Kansas Psychology Licensure Requirements
In Kansas, psychology licensure is overseen by the Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board (the Board). If you are planning to obtain a license to practice psychology, you will need to complete certain educational requirements, finish supervised work experience, and pass a national exam. If this process seems overwhelming, don’t worry—we’ve prepared this guide to help you through it! On this page, you will find detailed instructions for each step to getting your psychology license in Kansas.
Table of Contents
- How to Become a Licensed Psychologist
- Licensure by Reciprocity
- License Renewal and Continuing Education
- Related Licenses
- Jobs and Salary Information
- Additional Resources
- Frequently Asked Questions
How to Become a Psychologist in Kansas
1. Earn a bachelor’s degree and (optionally) a master’s degree in psychology.
The first step towards becoming a licensed psychologist in Kansas is to earn a bachelor’s degree. It is not required that you major in psychology as an undergraduate, though you will likely need to complete additional prerequisites before entering a graduate program if your major was in something else. Bachelor’s degrees usually take four years (about 120 credit hours) to finish if you are attending school full-time.
Some people choose to complete a stand-alone master’s degree in psychology after they finish their bachelor’s degree. This is optional, and many students earn master’s degrees during their doctoral programs. However, it can be helpful for people who did not study psychology during their bachelor’s degree, as it can give you more experience and industry knowledge to make sure licensure is right for you before applying to doctoral programs. Also, Kansas offers a master’s level psychologist license that is available with a master’s degree, and which can lead to independent practice as a clinical psychotherapist, which may be another compelling reason to pursue a master’s in psychology degree in Kansas. Master’s degree programs in psychology usually take one or two years (30 to 40 credit hours) to finish.
2. Earn a doctoral degree in psychology.
The next step towards becoming a licensed psychologist in Kansas is to earn a doctoral degree in psychology. These programs usually take four to seven years to finish, and you will be awarded either a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Psychology or a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) when you finish. If you are not sure which psychology degree type you are interested in pursuing, check out the key differences on our home page.
To become licensed by the Board as a psychologist in Kansas, you must attend a doctoral program in psychology that is either accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) or meets equivalent standards. This program must also include an applied internship that is at least 1,800 hours long (unless the program is in industrial-organizational psychology, which does not require an internship). At least one hour of supervision from a doctoral-level licensed psychologist is required for every 10 hours that you work. These hours will count towards the supervised experience required for licensure.
For more information about schools with psychology programs in Kansas, please visit our Psychology Schools in Kansas page.
3. Submit your application for a temporary license to the Board.
The first step in the licensure process is to apply for a temporary license by completing the Application for Licensure for the Practice of Psychology form and submitting it to the Board along with a $175 application fee. The application form includes pages that will need to be completed by your predoctoral internship supervisors as well as your planned postdoctoral supervisors. During this step, you will also need to contact any schools where you earned a graduate degree and request that your transcripts be sent to the Board.
Once your temporary license has been issued, you will also need to pay a $100 temporary license fee. This license will be valid for two years and will allow you to practice under the supervision of a licensed psychologist.
4. Complete two years of supervised experience in your area of training.
Before being issued a full psychology license in Kansas, you will need to complete two total years (3,600 hours) of supervised experience in psychology. The first year of this (1,800 hours) may be earned during the internship that is required as part of your doctoral program. During this time, you will be required to receive at least one hour of supervision from a doctoral-level licensed psychologist for every 10 hours that you work.
The remaining 1,800 hours of supervised experience must be completed after you finish your doctoral degree and have obtained your temporary license. These hours must be earned in a setting where you have contact with professionals from disciplines other than psychology. During this year of postdoctoral supervised experience, you are required to spend at least 900 hours providing clinical services to patients and 180 hours providing other non-clinical services. You will need to receive at least one hour of supervision for every 20 hours of face-to-face patient contact and your supervisor must be a doctoral-level psychologist who has been licensed and practicing for at least two years.
Once you have completed your postdoctoral supervised experience, you will need to have your supervisor complete the Attestation of Supervised Psychology Professional Experience form that is included in the Application for Licensure for the Practice of Psychology and submit it to the Board.
5. Pass the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP).
When you receive your temporary license from the Board, you will also be granted permission to take the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP), which is administered by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB). You can take this test while you are still working on your post-doctoral supervised experience or you can choose to wait until those hours have been completed. The EPPP is a national exam that consists of 225 multiple-choice items across a number of areas of psychology. To pass the EPPP, you must earn a scaled score of at least 500, which is equivalent to correctly answering about 70% of the items. After you complete the exam, your scores will automatically be sent to the Board. There is a EPPP practice exam available to help you prepare.
6. Receive your full license from the Board.
After the Board has received notice that you have completed your supervised hours and passed the EPPP, if you graduated from an APA-accredited program you can expect notification within 30 days of your licensure status. If your program was not APA-accredited, the process may take four to six months due to the required verification process. Once you have paid a $50 licensing fee and this has been issued, you will be able to practice psychology independently. You can check the status of your application through the Board’s website at any time.
Kansas Licensure by Reciprocity
Although Kansas has not established licensure reciprocity with any specific states, you may be able to obtain a license to practice psychology in Kansas if you are already licensed elsewhere without applying for full licensure using the steps above. There are two ways to be eligible for licensure by reciprocity. The first is to provide documentation that the state that you are currently licensed in has licensure standards that are equivalent to those in Kansas. If this is not the case, you may still be eligible if you have a doctoral degree in psychology, hold an active license in another state that is in good standing, and have been practicing under that license for at least 15 hours per week for the past five years. If either of these situations applies to you, you can request a Kansas psychology license by completing the Licensure Application Through Reciprocity form and submitting it to the Board along with a $175 application fee.
License Renewal and Continuing Education
After you receive a psychology license in Kansas, you will need to renew it every two years. To be eligible to renew your license, you will first need to complete 50 continuing education (CE) hours during each renewal period. CE activities must be related to building your professional skills and can include activities such as attending workshops and seminars, taking graduate-level courses, and publishing articles. Although CE opportunities can cover a wide variety of topics, during each renewal period you must earn at least three hours from ethics-related activities and six hours related to diagnosis and treatment. CE hours can only be applied to the renewal period you are currently in and any extras cannot be transferred to the next period.
The Board will mail you a reminder when it is time to renew your license. When you have completed all your CE hours, you can renew your license by submitting a completed Application for Renewal of Licensure form or by using the Board’s online renewal system. You will also need to pay a $150 renewal fee.
Master’s level psychologists and clinical psychotherapists must also complete 50 hours of CE per two year renewal cycle, and renewal fees are $100 and $125, respectively. You will renew using theApplication for Renewal of Licensure form or by using the Board’s online renewal system.
Related Licenses
Clinical Psychotherapist
Some licensed master’s level psychologists are eventually eligible to become licensed as clinical psychotherapists, which allows them to practice independently. To be eligible for a clinical psychotherapist license, you must have been practicing under your master’s level psychology license for at least five years and have accrued at least 4,000 supervised hours approved by the Board following submission of a Clinical Supervision Training Plan. You will also need to be able to document your ability in psychological diagnosis and treatment by meeting and documenting at least two of the three following criteria:
- Nine hours of additional coursework in diagnosis and treatment or an EPPP score of at least 500
- Three years of practice in a setting that provides experience in diagnosis and treatment
- Confirmation from a licensed independent provider that you are able to able to diagnose and treat psychological issues
Once these criteria have been met, you can submit a completed clinical psychotherapist application to the Board along with a $50 application fee and $150 fee to obtain your clinical psychotherapist license.
Master’s Level Psychologist
Kansas offers master’s level psychology licensure, which allows individuals to work under the supervision of licensed, independent psychology providers (e.g., licensed psychologists, licensed clinical psychotherapists) or physicians. To be eligible for licensure as a master’s level psychologist, you must have either earned a master’s degree in psychology or be enrolled in a doctoral psychology program and have already passed your comprehensive exams. The training in your degree program must also have included at least 750 hours of supervised practicum experience.
To apply for this license, you will need to complete the Application for Licensure as a Master’s Level Psychologist form and submit it along with a $50 application fee. You will also need to take the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) and earn a score of at least 60%. If granted your license, you will need to pay a $150 licensing fee.
School Psychologist
To practice as a school psychologist in Kansas through the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE), you must complete a state-approved graduate program in school psychology at a regionally-accredited institution. Graduate coursework must be completed with a 3.25 cumulative GPA. Applicants must also pass the Praxis II standardized exam. Once requirements are met, you will submit an application form and $60 application fee. Application processing time is six to eight weeks.
Kansas Psychologist Jobs and Salary Information
Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicates that, as of May 2021, the average salary for clinical and counseling psychologists in Kansas was $96,950 and school psychologists earned an average of $70,490.1 Psychologists in Kansas in the “all other” category earned an average of $98,390 per year.1 Postsecondary psychology teachers in Kansas earned an average annual salary of $63,300.1
Prospects are good if you are planning to look for clinical, counseling, or school psychology jobs in Kansas, as these types of positions are expected to increase by 6.7% between 2020 and 2030.2 Postsecondary psychology teacher jobs are expected to increase by 8.3%. However, the number of “all other” psychology jobs in the state is not expected to increase at all during this same time period (for comparison, the projected nationwide growth in this field is just 2%).2
| Occupation | Number Employed1 | Average Annual Salary1 |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical and Counseling Psychologists | 430 | $96,950 |
| Industrial-Organizational Psychologists | N.Av. | N.Av. |
| Psychologists, All Other | 130 | $98,390 |
| Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary | 220 | $63,300 |
| School Psychologists | 610 | $70,490 |
Additional Resources
- Kansas Association of School Psychologists (KASP): Membership organization for school psychologists providing professional development opportunities, conferences, and resources to promote best practices in the school psychology field.
- Kansas Psychological Association (KPA): State psychology organization engaged in legislative advocacy and networking and continuing education opportunities for psychologists.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to become a psychologist in Kansas?
To become a licensed psychologist in Kansas, you will need to complete a doctoral degree in psychology and at least one year of postdoctoral supervised experience. This entire process usually takes about 10 years. However, this can vary based on your program’s requirements and how long you take to earn your supervised experience.
Does Kansas require a state exam for licensure?
To earn a psychology license in Kansas, you do not have to take any state-specific exams. However, you will need to pass the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP), which is a national exam required by most states for licensure.
How much do psychologists in Kansas make?
The average salary for a psychologist (excluding educators) in Kansas is $82,282.1 This varies by specialty, with counseling and clinical psychologists making an average of $96,950, school psychologists making an average of $70,490, postsecondary psychology teachers making an average of $63,300, and “all other” psychologists making an average of $98,390.1
References:
1. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics, May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, Kansas: https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_ks.htm
2. Projections Central, Long Term Occupational Projections: https://projectionscentral.org/projections/longterm