Psychology Programs in Oregon

Whether you are an aspiring psychologist or are interested in another career in the psychology field, Oregon has many educational institutions offering all levels of psychology education that may prepare you for those jobs.

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How to Become a Psychologist in Oregon

Becoming a psychologist in the state of Oregon is a multi-step process and requires several years of dedication and study, including the following steps:

Earn a bachelor’s degree: As with many careers, the first step to becoming a psychologist in Oregon is to study for and earn a bachelor’s degree. You will typically major in psychology or a related subject, and the program will take around four years and 120 credit hours to complete.
Earn a master’s degree: Once you’ve completed your undergraduate degree, you can choose to study for a master’s degree. While some careers can be obtained with solely a bachelor’s and the title of “psychologist” requires a doctorate, having a master’s can be a bonus when applying for positions such as those in mental health counseling. The master’s degree will typically take around two to three years to complete and must include at least 45 quarter hours or 30 semester hours of graduate credit.
Complete doctoral requirements: Those wishing to become a licensed psychologist in Oregon must earn a doctoral degree in psychology from a program accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) or the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA). This will take a minimum of three years to complete.
Gain licensure: The final step to becoming a qualified psychologist in Oregon is to gain licensure. As well as completing the above, you must also complete one year (1,500 hours) of post-doctoral supervised work experience, including weekly supervision by a psychologist who has been licensed for at least two years. You must also pass both the Examination for the Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) and the Oregon Jurisprudence Exam (OJE) and pay the relevant fees, which we’ve detailed below.

Oregon Psychology Licensing and Exams

As mentioned above, anyone wishing to work as a psychologist must first gain licensure. In the state of Oregon, this involves studying for and passing both the Examination for the Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) and the Oregon Jurisprudence Exam (OJE).

Applicants must also complete one full year (1,500 hours) of supervised resident work experience, which will not only get trainees used to the work environment but expose them to a wide variety of real-world experiences on the job. This must be supervised by a psychologist who has been licensed for at least two years.

In addition to the above, applicants must also submit fingerprint and criminal background checks and pay a non-refundable application fee of $366.25. They may also wish to provide additional materials, such as references from respected individuals, including professors, group supervisors, and other colleagues who can attest to their professionalism and ability to practice psychology.

Once gained, licensure must be maintained and renewed every two years. To make the process simpler, even-numbered licensees renew in odd years, and odd-numbered licensees renew in even years.

Mental Health Sector Job Growth and Salaries in Oregon

Future job growth is predicted to be high across the board for psychology-based careers in Oregon, with figures set well above the national average. We’ve detailed just a few of the careers you could choose to embark on below, with salary data and job growth information given for each.

Mental Health Careers and Job Growth in Oregon

Career	Mean Salary	Average Salary Per Hour	Expected Job Growth (2016 – 2026)
Educational, Guidance, School, and Vocational Counselor	$62,250	$29.93	12%
Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychologist	$103,870	$49.94	16%
Rehabilitation Counselor	$44,100	$21.20	16%
Licensed Clinical Social Worker	$52,750	$25.36	17%
Marriage and Family Therapist	$58,050	$27.91	21%
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker	$49,380	$23.74	18%
Behavioral Disorder, Substance Abuse, and Mental Health Counselor	$59,390	$28.55	18%

Salary information from Bureau of Labor Statistics. Expected job growth information from CareerOneStop.

Recognized Psychology Specializations in Oregon

There’s a variety of different paths your psychology career can take. First and foremost, students must choose between becoming a licensed psychologist or psychology associate. These require different levels of study, as detailed above. Once licensed, psychologists can then choose to specialize in one of several areas. We’ve included a few popular choices below, but there are many more available for students to follow should something different spark their interest.

Educational, Guidance, School, and Vocational Counselors: Educational counselors provide an essential service within the school system, giving crisis intervention to students and working with parents, guardians, teachers, and other professionals to discuss children’s progress and resolve problems.
Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychologists: In a similar vein to educational counselors, school psychologists work within the educational environment to help students with learning disabilities or cultural barriers, as well as assisting students who may be experiencing personal problems.
Rehabilitation Counselor: Rehabilitation counseling has experienced a boom in recent years, leading to more job opportunities across the country. In this role, psychologists primarily work with people with developmental, intellectual, or emotional disabilities to help them overcome issues and live as independently and fully as possible.
Licensed Clinical Social Worker: Social workers assist people from all walks of life, both offering direct services to their clients and connecting them with outside providers when necessary. Clients range across all ages and lifestyles, and clinical social workers can be found in several different professional environments.
Marriage and Family Therapist: These therapists work to assist their clients with emotional issues that may impact a family unit such as anxiety, depression, divorce adjustment, childhood behavioral problems, alcohol and drug abuse, and eating disorders.
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers: In this career, psychologists will work closely with clients who are battling against various mental health issues and addictions, including drugs and alcohol.
Behavioral Disorder, Substance Abuse, and Mental Health Counselor: Similarly to the social workers above, these counselors work closely with their clients to assist them in overcoming the problems they face as a result of various mental health issues or substance abuse.

Oregon Psychology Spotlight Programs

There are many different institutions across the state of Oregon offering psychology programs accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) and the American Psychological Association (APA). Below we’ve detailed several, including information on the programs available, tuition fees, and more.

Portland State University (Portland)

Portland State University’s Department of Psychology focuses on applied psychology, with the goal of teaching its students to recognize and address societal problems in a real way. Not wanting their learners to be complacent, they not only teach theories but encourage critique and re-evaluation thereof. The school offers degrees at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels, as well as minors for undergraduate students. At the graduate levels, Portland State offers focuses on applied developmental, applied social, community, applied quantitative, and industrial/organizational psychology.

2020-2021 Tuition

Resident undergraduate: $9,561 per term
WUE undergraduate: $13,569 per term
Nonresident undergraduate: $28,413 per term
Resident graduate: $434 per credit hour
Nonresident graduate: $661 per credit hour

Oregon State University (Corvallis)

The School of Psychology at Oregon State uses cutting-edge research to train undergraduate and graduate students in the science of psychology. Several CACREP-accredited undergraduate psychology major and minor programs are available on campus, online, and via hybrid Portland ecampus courses. At the graduate level, a Ph.D. is also now available. For the 2019–2020 year, base full-time undergraduate tuition per term costs $3,580 for Oregon residents.

2019-2020 Tuition

Resident undergraduate: $11,715 for three terms
Nonresident undergraduate: $31,215 for three terms
Resident graduate: $14,598 for three terms
Nonresident graduate: $26,712 for three terms

Pacific University (Hillsboro)

Undergraduate psychology students at Pacific University may choose between several focuses including developmental, cognitive, and social psychology, personality, psychopathology, and behavioral neuroscience. Those who prefer to minor in the subject can do so in psychological health and well-being, and it is intended for those who want to work in related fields, but not psychology itself. The school also offers a Master of Arts in applied psychological science, which qualifies students to work as Licensed Psychological Associates or Licensed Professional Counselors in Oregon. Adittionally, Pacific offers both a Ph.D. and a Psy.D. in clinical psychology, both of which are APA accredited.

2020-2021 Tuition

Undergraduate: $48,260 per year
Master’s: $27,417 per year
Doctorate: $36,936 per year

University of Oregon (Eugene)

With a Bachelor of Arts or Science, Master of Arts, Master of Science, and an APA-accredited Ph.D. program to choose from, the University of Oregon’s psychology programs are held in high regard. Based in Eugene, the master’s programs cover subjects including cognitive neuroscience, developmental research, social and personality research, and systems neuroscience. The Ph.D. program is a research-heavy degree, and it is expected that students will be engaged as such throughout their time at university.

2020-2021 Tuition

Resident undergraduate: $13,857 per year
Nonresident undergraduate: $39.309 per year
Resident graduate: $17,787 per year
Nonresident graduate: $29,991 per year

George Fox University (Newburg)

George Fox is a Christian university, one of the few with APA-accreditation in the country, so they may be a good fit if a faith-based education is important to you. The school offers B.A., B.S., and Psy.D. paths directly in psychology, with the latter boasting a 100% placement rate in APA-accredited internships for the 2018-2019 school year. The entire student body receives financial aid as well.

2019-2020 Tuition

Undergraduate students: $38,370 per year
Doctoral Students: $950 per credit hour

Oregon Psychology Scholarships

Earning your degree can be expensive, but several scholarships are available for psychology programs in Oregon. Individual schools often offer their own scholarship programs, so always check with the financial aid website of the institutions you’re interested in while researching your educational options. Below we’ve listed some other sources for psychology degree scholarships to give you an idea of what’s available.

Office of Student Access and Completion: With more than 600 scholarship programs to apply for, OSAC awards more than $17 million annually. Awards range from $1,000 to more than $10,000, and recipients needn’t always be in financial difficulty or meet strict academic requirements.
University of Oregon Department of Psychology: The University of Oregon College of Arts and Sciences offers a variety of awards and scholarships for undergraduate students—including the Leona Tyler Scholarship, which awards $500 to students with a focus on subjects including individuality and diversity, counseling and clinical work, and human development; the Alice Thompson Scholarship, which awards $500 to students with a primary focus on subjects including cognition, brain physiology, or other physical science applications; and the Sheldon Zack Memorial Scholarship, which awards $500 for undergraduate psychology majors with a GPA of at least 3.0.
Oregon Community Foundation: OCF manages one of the most extensive scholarship programs of its kind in the country, giving thousands of awards to low-income Oregon students each year. In 2018 they awarded 3,560 scholarships at a total of $10.4 million. A variety of grants and other funding opportunities are also available.
Scholars for a Healthy Oregon Initiative: SHOI provides full tuition and fees scholarships for a limited number of eligible students entering specific clinical degree programs at Oregon Health and Science University. In return, the recipients of the fund agree to practice as a healthcare practitioner in a rural or under-served community in Oregon for a minimum of one year longer than the total years of funding received.
Oregon State University: The School of Psychological Science at Oregon State University offers the Psychology Engagement Scholarship, which is awarded to a continuing psychology major every year and provides $1,000 to be used toward educational expenses. The Undergraduate Education Committee takes applicants’ engagement in psychological activities, academic performance, and future potential into account when picking its benefactor.

Oregon Internships and Fellowships

Finding a relevant internship can be an incredibly valuable part of your psychology education in Oregon. Interns can undertake a wide variety of jobs, including filling out paperwork for doctors and nurses, assisting with treatment therapies, leading counseling sessions, and more. Internships can sometimes be found via your chosen psychology program or through job-finding websites such as LinkedIn and Indeed. Below we’ve detailed just a few of the options available.

Samaritan Health Services Psychology Internship Program: This program contains two different tracks, including a medical/health psychology track and a neuro-psychology track. Each consists of three different rotations, with major (24 to 32 hours per week) and minor (eight hours per week) areas of emphasis on topics such as didactics, research activities, class socialization, and administration activities.
Oregon State Hospital Psychology Internship Program: The OSH-PIP offers a one-year, full-time internship beginning August 15 of each year, based in the Salem campus of Oregon State Hospital. Interns are expected to complete 2,080 hours of training during the year and to abide by the APA Code of Ethics, the requirements of the OSH-PIP training program, and the policies and procedures of Oregon State Hospital.
Oregon State University: OSU has partnered with several organizations and facilities to offer internships to its students, and has an entire career development center portal to assist in the on-going search for internships and jobs.

Oregon Psychology Resources

Whether you’re a student just starting out on a psychology program in Oregon or a professional looking for advice, the following resources may be useful.

Oregon Psychological Association: The OPA is a not-for-profit professional association whose purpose is to promote psychology as a science and profession. It offers events, committees, expert advice, therapist-finders, and more.
Oregon State Board of Psychology: The Oregon Board of Psychology promotes, preserves, and protects the public health and welfare of Oregonians by ensuring the ethical and legal practice of psychology. On its website, you can find information on licensure, continuing education and more.
Oregon School Psychologist’s Association: The Oregon School Psychologist’s Association supports school psychologists in the state through advocacy, professional development, and community partnerships, with a wide variety of resources available on its website.

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