Certification and Licensure

All doctoral students are encouraged to obtain the following credentials. The only credential that requires a Ph D. is licensure as a professional psychologist. Certification and licensure is to some degree coordinated with the program in that the program faculty must document certain types of training experiences that must be completed before a graduate can apply for certification and/or licensure. However, guidelines set forth by a state Department of Education or a Board of Health or Psychology are completely independent from guidelines created by the program. Therefore, obtaining these credentials is the sole responsibility of the student and is not part of the requirements of the program.

State Department of Education Certification: Students who plan to work in the school setting are required to become certified by the department of education of the state in which they plan to practice. Students who do not plan to work in a school setting, especially those who are pursuing academic careers, are also encouraged to obtain this certification in their state. Students will receive information about this process while in the program or they can contact the State Department of Education for the state in which they plan to live.

NCSP Certification: The program encourages all students to become a National Certified School Psychologist. You may apply for NCSP after you have completed internship. Applicants must achieve a passing score (660) on the National School Psychology Examination administered by the Educational Testing Service (Praxis). Test scores remain valid for three (3) years after the test. Test scores older than three (3) years are considered expired and would require the re-taking of the examination. You can download forms from the NASP website.

Licensed School Psychologist: In Ohio, nondoctoral students can become licensed as a school psychologist through the Ohio Board of Psychology. This licensure involves passing an exam (Praxis exam, written exam and oral exam on ethics) and obtaining three years of supervised clinical experience after completion of their nondoctoral internship. Students can obtain the necessary information from the Ohio Board of Psychology. In most states, licensure of this nature is only available for doctoral psychologists.

Licensed Professional Psychologist: All doctoral students are encouraged to become licensed as a psychologist in the state in which they plan to practice. Individuals interested in becoming licensed as a professional psychologist must have a doctoral degree in school, counseling, or clinical psychology, preferably from an APA-accredited institution (but not required). In addition, although an APA-accredited predoctoral internship is not required, it is recommended for individuals pursuing the licensure in professional psychology. Licensure usually involves passing a written and oral test and at least a year of full-time supervised clinical practice after completion of the doctorate degree. Graduates can choose to work under supervision until they complete the number of supervised hours needed. Alternatively, graduates may choose to complete a post doctoral internship if they will be looking for a non-clinical position such as academia. The post doctoral internship allows graduates to complete their supervised hours in a timely fashion before moving on with their career. This post doctoral internship is not a requirement, but post doctoral supervised hours are. Students can obtain the necessary information from the Department of Health or Board of Psychology in the state in which they plan to live. Once you obtain your license as a professional psychologist, it is not necessary to obtain licensure as a school psychologist in states where it is offered.