Psychology Programs in Nevada

Those with a psychology degree in Nevada can have many career options, from being a private practice clinical psychologist in Pahrump to being a mental health technician in a hospital setting in Reno, or being a youth therapist in Vegas. If you’re interested in getting your degree locally, there are many paths among Nevada-based institutions of higher education.

Featured Programs:

Nevada Psychology Spotlight Programs

Nevada’s public and private colleges and universities offer psychology programs at all levels of education. Here are a few that stand out.

University of Nevada–Reno (Reno)

A renowned land-grant research institution, the University of Nevada-Reno is known for affordability: more than half of the school’s students graduate with no debt.

Undergraduates at the University of Nevada-Reno can earn a general B.A. in psychology or choose a concentration in either behavior analysis or research specialization. Behavior analysis is also available as an M.A. or a Ph.D. Other Ph.D. options include clinical psychology and cognitive and brain science.

In-state tuition for resident undergrads is $233 per credit for the 2019–2020 academic year. Non-residents pay $256.25. Graduate tuition is $285.75 for in-state residents. Out-of-state students pay $314.25 for fewer than seven credits. Seven graduate credits or more is a flat rate of $7,525.50.

University of Nevada–Las Vegas (Las Vegas)

The University of Nevada-Las Vegas is known for its diversity, stemming from its location in Las Vegas. It’s also known for its rich tradition of research. Faculty members conduct cutting-edge research in areas such as clinical psychology, cognitive psychology, and neuroscience. Even undergraduates are encouraged to work as research assistants in the university’s many labs.

The university offers undergrads both a B.A. and a minor in psychology. Graduate students can opt for a Ph.D. in either clinical or experimental psychology. Students can earn academic credit by signing up or volunteering for independent study and independent research courses.

Undergraduate tuition is $4,086 per semester for residents and $11,611 for non-residents. Graduate tuition is $3,081 and $10,606.

Sierra Nevada College (Incline Village)

World-class skiing and the beauty of Lake Tahoe aren’t the only reasons to study psychology at Sierra Nevada College. There is no graduate program, but the undergraduate B.A. coursework has the feel of a master’s. Every psych major will design and carry out at least one original research project, from developing a hypothesis to designing an experiment to performing a statistical analysis of the results. When they’re done, they’ll write their results for publication and present them at conferences and the SNU Psychology Research Fair. Tuition is $34,319 per academic year or $382 per credit online.

Nevada State College (Henderson)

Located at the foot of Mount Scorpion, Nevada State College offers sprawling views of the Las Vegas Valley and beyond. Its buildings are modern and energy-efficient, and the open space on the 511-acre campus was designed with sustainability in mind—the campus cafe doubles as an organic teaching garden.

Psychology is offered to undergraduates at the college as a B.A. or B.S., with the option of a minor in counseling. Both programs provide the traditional general education and core courses, but they also expose students to unique conceptual courses like the psychology of money.

Tuition is $168.25 per credit for Nevada residents and $6,250.50 per semester for non-residents.

How to Become a Psychologist in Nevada

To work as a psychologist in Nevada, you have to meet both the educational prerequisites and the licensing requirements established by the state.

Education Requirements to Become a Nevada Psychologist

You need a doctorate to earn the title of “psychologist.” There are many related careers, however, that you can begin with only a master’s degree or even a bachelor’s degree.

If you do decide to pursue a Ph.D. or a Psy.D., it usually won’t be necessary to earn a master’s degree first, although some doctoral programs do require a master’s. Even if your program doesn’t require it, however, you might consider getting a master’s before you move onto a doctorate. Intermediate graduate work can ease the transition to the challenges of a doctoral program, as opposed to jumping straight into a Ph.D. or Psy.D. right out of undergraduate school. Also, a master’s program can help you decide on a specialty.

The APA officially recognizes around 20 specialties and proficiencies within the field. You might notice while browsing programs that some of the more popular and common specialties in Nevada include counseling psychology, clinical neuropsychology, school psychology, and couple and family psychology.

Nevada Psychology Licensing and Exams

Earning a doctoral degree is a significant accomplishment, but it still doesn’t qualify you to begin your career. To work as a psychologist in Nevada, you’ll have to first earn a professional license.

The Nevada Board of Psychological Examiners is responsible for licensing psychologists in the state. The board issues a single psychologist license and three training registrations: psychological trainee, psychological intern, and psychological assistant.

To earn a full license you must complete an APA-accredited doctoral program. If the program was not APA accredited, you are responsible for proving equivalency. You must also complete two years of supervised training, including 2,000 hours of pre-doctoral training and 1,750 post-doc. Licensing also requires that you pass two exams. The first is the national Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP)—although depending on when you apply, it might be the EPPP2, as Nevada is an early adopter of that test. You’ll also have to pass the Nevada State Exam.

There are also several fees, including the $150 application fee, a $300 state exam fee, and a $500 biannual renewal fee.

Once you earn your license, you’ll have to renew it every two years. To do that, you need to complete 30 hours of continuing education credits, at least six of which must be in ethics and up to 15 of which can be taken online.

Nevada is unique in that it licenses school psychologists separately through the state Board of Education. The process is similar, but the tests, fees, and specific training hour requirements are different.

Psychology Specializations in Nevada That Do Not Require a Doctorate

Nevada recognizes several related specialties that don’t require doctoral degrees. To work in any of them, however, you must first earn a license. They each have their own licensing boards, but the process is similar to the path followed by psychologists: get a degree, complete a set number of supervised training hours, take exams, pass a background check, and pay fees.

You also need to renew your license periodically by completing continuing education credits.

Alcohol and drug abuse counselor: The Nevada State Board of Examiners for Alcohol, Drug, and Gambling Counselors regulates and licenses substance abuse counselors. You can become a certified alcohol and drug abuse counselor with a bachelor’s degree, but you need a master’s to work as a licensed clinical drug and alcohol abuse counselor. In this specialty, you’ll work with clients to diagnose, treat, and manage identified or suspected issues with addiction. You might also counsel families and others who are affected by the behavior of the client.
Marriage and family therapist: The State of Nevada Board of Examiners for Marriage and Family Therapists and Clinical Professional Counselors governs this specialty, which involves identifying, addressing, and improving issues related to family and relationship dynamics. Your work could involve individuals, couples, and entire families. Marriage and family therapists must have a graduate degree.
Clinical professional counselor: The same board also regulates and licenses clinical professional counselors. These professionals work with a wide variety of clients grappling with a wide variety of issues in an equally broad range of settings. They might work in prisons, state agencies, or nursing homes. They might counsel people struggling with professional, emotional, sexual, or family issues. This specialty, too, requires a graduate degree.
Social worker: Social workers fall under the jurisdiction of the Nevada Board of Examiners for Social Workers. They work with clients who are experiencing a crisis like abuse, neglect, homelessness, domestic violence, or poverty. They counsel clients and guide them toward the appropriate social services. Social workers can be licensed with a bachelor’s or master’s degree, but clinical social workers and independent social workers are required to earn a master’s.
School counselor: The Nevada Department of Education licenses school counselors, who work with students, parents, educators, administrators, and communities to create safe and positive learning environments. They might counsel and advise students dealing with problems in school or at home and develop and institute programs dealing with issues like bullying. You need a master’s degree to work as a school counselor in Nevada.

Job Growth and Psychologist Salary in Nevada

As with every state, your choice of specialty will have an impact on what you can expect to earn during your career. However, for most of the specialties listed below, Nevada has salaries that are higher than the national average for those jobs. This is yet another reason to start your psychology career in Nevada!

Career	Median Annual Salary (May 2018)	Median Salary Per Hour	Expected Job Growth (2016 – 26)
Psychologist Careers
Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychologists	$77,200	$37.12	+13%
Psychologists—All Other	$76,560	$36.81	no data available
Other Specialties in Psychology
Educational, Guidance, School, and Vocational Counselors	$56,880	$27.35	+16%
Licensed Clinical Social Workers—All Other	$79,030	$37.99	+9%
Marriage and Family Therapists	$54,430	$26.17	+23%
Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorders Counselors	$49,270	$23.69	no available data

All data from O*NET.

Nevada Psychology Scholarships

Scholarships are awards that you can use to offset the cost of education. You don’t have to pay them back. Some are based on merit or need, and others are based on specific criteria such as demographics or type of student (e.g., women, Latinos, or military personnel).

The following list of scholarships are Nevada based. Visit our general scholarship page to find information about scholarships from across the country for all students.

The Nevada Guarantee: The University of Nevada-Reno offers the Nevada Guarantee program, which awards free tuition, books, and fees for the full four years. The need-based award is for students whose family incomes are less than $50,000. Awards are for students in all fields.
Sierra Nevada University: 100% of incoming Sierra Nevada University students get scholarships or grants ranging from $7,000 to $25,000. Merit scholarships are also available for incoming freshman for $13,000–$18,000, depending on GPA, or $10,000–$16,000 for transfer students. Awards are for students in all fields.
Scorpion Academic Scholarship Program: Nevada State College offers this merit-based award for incoming freshmen with GPAs of 3.25 and up. The three GPA tiers award $500, $1,250, and $2,000 per semester. Awards are for students in all fields.
NSC Foundation Scholarships: The Nevada State College Foundation funds many scholarships, some of which are department-specific while others are open to all students. More than half a dozen fall into that last category, and in total, the foundation funded more than $300,000 in awards in 2018–19 alone.
American Association of University Women: The AAUW’s Boulder City, Nevada, branch is offering scholarships to young women who have resided in Boulder City or Henderson for at least one year. Candidates must have completed at least 15 college-level credits with a GPA of 2.5 or better and must currently be enrolled in a degree program at an accredited college or university. Awards are up to $1,500. Awards are for students in all fields.
Edward Herbert Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship: This indeterminate award is for Nevada U.S. Army Guard commissioned officers who completed an undergraduate degree and are enrolled or accepted in a graduate psychology program.

Nevada Internships and Fellowships

Fellowships and internships are similar, but fellowships focus more on academic or professional development while internships concentrate on training. Both often come with stipends or other financial rewards and can satisfy a crucial part of a psychologist’s licensing obligations.

Nevada Psychology Internship Consortium: This APA-accredited program offers one-year, full-time doctoral internship opportunities at three training sites within the consortium. It comes with a stipend of $28,000 and provides many other resources, including travel funding and training materials. Licensed psychologists supervise interns for at least four hours per week, two in groups and two individually. Interns will complete at least one research project or program evaluation.
University of Nevada-Reno Counseling Service Doctoral Internship: This program has three, one-year positions to fill, each of which includes 2,000 hours of training. Interns will receive generalist training through a variety of supervised experiences at a major university counseling center. It comes with a stipend of $35,568 plus benefits.
UNLV Barrett Graduate Fellowship: This position is open to doctoral students who have displayed scholarly excellence in a graduate program at UNLV. It includes a $15,000 stipend, health insurance, full tuition and fees up to nine credits per semester, and, if applicable, an out-of-state tuition waiver.
VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System Psychology Internship Program: This is a one-year internship program that involves 2,080 hours of training. Applicants must be enrolled in an APA-approved clinical or counseling psychology doctoral program. VASNHS, located in metropolitan Las Vegas, serves 70,000 enrolled veterans and is home to 37 approved psychology positions. The position comes with a stipend of $23,974.

Make sure to use job sites like LinkedIn and Indeed, as well as Chegg Internships, to learn about other opportunities.

Nevada Psychology Resources

The following organizations and associations provide valuable resources no matter where you are in your schooling or career. They offer benefits like databases of laws and guidelines, networking and information-sharing opportunities, continuing education resources, and licensing information.

Nevada Psychological Association: The NPA offers internship opportunities and information about outside internships. It provides a range of resources for students, including student-to-student networking, specialization advice, and didactic opportunities.
Nevada Board of Psychological Examiners: This organization serves as the gatekeeper for students who want to become psychologists. It vets candidates, issues licenses, manages renewals, and provides all the necessary information and documentation about the licensing process.
Nevada Counseling Association: The NCA is Nevada’s largest organization of mental health professionals from different disciplines. It offers professional development and continuing education resources, networking and information-sharing platforms, and industry news.
Nevada Association of School Psychologists: This organization is dedicated specifically to the state’s school psychologists, who are licensed separately by the Board of Education. It hosts events, serves as a networking platform, offers industry news, and conducts advocacy, outreach, and policy promotion campaigns.
State of Nevada Association for Addiction Professionals: SNAAP offers several different membership packages, including one for students, one for military, one for associates, and one for professionals. Membership comes with free continuing education credits and discounted rates on things like independent study courses, conferences, publications, certification, and insurance.
Nevada Health Services Corps: Established in 1989, the Corps was created to match practitioners to designated areas of need. Health professionals who enter the NHSCwill be assigned to a community and practice as full-time clinicians in exchange for loan repayment funds.

TOP ONLINE SCHOOLS

Online

{{ campus.City }}, {{ campus.State }}

{{ program.Name }}

See more programs