How to Become a Psychologist in Indiana
To become a licensed Psychologist in Indiana you are required to have a doctoral degree in psychology or a closely related subject such as educational psychology, this must be from an accredited or approved school. When you choose which doctorate degree you are going to pursue be aware that you will be narrowing your career focus at this point. It is worth speaking to a careers advisor for some guidance.
What Are the Education Requirements to Become a Psychologist in Indiana?
In order to gain licensure as a psychologist in Indiana, you must have a degree at the doctorate level- both a Ph.D. and a PsyD are valid. Your doctorate must be in Psychology or a closely related field like educational psychology or counseling psychology. Read more about IN psychology schools.
Having a masters degree is essential in order to gain licensure as a Psychologist in Indiana. However, you must continue with higher education and also gain a degree at doctorate level with a Ph.D. or a PsyD in order to fulfill licensure requirements.
Indiana Supervised Experience and Examination Requirements
Once you have attained your doctorate degree, whether it’s a Ph.D. or a PsyD the next step before you can apply for licensure in the state of Indiana is to complete the required amount of internship experience. As part of your doctorate degree, you must complete 1500 hours of internship experience, this must be completed with two years of finishing your degree. After this you must then go on to gain 1600 hours of supervised work experience with a qualified supervisor, you must complete these hours in less than a year.
When you have both your doctorate degree and have reached the required total of internship experience you can then proceed and apply for licensure from the Indiana State Psychology Board. Once your licensure has been reviewed and approved you are then able to sit the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology, which is the final necessary step for being granted licensure in the state of Indiana.
Note: For detailed information about how to earn a psychology license in Indiana, please see the Indiana Board of Psychology overview of licensure as a psychologist.
What Can I Do with a PsyD or a Ph.D. in Indiana?
Once you have your doctorate degree you have fulfilled nearly every requirement to becoming a licensed psychologist. When considering your career options, you will clearly see how your educational path will positively influence your career options. A natural progression from a PsyD is to a clinical career that involves a lot of patient contact. This is also a career option for Ph.D. graduate, however, most Ph.D. graduates tend to gravitate towards a career working in research or teaching.
What Are the Differences Between Programs?
There are standard, longstanding differences between a PhD and a PsyD program and these apply in the state of Indiana. Both degrees fulfill the licensure requirements in the state of Indiana completely however graduates from the two different programs will have focused on different areas. A Ph.D. program focuses heavily on research and this emphasis carries on into the thesis as Ph.D. students are required to produce a thesis that contains original research and that contributes to the field of psychology. A PsyD, however, doesn’t carry the same emphasis on research and demands a shorter thesis from its students. PsyD students will spend more time focusing on clinical work with a high priority placed on patient contact.
Psychologist Career Outlook in Indiana
The average annual salary for psychologists in Indiana varies between specialties. Clinical and counseling psychologists in the state average $83,500 annually. Their school psychologist colleagues have an average yearly salary of $69,220 and the average for psychologists in other fields is $95,380. The top 10% of clinical psychologists in Indiana make upwards of $135,000 a year indicating a wealth of career advancement opportunities in the state.
Schools with Degree Programs Accepting Students in Indiana
Additional Psychology Resources Indiana:
- Indiana Counselor Licensing
- Indiana Social Work Licensing
- Indiana Marriage and Family Therapist Licensing
- Explore Additional Psychologist Careers
2022 US Bureau of Labor Statistics job market trends and salary figures for psychologists in Indiana are based on national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed July 2023.
