Becoming a Clinical Psychologist in North Dakota
Find Programs for Clinical Psychology Degrees in North Dakota
OnlinePsychologyDegrees.com can help you choose the right psychology program. With our directory of schools in North Dakota you can request information from multiple programs without searching several sites. Review our directory of featured accredited colleges below to get started!
You may have known you wanted to be a psychologist since you were a child. Perhaps you have always had a caring nature and you were the one who came up with solutions for your friends and family.
If so, you already have some of the most important qualities of a psychologist. The next step is to complete your formal education in order to be eligible to work as a psychologist in North Dakota.
Clinical Psychology Degree Options and Curriculum
A doctorate degree is required to work with patients directly as a psychologist. That means you need to commit to at least seven years to full-time study to earn your degree. Your courses will begin with a broad-level overview and then become increasingly more specialized. Examples of classes that you might complete while earning your bachelor, master and Ph.D. degrees include:
- Lifespan Development
- Psychological Learning Theories
- History and Systems of Psychology
- Abnormal Psychology
- Research Methods
- Interpreting Statistics
- Psychological Testing
At the end of your Ph.D. program, you will be expected to research, write and defend a dissertation on the psychology topic of your choice. You should have the opportunity to complete off-site field work for college credit in your bachelor and master degree programs.
This work experience is not counted as part of the hours requirement to earn your psychologist license in North Dakota.
License Requirements
The North Dakota State Board of Psychologist Examiners oversees the licensing process for all psychologists in North Dakota. You are required to meet the following four components before you can become licensed:
- Completion of a doctoral degree in psychology from a school licensed by the American Psychological Association or the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards.
- 3,000 hours of supervised work experience completed over a period of two years.
- Passing score on the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology written exam.
- An oral exam to be scored by the board.
There is a $450 application fee and a $600 fee to take the exam. You must achieve a score of 500 or above to pass.
Career Outlook for Graduates in North Dakota
In May 2012, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) compiled a State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates for all 50 states. Psychology careers were divided into two groups. The first is clinical, counseling and school psychologists and the second is all other psychologists. North Dakota residents employed in the first category of psychologists earned a median annual wage of $69,020 in 2012.
- There were 170 people employed in this category during the report year, which is 0.43 for every 1,000 residents.
- A total of 40 North Dakota residents were employed in the category of all other psychologists.
- This is an average of 0.09 for every 1,000 working adults in the state.
Although there may not be a lot of psychologist jobs in North Dakota, the demand for skilled psychologists across the country is expected to grow by 22 percent annually through 2020. As long as you have earned your degree and met licensing requirements, there are numerous places you can look for work.
However, you need to check state reciprocity agreements should you decide to accept a position in another state. The demand within North Dakota is also expected to remain high due to the lack of qualified people to provide clinical psychological services and psychiatric research.
Move ahead in your career and pursue a degree in psychology. Use our directory of featured schools below to get started!
