Wyoming Psychology Licensure Requirements
If you are interested in becoming a psychologist in Wyoming, you must become licensed through the Wyoming Board of Psychology (the Board). In order to become licensed, psychologist applicants must complete certain educational requirements, fulfill supervised professional experience hours, and pass a national examination. We’ve put together the following guide to help you navigate the years-long process, step by step.
Table of Contents
- How to Become a Licensed Psychologist
- Licensure by Endorsement
- License Renewal and Continuing Education
- Related Licenses
- Jobs and Salary Information
- Additional Resources
- Frequently Asked Questions
How to Become a Psychologist in Wyoming
1. Earn a bachelor’s degree and (optionally) a master’s degree in psychology.
You will first need to complete a bachelor’s degree in psychology or a related subject. Your bachelor’s degree may be in psychology, a related field, or a field unrelated to psychology. Most students complete their 120-hour undergraduate degree in four years on a full-time schedule or longer on a part-time basis.
After completing an undergraduate degree, you may choose to enroll in a stand-alone master’s psychology degree program, which requires about 30 to 40 credit hours and around two years to complete. If you have an undergraduate major in a subject other than psychology, you may need to complete additional foundational psychology courses before moving on to an advanced psychology degree. Note that many advanced psychology degree programs combine the master’s and doctoral degree, which allows you to complete both degrees during the same program. If you are interested in entering the field without becoming a licensed psychologist, Wyoming has two psychology certifications available to individuals with a master’s degree in psychology: psychological practitioner and a specialist in school psychology. If one of these options interests you, a stand-alone master’s in psychology will be sufficient.
2. Earn a doctoral degree in psychology.
Before becoming a licensed psychologist in Wyoming, you must first earn your Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) or Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Psychology. While both degrees can qualify you for licensure in Wyoming, there are some key differences between the qualifications, which you can read about on our home page
To qualify you for a license in Wyoming, your doctoral program must be regionally-accredited. Programs that are not accredited by the APA must include at least three academic years of full-time study with a minimum of 40 semester hours (60 quarter hours) of graduate coursework, as well as a supervised pre-doctoral internship experience. The Board requires that at least 1,500 hours of the 3,000 hours of supervised professional experience needed for licensure be accumulated during the doctoral program. Pre-internship training (in practicum, clerkship, or other training activities) during the doctoral program may comprise up to 1,500 hours (or one year) of the total supervised professional experience. In order to qualify, this training must be organized and sequential, with increasing complexity. At least 60% of the experience must be in direct client contact providing assessment and intervention services and at least 75% of the supervision must be performed by a licensed psychologist.
For more information about the doctoral programs offered in Wyoming, see our Psychology Schools in Wyoming page.
3. Gain at least two years of supervised professional experience in your area of training.
To apply for psychology licensure in Wyoming, applicants must complete a total of 3,000 hours of supervised professional experience related to the practice of psychology over the course of at least two years. At least 1,500 hours must be completed during the doctoral program as part of the pre-doctoral internship. If the applicant has not completed two years of supervised professional experience by the end of their doctoral degree program, up to 1,500 hours of post-doctoral training can satisfy the requirement. To complete this training, you will need to secure a supervisor and jointly complete the Post-Doctoral Supervision Agreement form.
The Board offers a provisional license that allows mental health centers in rural Wyoming to employ candidates who have finished their doctoral degree and have completed an internship, but who have yet to complete their supervised professional experience and/or EPPP examination. These applicants can be employed by community mental health centers where there are no other psychologists. The provisional license is valid for one year with an optional renewal for one additional year. Provisional candidates must fill out a standard Wyoming psychologist license application and submit the $275 application fee.
To report your supervised hours, you must complete a notarized Supervised Post-Doctoral Work Experience Verification form detailing your work experience and submit it with your application.
4. Submit your application to the Board.
Next, applicants must submit multiple forms to the Board, including the notarized Psychologist License application, official transcripts, and verification forms of supervised professional experience. The application fee is $275 and the criminal background check fee is $39. The Board will notify you if your application is sufficient for you to move on to the next step.
5. Pass the psychology licensing exam.
Every state requires psychology licensure applicants to pass a national exam that tests their ability to understand and implement complex psychological ideas, theories, and practices. In order to pass the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) from the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB), you must earn a scaled score of 500 or better. The examination must be passed within two years of the Board granting you permission to take the examination.
The ASPPB offers an EPPP practice exam to all applicants. The practice test will help you understand the scope of questions on the exam and allow you to practice answering the questions in a timed manner.
6. Receive your license from the Board.
Once you have received passing exam scores, your application will be presented to the Application Review Committee of the Board for a decision regarding licensure. When the Board issues you a license, you will receive a wall document with your full name, discipline designation, and license serial number.
Wyoming Licensure by Endorsement
Psychologists who have been licensed in a state other than Wyoming must complete many of the same steps as first-time applicants. You must submit a license and certification verification form to the Board to prove your out-of-state licensure. You must still satisfy all other requirements for an initial Wyoming psychologist license and submit an application by endorsement, as well as submit official transcripts, verification of EPPP scores, a history of professional experience, and an application fee of $275 plus a criminal background check fee of $39.
The Board offers a temporary license to individuals certified by a board of psychology in another jurisdiction if the standards are deemed to equal or exceed the licensure requirements in Wyoming. This temporary license allows individuals to offer psychology services for no more than 30 days in a given year while they wait for their out-of-state licensure credentials to be transferred. Applicants can fill out a Temporary Licensure Application and submit a $150 application fee.
License Renewal and Continuing Education
Psychologists in Wyoming must renew their licenses by June 30 of every year. A renewal notice is sent by mail no later than 30 days prior to the expiration date, and the renewal application must be postmarked by June 30. The annual license renewal fee is $200.
Psychology license holders also must prove that they have completed 30 hours of continuing education (CE) in the two years preceding their renewal date. You can complete these hours through designated activities. Up to 20 hours may be earned through activities approved by the Wyoming Psychology Association (WPA) and Wyoming School Psychology Association (WSPA), and at least 10 hours must be earned through activities approved by the APA or NASP. These hours must be documented on the Statement of Continuing Education form and submitted every two years with the renewal application.
Related Licenses
Psychological Practitioner
Psychological practitioners must have a minimum of a master’s degree in psychology from an accredited institution and have completed at least 42 graduate hours in psychology. You must also have completed 450 hours of supervised and documented practicum or internship experience in one or two placements. Finally, you must take the same EPPP examination as licensed psychologists, but the threshold is a scaled score of 450. The Psychological Practitioner Application can be found on the Board’s website. Psychological practitioners in Wyoming can practice psychology with only a master’s degree, but they must be supervised by a licensed psychologist.
Specialist in School Psychology
The Board requires that specialists in school psychology applicants complete a master’s degree in school psychology plus at least 30 additional graduate semester hours. Before submitting an application, you must fulfill the 1,200-hour supervised internship requirement. The applicant must also pass the National School Psychology Examination (NSPE) with a score that is equal to or greater than the benchmark score determined by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). Specialists in school psychology cannot independently practice psychology and must work under the supervision of a licensed psychologist.
Job and Salary Information
As of May 2021, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that clinical, counseling, school, and all other psychologists in Wyoming earn an average annual salary of $84,350 and postsecondary psychology teachers earn $70,060.1 Projections Central predicts that psychologist positions in Wyoming will grow by an average of 0% to 15% through 2030, with clinical, counseling, and school psychologist jobs expected to grow 15%, which is much faster than average, and “all other” psychologists and postsecondary psychology teacher jobs expected to see no growth at all in that 10-year period.2
| Occupation | Number Employed1 | Average Annual Salary1 |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical and Counseling Psychologists | 100 | $72,900 |
| Industrial-Organizational Psychologists | N.Av. | N.Av. |
| Psychologists, All Other | 40 | 102,660 |
| Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary | 50 | $70,060 |
| School Psychologists | 90 | 77,490 |
Additional Resources
- Wyoming Psychological Association (WPA): Group promoting the profession of psychology that provides resources and continuing education opportunities for members.
- Wyoming School Psychology Association (WSPA): Association that advocates within the school psychology field, organizing and promoting continuing education activities.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to become a psychologist in Wyoming?
The amount of time usually depends on how quickly you complete the educational requirements for psychology licensure. A bachelor’s degree usually takes four years, stand-alone master’s degrees usually take two years, and doctoral programs can take anywhere from four to seven years. Wyoming requires an additional two years of verified professional experience, although one year is typically completed during your doctoral program. In total, most individuals spend around a decade to become a psychologist, although the process may take less or more time, depending on your choices.
What degree do I need to be a licensed psychologist in Wyoming?
The Wyoming Board of Psychology requires that you earn a doctoral degree–either a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) or a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Psychology–in order to apply for licensure.
How much do psychologists in Wyoming make?
The BLS provides salary information for Wyoming clinical and counseling psychologists, who earned an average of $72,900 annually as of May 2021, while school psychologists earned an average of $77,490 per year, “all other” psychologists earned $102,660, and postsecondary psychology teachers earned an average of $70,060 per year, as of May 2021.1
References:
1. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics, May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, Wyoming: https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_wy.htm
2. Projections Central, Long Term Occupational Projections: https://projectionscentral.org/Projections/LongTerm