is securing a doctoral degree in psychology: a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.), or Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in an applied area. The North Carolina Psychology Board requires the program to include the equivalent of at least three years of full-time graduate study. A program accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) or the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) is the standard for meeting educational requirements.
Applicants from non-accredited programs must demonstrate their education is substantially equivalent to an APA-accredited program. The curriculum must include instruction in the scientific and professional foundations of psychology, with specific course requirements in areas such as biological bases of behavior, cognitive-affective bases of behavior, and social and cultural bases of behavior. These courses ensure the candidate possesses a comprehensive understanding of the science underlying psychological practice.
The Ph.D. follows a scientist-practitioner model emphasizing research, while the Psy.D. follows a practitioner-scholar model focusing on clinical application. The Ed.D. often centers on educational settings. The Board maintains strict criteria, and degrees obtained primarily through online instruction often fail to meet residency requirements.
Completing Supervised Experience Hours
Candidates must accumulate 3,000 hours of supervised experience following doctoral coursework. This training is divided into pre-doctoral and post-doctoral experience. The pre-doctoral experience, typically a full-time internship, accounts for the first 1,500 hours.
The remaining 1,500 hours must be accrued as post-doctoral supervised practice, beginning only after the doctoral degree is formally awarded. This post-doctoral experience must be completed within a consecutive four-year period. During this phase, applicants are granted a provisional license to practice under the continuous oversight of a fully licensed psychologist.
Supervision must be frequent and direct, requiring a minimum of one hour per week of regularly scheduled, face-to-face individual supervision. Detailed documentation of all supervised hours, including the type of clinical activity, must be maintained and verified by the supervising psychologist for submission to the Board.
Passing the Necessary Licensing Examinations
Full licensure requires successfully passing two examinations. The first is the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP), a national standardized test developed by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards. This multiple-choice exam consists of 225 questions covering psychological domains from assessment and diagnosis to ethical and legal issues.
The required passing score for the EPPP in North Carolina is a scaled score of 500. This score demonstrates the foundational knowledge necessary for independent practice. The EPPP is typically taken after the doctoral degree is conferred but before the final application is submitted.
The second required test is the North Carolina State Examination, or Jurisprudence Exam. This test assesses the candidate’s understanding of the state’s statutes and administrative rules, including the North Carolina Psychology Practice Act. A passing score of 78% is required for all license levels to ensure awareness of legal and ethical obligations within the state.
Submitting Your Licensure Application to the Board
Once educational, experiential, and examination requirements are completed, the final stage is submitting a comprehensive application packet to the North Carolina Psychology Board. The application must be submitted within 30 days of beginning to practice psychology in the state. The initial submission requires a completed application form, the supervision contract form, and a non-refundable application fee.
Official transcripts must be sent directly from every graduate institution to the Board office to verify the doctoral degree and required coursework. Applicants must also arrange for supervising psychologists to submit verification forms documenting the satisfactory completion of all 3,000 supervised hours.
A mandatory background check is required, necessitating the submission of a fingerprint card and associated fee. The Board reviews the results of this check and all application materials to determine the applicant’s ethical and legal fitness to practice. This administrative review serves as the gateway to receiving the permanent license.
Licensure for Psychologists Licensed in Other States
Psychologists licensed in another jurisdiction may apply for licensure by endorsement, a distinct pathway from the standard application process. North Carolina does not engage in formal reciprocity agreements, but it reviews existing credentials to determine if they meet or exceed the state’s requirements. This process is generally reserved for established professionals who hold a doctoral degree and have been practicing independently.
The Board examines the psychologist’s original EPPP score to ensure it meets the minimum scaled score of 500. Documentation of the doctoral degree and prior supervised experience must also be submitted. Even when endorsed, the psychologist must still take and pass the North Carolina State Examination. This ensures all licensed practitioners understand the specific state laws and ethical guidelines governing practice in North Carolina.
Continuing Education and License Renewal
Maintaining licensure requires ongoing professional development activities, governed by a biennial renewal cycle that expires on October 1st of every even-numbered year. Licensed psychologists must complete a minimum of 24 continuing education (CE) hours during each two-year period to be eligible for renewal.
A minimum of 15 of these required hours must be obtained through Category A programs, which include formally organized events or courses sponsored by approved providers, such as the APA. The requirement also mandates a minimum of three CE hours focused on ethics and legal issues per renewal cycle.
All licensees must complete a mandatory online Ethics Refresher prior to renewal, which is a short, educational review of the NC Psychology Practice Act and Board Rules. The Board mandates that all CE documentation be submitted online, typically through a designated system like CE Broker, to verify compliance with these requirements.