Psychologist Licensure Requirements in Michigan

Michigan psychologists are regulated by the Michigan Board of Psychology (http://www.michigan.gov/lara/). Full licensure requires doctoral level education, passing scores on a national board examination, and a year of post-doctoral supervised practice. Graduates work under limited licenses while fulfilling post-graduate requirements.

The Michigan Board also issues limited licenses to candidates with master’s degree; this allows them to carry out psychological duties under supervision.

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Psychologist Education Requirements

Candidates for psychologist licensure must earn doctoral degrees in psychology or closely related fields. If a program is not accredited by the American Psychological Association or the Canadian Psychological Association, it must have National Register designation (or some other designation that the Board may choose to approve). This requirement went into effect in 2011; programs that were in the process of becoming accredited or designated by August 1, 2011 and accomplish this by August 31, 2015 are license-qualifying.

The following standards apply to all doctoral programs:

The program must be an organized, sequential study where at least 75% of academic coursework was “psychological in nature”. There must be instruction in statistics, psychometrics, research design and methodologies.

There must be one three semester course in each of the following content areas:

  • Intelligence and/ or personality testing
  • Psychological treatment
  • Scientific and professional standards/ ethics

Additionally, there must be at least one graduate course in at least three of the following areas:

  • Biological bases of behavior
  • Cognitive-affective bases of behavior
  • Social bases of behavior
  • Individual differences

At the time of application, the director or registrar will certify that the program met the “75% rule” and the coursework standards.

Click Here to learn more about psychology education options based on your current educational attainment.

Supervised Professional Experience

Psychologists must complete at least 4,000 experience hours before they can achieve full licensure. The first 2,000 hours is internship; this is normally completed at the pre-doctoral level. The intern must be supervised by a fully licensed psychologist. There must be at least eight hours a month of in-person meetings with the supervisor.

The post-doctoral practice requirement is also 2,000 hours. While accruing hours, a post-doctoral candidate works under a limited license. The individual must be under the supervision of a Board-designated psychologist. Work is to take place at an agency, hospital, or other setting deemed acceptable by the Board.

The resident may work part-time or full-time, 16 to 40 hours per week. During this time, the supervisee must meet face-to-face with a supervisor at least four hours a month.

The doctoral limited license is renewed annually. At the end of the post-doctoral experience period, the supervising psychologist will send a verification form to the Michigan Board.

Examination for Professional Practice

The Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) is required for full licensure. The limited license holder should send an email to the Michigan Board (bhphelp@michigan.gov) when ready to take the examination. The request should include name, mail and email addresses, and license number.

The candidate can expect registration materials to arrive two to three weeks after the request is made. Examination fees will be due upon registration; currently the fee is $600.

The candidate will be issued an Authorization to Test (ATT); this grants a 60-day testing window and allows for scheduling at any authorized computerized testing site. (The testing site assesses an additional small fee.)

Approximately four weeks after testing, scores will be released.

A limited license holder who does not complete the examination and supervision requirements within a five-year period loses eligibility, but has the option of applying for a license at the master’s level.

Note: Michigan requires the EPPP for master’s level limited license holders, but sets the passing score lower. If a candidate took the examination as a master’s limited license candidate and received a score of at least 500 (the threshold for doctoral level psychologists) it will not be necessary to retake the examination.

The Application Process

Candidates first apply to the Board when they are preparing to begin supervised experience. Official transcripts and confirmation of internship are due at this time and must be sent directly to the Michigan Board from the source. Graduates who received their doctoral degree without completing the required 2,000 hour internship should include a note to that affect. In this instance, a limited license will be issued without internship confirmation. However, confirmation of both internship and post-doctoral practice will be required before a full license is issued. A $90 fee is to accompany the application for limited licensure.

Click Here to find the application materials and answers to FAQs.

The application for full psychologist licensure must be accompanied by a $150 fee.

Applicants will receive information from the Board approximately three weeks after submission that will allow them to monitor application status online. If there is missing information, a letter will be sent. If the fee is missing, however, the application packet will be returned.

Fingerprinting

Michigan requires a fingerprint-based criminal background check. In-state candidates may have fingerprints made at Identogo or at another approved Michigan vendor; approved vendors can be found at www.michigan.gov/lsvendor.

Out-of-state applicants have two options for fingerprinting. The Board prefers that they call 1-866-226-2952 or visit Identogo at http://www.identogo.com to find an electronic fingerprinting site near them. If this is not feasible, or there is no Identogo site in the vicinity, they may have fingerprints inked on an FBI (FD-258) card. Ultimately, the fingerprints will be sent to Identogo to be scanned and processed. The process costs $62.75.

The Board notes that criminal history is reviewed on a case by case basis, with consideration given to the age at conviction, the elapsed time, and the type of conviction.

Out-of-State Applicants

Applicants who have already passed the EPPP may submit a form to the Score Transfer Service (http://www.michigan.gov/documents/lara/lara_psyc_EPPP_Score_Transfer_Form_370848_7.pdf).

Candidates who have held licensing in another state or province must have license verification sent directly to the Michigan Board. Anyone with a current disciplinary sanction (on an active or inactive license) is ineligible. Individuals who have resolved sanctions may be licensed.

An out-of-state psychologist can be endorsed into Michigan with either a Certificate of Professional Qualification in Psychology (CPQ) or verification of ten years of licensure in another jurisdiction.

The TOEFLibt is required of any candidate whose psychology instruction was not in English. The minimum passing score is set at 80.

Additional 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 Michigan.

Candidates may call the Board at (517) 335-0918.

The Michigan Psychological Association is an additional resource, but does not issue licenses (http://www.michiganpsychologicalassociation.org).