How to Become a Psychologist: Degree, Steps & Salary (2026)

Key takeaway: Becoming a licensed psychologist requires a doctorate -- a PhD or PsyD -- plus a supervised predoctoral internship, postdoctoral supervised hours in most states, and a passing score on the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP). The psychologist title is protected by law, so a bachelor's or master's in psychology does not qualify you to use it. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a national median annual wage of $100,580 for clinical and counseling psychologists (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national median).

Psychology is the longest of the behavioral health pathways, and the reason is title protection. In nearly every state, calling yourself a psychologist is restricted by statute to people who hold a doctorate and a state license. Master’s-level clinicians can and do provide therapy – as licensed counselors, therapists, or clinical social workers – but they cannot practice or advertise as psychologists.

That makes the doctorate the pivot point of the entire plan. Everything before it is preparation for admission to a competitive doctoral program, and everything after it is a sequence of supervised hours and exams. This guide walks the steps in order; for the wider view of the field, start with the Online Psychology Degrees guide.

Step-by-step: how to become a psychologist

Step 1: Earn a bachelor’s degree

Start with a bachelor’s in psychology or a related field. Doctoral admissions committees care most about statistics and research methods coursework, undergraduate research experience, and faculty relationships that produce strong letters – more than they care about your exact major. Applicants from other fields are admitted regularly after completing prerequisite psychology courses.

A bachelor’s in psychology by itself qualifies you for research assistant, case management, human services, and a wide range of business roles, but not for any licensed psychology practice. An associate degree can begin the sequence but is a transfer step, not a credential in this field.

Step 2: Complete a doctoral degree (PhD or PsyD)

This is the requirement that defines the profession. Two doctorates lead to licensure:

• PhD in clinical or counseling psychology. A research-and-practice model with a dissertation. PhD programs are typically small, highly competitive, and often funded through assistantships.
• PsyD (Doctor of Psychology). A practitioner-focused doctorate emphasizing clinical training over original research. Admission is generally less restrictive than PhD programs, and cohorts are larger.

Both take roughly four to seven years including the dissertation or doctoral project. Choose a program accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) – many state boards require or strongly prefer APA accreditation, and APA-accredited internships give preference to students from accredited programs.

An important note on format: some master’s programs in psychology are available fully online, but APA-accredited clinical doctoral programs are campus-based, because they require in-person supervised clinical training. Treat any fully online clinical doctorate claim with skepticism and verify its accreditation and your board’s acceptance of it before enrolling.

A master’s degree is worth understanding on its own terms. It does not lead to the psychologist title, but it is the required credential for licensed counseling, marriage and family therapy, and school psychology roles in many states, and some doctoral programs award it en route.

Step 3: Complete a predoctoral internship

Before you can be awarded the doctorate you must complete a full-time predoctoral internship, typically one year and roughly 1,500 to 2,000 hours of supervised clinical practice. Internships are matched through a national process, and APA-accredited internship sites are competitive. This year is part of the doctorate, not something that follows it.

Step 4: Complete postdoctoral supervised hours

Most states require supervised experience after the doctorate before granting a license – commonly a year, often expressed as roughly 1,500 to 2,000 hours, under a licensed psychologist. A minority of states have eliminated the postdoctoral year in favor of counting supervised hours accumulated during the doctorate. Which rule your state uses changes your timeline by a full year, so confirm it with your state board of psychology early, ideally before you choose a doctoral program.

Step 5: Pass the EPPP and any state exams

Every state requires the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP), administered by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards. Many states also require a jurisprudence exam covering their own mental health law and ethics rules, and some require an oral examination before the board.

Step 6: Apply for state licensure

Submit transcripts, internship and postdoctoral verification, exam scores, background check, and fees to your state board. Licensure grants the right to use the psychologist title, practice independently, conduct psychological assessment, and bill insurance. Licenses renew with continuing education, and practicing in another state requires licensure there – mobility credentials exist to streamline it, but a license does not simply transfer.

What degree do you need to be a psychologist?

A doctorate. There is no shortcut and no experience-based route.

The bachelor’s degree is the foundation and a useful credential in its own right for research support, human services, and business roles. The master’s degree opens licensed practice under a different title – counselor, therapist, and in many states school psychologist – and is a legitimate destination if therapy rather than the psychologist credential is your goal. Only the PhD or PsyD leads to psychologist licensure. If you are weighing the investment, see Is a Psychology Degree Worth It?.

What psychologists earn

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a national median annual wage of $100,580 for clinical and counseling psychologists (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national median). BLS reports $110,840 for the broader category of psychologists, all other (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national median).

For comparison against the master’s-level clinical routes, BLS reports $66,940 for marriage and family therapists and $59,350 for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national median). The gap is real, and so is the additional four to eight years of training behind it. For a role-by-role view, see what you can do with a psychology degree.

How long does it take to become a psychologist?

Sum the required components honestly:

• Bachelor’s degree: four years.
• Doctorate (PhD or PsyD): four to seven years, including the dissertation or doctoral project and the predoctoral internship year.
• Postdoctoral supervised hours: about one year in states that require them; none in the states that have eliminated the requirement.
• EPPP and licensure processing: a few months for study, scheduling, scoring, and board review.

Total: roughly nine to twelve years from starting a bachelor’s degree to independent licensure. Dissertation timelines and internship match outcomes are the two factors most likely to extend that, and neither is fully under your control. These are ranges, not schedules.

Frequently asked questions

What degree do you need to be a psychologist?

A doctorate – a PhD or PsyD in clinical, counseling, or a related applied psychology field, preferably from an APA-accredited program. Every state requires a doctoral degree for psychologist licensure.

How long does it take to become a psychologist?

About nine to twelve years from the start of a bachelor’s degree: four years undergraduate, four to seven for the doctorate including the predoctoral internship, and roughly one year of postdoctoral supervised hours in states that require them.

How much do psychologists make?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a national median annual wage of $100,580 for clinical and counseling psychologists, and $110,840 for psychologists, all other (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national median).

Do you need a degree to be a psychologist?

Yes, and specifically a doctorate. The psychologist title is protected by state law, and using it without a license is generally illegal. There is no certification-only or experience-only path.

Can you be a therapist with a master’s in psychology?

Often, yes – but not as a psychologist. Master’s-level clinicians practice under counseling, marriage and family therapy, or clinical social work licenses depending on the degree and the state. If providing therapy is the goal, a master’s route is faster; if the psychologist credential, assessment authority, or academic research is the goal, the doctorate is required.

Can you become a psychologist with an online degree?

Only partly. Online bachelor’s and master’s programs in psychology are common and legitimate. APA-accredited clinical doctoral programs are campus-based because of their in-person supervised training requirements, and the internship and postdoctoral hours are always completed in person.

Next steps

• Start with the field overview. The Online Psychology Degrees guide covers degree levels, specializations, and licensure.
• Map your degree path. Compare the bachelor’s and master’s guides, and read psychology vs counseling if you are deciding between the doctoral and master’s clinical routes.
• See where the degree leads. Review what you can do with a psychology degree.
• Compare adjacent paths. See how to become a marriage and family therapist and how to become a social worker for master’s-level routes into clinical practice.

Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). Licensure requirements are set by individual states and vary, especially on postdoctoral hour requirements; confirm requirements with your state board of psychology.

Data verified: August 12, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

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