Psychologist Licensure in Alaska: Degree, Supervised Hours and the EPPP
Alaska licenses psychologists and psychological associates through the Board of Psychologist and Psychological Associate Examiners, part of the Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing.
The psychologist licence takes a doctorate with a predoctoral internship of at least 1,500 hours, plus one year of postdoctoral supervised experience — at least 1,500 clock hours within 10 to 24 consecutive months — the EPPP at 500 and a two-hour state examination.
A master's-level psychological associate licence takes two years of post-master's supervised experience and the EPPP at 450.
Alaska joined PSYPACT effective September 20, 2026.
Verify before you rely on this
At a glance
Psychologist and psychological associate, with temporary licences for each while the holder completes the supervised experience (AS 08.86.135, AS 08.86.166).
An earned doctorate in clinical psychology, counseling psychology, or an equivalent field of specialization, from a program meeting the regulation's additional criteria for the doctorate (12 AAC 60.083); the board may not deny recognition solely because the program lacks accreditation by a professional organization of psychologists (AS 08.86.130(a)(1), (b)).
Yes: a predoctoral internship of at least 1,500 hours completed within 24 months, with setting, supervision and direct-contact criteria, is required for the doctorate (12 AAC 60.083(a)(4)); APA-accredited programs are recognized as meeting the section (12 AAC 60.083(c)).
Yes, as the rule is written: one year of postdoctoral supervised experience approved by the board — not less than 1,500 clock hours completed in not less than 10 and not more than 24 consecutive calendar months, with at least one hour of individual face-to-face supervision each week (AS 08.86.130(a)(3); 12 AAC 60.080).
It cannot begin in the state until the board approves the plan and issues the temporary licence (12 AAC 60.020(e)); a temporary licence will not be issued to an applicant receiving supervised experience in another jurisdiction (12 AAC 60.020(i)).
The EPPP — 500 or higher on the computerized version for psychologists, 450 for associates — plus the state examination, passed at 70 percent or higher.
No EPPP Part 2 requirement was found in the rule read as of September 2026.
Yes: the psychological associate, on an earned master's degree in the same three fields, two years of post-master's supervised experience approved by the board and the associate examination (EPPP at 450).
Whether an associate may practise independently: not stated in the sources read.
Member, in effect: Alaska H.B.
110, enacted June 22, 2026, effective September 20, 2026, per the PSYPACT Commission map as of September 2026; AS 08.86.225 enacts the compact.
None.
Alaska psychologists do not prescribe.
An average of 20 credit hours of continuing education for each year during the concluding licensing period, at least three of them in professional ethics, and at least half live interactive (12 AAC 60.260).
The Alaska credential ladder
- Temporary license (psychologist route)Pre-licensure
A temporary licence for an applicant who holds the doctorate and meets the conduct rule but has not finished the year of postdoctoral supervised experience; it is valid for two years from issuance and extendable on a showing of necessity, and it ends when the supervised experience ends (AS 08.86.135; 12 AAC 60.020(j), (h)).
- Temporary license (psychological associate route)Pre-licensure
A temporary licence for an associate-route applicant who holds the master's degree, meets the conduct rule and has already passed the associate examination; it is valid for two years from issuance and extendable, while the holder completes the two years of post-master's supervised experience (AS 08.86.166; 12 AAC 60.020(b), (c)).
- Psychological associateOther
The master's-level licence: an earned master's degree in psychology, two years of post-master's supervised experience approved by the board and the associate examination, to provide psychological services within the nature and extent of the associate's training and experience as defined in regulation (AS 08.86.160, 08.86.164).
- PsychologistIndependent
The doctoral licence: an earned doctorate in psychology, one year of board-approved postdoctoral supervised experience, the EPPP and the state examination (AS 08.86.130).
Two licences, two temporary licences, and a protected title
Alaska's chapter issues two permanent licences: the doctoral psychologist licence and the master's-level psychological associate licence.
The title statute works alongside the practice bar, so the title and the work both need a licence.
Each route also has a temporary licence for the supervised-experience period, and the two differ in a way that matters for planning: the psychologist-route temporary licence requires only the degree and the conduct rule, while the associate-route temporary licence requires the applicant to have already passed the associate examination.
Both expire when the plan period ends, so the supervised experience needs a realistic schedule from the start.
For how master’s-level psychology licences work where they exist, see the master’s-level psychology practitioner.
“Unless licensed under this chapter, a person may not use the title "psychologist" or a title, designation, or device indicating or tending to indicate that the person is a psychologist or practices psychology.”
A doctorate in clinical, counseling, or an equivalent specialization
The statute names the acceptable fields: clinical psychology, counseling psychology, or education in a field of specialization the board considers equivalent, and it adds that the board may not deny recognition to an institution solely because its program has not been accredited by a professional organization of psychologists.
Accreditation is not the whole story, because the regulation sets additional criteria every doctoral program must require: the equivalent of three full-time academic years of graduate study, two through the degree-granting institution and one in full-time residence; course work across methodology, the foundations of psychology and ethics; a supervised practicum; and a predoctoral internship (12 AAC 60.083(a)).
The internship must run at least 1,500 hours and finish within 24 months, with its own setting, supervision and direct-contact criteria (12 AAC 60.083(a)(4)).
Programs accredited by the American Psychological Association's Education and Credentialing Committee are recognized as meeting the section (12 AAC 60.083(c)), and a missing course requirement can be made up when the deficiency is no more than two courses (12 AAC 60.083(d)).
For how the PhD and PsyD routes to this degree differ, see PhD vs. PsyD.
“the internship experience must consist of at least 1,500 hours and must be completed within 24 months.”
The postdoc question: one year, 1,500 clock hours, after the degree
The postdoctoral year sits on top of the degree and its internship, and the two hour totals are separate requirements.
The statute requires one year of postdoctoral supervised experience approved by the board, and the rule counts it precisely: not less than 1,500 clock hours, completed in not less than 10 and not more than 24 consecutive calendar months, at 20 to 40 hours a week during weeks worked.
The rules read define the year as post-doctoral experience (12 AAC 60.070(b)) and give no route to satisfy it with hours earned before the degree is conferred — the predoctoral internship fills its own requirement under 12 AAC 60.083, not this one.
The postdoc year may be earned in any postdoctoral training program approved by the American Psychological Association, or another program the board finds equivalent (12 AAC 60.080(a)(8)).
Unsupervised practicums, clerkships and externships do not count (12 AAC 60.080(b)).
For the whole path from degree to licence, see how to become a clinical psychologist.
“a year of experience must consist of not less than 1,500 clock hours completed in not less than 10 months and not more than 24 consecutive calendar months; during weeks the applicant works, the applicant must obtain at least 20 hours, but not more than 40 hours, of supervised experience per week”
The EPPP at 500, a state exam at 70 percent, and no Part 2
Every examination applicant verifies having passed the EPPP and then passes the state's own objective examination, for which candidates are given two hours.
The passing scores differ by licence: 500 or higher on the computerized EPPP for psychologists and 450 for associates, and at least 70 percent on the state examination for both.
The state examination draws on AS 08.86, AS 47.30.655–47.30.915, the licensing regulations and the American Psychological Association's standards and code of conduct, so it is a real jurisprudence test rather than a formality.
No EPPP Part 2 requirement was found in the rule read as of September 2026 — and that question is time-limited, because ASPPB's single integrated EPPP replaces both parts for first-time takers from fall 2027 and is the only version from April 1, 2028.
“To pass the EPPP examination a psychologist applicant must achieve the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) recommended passing score of either 500 or higher on the computerized version or 70 percent or higher on the non-computerized version of the examination.”
Choosing a supervisor: credentials, weekly contact, and board-approved plans
Under 12 AAC 60.020(e), the supervised experience cannot begin in the state until the board approves the plan and issues the temporary licence — valid two years, extendable on a showing of necessity (12 AAC 60.020(c), (j)); no temporary licence is issued for supervised experience in another jurisdiction (12 AAC 60.020(i)).
12 AAC 60.070(b) ties the psychologist applicant's year to supervision by a licensed psychologist or an ABPP diplomate, and 12 AAC 60.080(a)(4) requires at least 80 percent of supervised experience with a licensed psychologist, an ABPP diplomate or a person holding a doctorate in psychology whom the board considers qualified to supervise, allowing up to 20 percent with certain other licensed professionals qualified in the specialty.
Weekly contact: one hour of individual face-to-face supervision during the postdoc year; for the associate route, two face-to-face hours — one individual — plus two learning activities in the first post-master's year (12 AAC 60.080(a)(3)).
Supervisors verify the experience in writing (12 AAC 60.080(d)); an alternate plan varying the weekly-contact rule needs board approval before the experience begins (12 AAC 60.080(c)).
“An applicant may not begin post-doctoral degree or post-master degree supervised experience in the state until the board approves the applicant's plan for obtaining supervised experience and issues a temporary license under this section.”
The psychological associate: eligibility, scope, and an open question
The associate licence requires an earned master's degree in the same three fields as the doctorate, two years of post-master's supervised experience approved by the board, and a pass on the board's associate examination (AS 08.86.160(a)); the regulation adds program criteria for that master's — course work across methodology and the foundations of psychology plus a supervised practicum (12 AAC 60.084).
Exam eligibility adds a coursework floor — the equivalent of at least 48 semester credit hours of graduate work in the specialty, including a practicum — plus recommendations from the applicant's immediate supervisor if a licensed psychologist, or from two licensed psychologists holding doctorates (AS 08.86.162).
Once licensed, the associate provides psychological services within the nature and extent of training and experience as defined in regulation.
Whether that includes independent practice is not settled by the sources read: the rule on supervisory relationships for associates, 12 AAC 60.025, was repealed effective 3/27/98, and no continuing-supervision requirement was found in the rules read — but neither was an independent-practice authorization.
Confirm the reading with the board before relying on either.
For which states let specially trained psychologists prescribe, and on what terms, see prescriptive authority for psychologists.
“A psychological associate shall be licensed to provide psychological services within the nature and extent of the psychological associate's training and experience as defined in regulation.”
PSYPACT: in effect since September 20, 2026
AS 08.86.225 enacts the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact into law, and the board's duties include implementing it (AS 08.86.070(9)); the compilation read does not show the enactment year.
The PSYPACT Commission map, as read in September 2026, lists Alaska as a member in effect: H.B.
110, enacted June 22, 2026, effective September 20, 2026.
An Alaska psychologist can use the compact to practise telepsychology or temporarily in person in another participating state, through ASPPB's E.Passport or Interjurisdictional Practice Certificate plus the matching PSYPACT authorization.
PSYPACT is doctoral-only, so the psychological associate licence does not travel under it.
For how PSYPACT’s telepsychology and temporary-practice authorizations work, see PSYPACT explained.
“The Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact as contained in this section is enacted into law and entered into on behalf of the state with all other states and jurisdictions legally joining it in a form substantially as follows”
Moving to Alaska: licensure by credentials and courtesy licences
A psychologist licensed elsewhere can be licensed without examination under AS 08.86.150 through three routes: an out-of-state licence whose examination and qualification requirements were essentially similar to or higher than Alaska's, held on a doctoral degree with primary emphasis on psychology that satisfies AS 08.86.130; diplomate status in good standing with the American Board of Professional Psychology; or certification with a credentialing organization the board has approved in regulation, at essentially similar or higher requirements.
The verifications must reach the department directly from the issuing jurisdiction, the ABPP or ASPPB (12 AAC 60.030(b)), and credential applicants also submit fingerprints and fees for the national criminal history record check (AS 08.86.150(b)).
For short stays, the board issues a one-time courtesy licence authorizing no more than 30 days of practice in a 12-month period, on verification of an independent licence in an equivalent jurisdiction and the EPPP score (12 AAC 60.035).
Renewal CE: an average of 20 hours a year, half of it live
Each psychologist and psychological associate seeking renewal must document an average of 20 credit hours of continuing education for each year during the concluding licensing period, and at least three of the total hours must be in professional ethics.
Publications and presentations can each earn 20 credit hours if published, accepted, or presented during the two-year reporting period immediately preceding the licence renewal (12 AAC 60.330(a)), capped at half of the renewal total (12 AAC 60.330(b)).
At least half of the required hours must be live interactive — programs in which students and instructors engage with the content and each other in real time, in person or over the internet; pre-recorded or self-study hours do not qualify (12 AAC 60.260(c), (d)).
Fifty minutes of instruction counts as one credit hour (12 AAC 60.270(a)).
“Each psychologist or psychological associate seeking license renewal shall obtain and document an average of 20 credit hours of continuing education for each year during the concluding licensing period”
What changed in 2026: PSYPACT went live in September
The dated changes are PSYPACT — H.B.
110, enacted June 22, 2026, effective September 20, 2026, per the PSYPACT Commission map — and the repeal of 12 AAC 60.065, the rule on reviewing courtesy-license applications, effective 5/3/2025, which appears on the face of the September 2026 compilation.
Beyond those, the section's read of the compilation identified no other 2023–2026 amendments to the psychologist and psychological associate rules.
The compilation does not reproduce history notes, so an amendment that predates the 2026 compilation would not show as a recent change here; treat the board's own announcements as the check for anything newer.
Fingerprints, conduct, and who the statute does not reach
Licensure applicants are fingerprinted and provide fees for a national criminal history record check under AS 12.62; the resulting information may be used only to judge the applicant's qualifications and fitness (AS 08.86.130(a)(5)).
The statute also requires that the applicant has not engaged in dishonorable conduct related to the practice of counseling or psychometry (AS 08.86.130(a)(2)).
The practice-and-holding-out bar in AS 08.86.180 does not apply to five groups: school psychologists working within a supervised school-district role, federal officers and employees practising in their official duties, students, interns and residents in board-approved training designated by titles such as psychology intern or psychology trainee, qualified members of another profession working within their training and ethics code without holding out as psychologists, and physicians in the normal practice of medicine (AS 08.86.180(b)).
Nothing in the chapter authorizes a licensed psychologist to engage in the practice of medicine (AS 08.86.180(c)).
What This Page Does — and Doesn’t — Cover
This page summarizes the Alaska statute, rules, board pages and other documents cited above, as read for this state-by-state psychologist licensure series, current as of September 2026.
It does not list application forms, fees beyond those cited above, or processing times, and it is not a substitute for the instructions the Alaska Board of Psychologist and Psychological Associate Examiners (CBPL) publishes.
Hour totals, exams and supervision rules change by statute and by board rule; for how the two doctoral routes differ, see PhD vs. PsyD.
Confirm every requirement with the Alaska Board of Psychologist and Psychological Associate Examiners (CBPL) before you count hours, register for an exam or apply — and before you take one of the clinical psychologist jobs in Alaska that asks for it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a postdoc to become a psychologist in Alaska?
Yes — and it is not the only hour total.
The doctorate must include a predoctoral internship of at least 1,500 hours completed within 24 months (12 AAC 60.083(a)(4)(H)); APA-accredited programs are recognized as meeting that section, and other programs must meet those criteria themselves.
On top of the degree, AS 08.86.130(a)(3) requires one year of postdoctoral supervised experience — at least 1,500 clock hours in 10 to 24 consecutive months — which cannot begin in the state until the board approves the plan and issues the temporary licence (12 AAC 60.020(e)); a temporary licence will not be issued for supervised experience in another jurisdiction (12 AAC 60.020(i)).
Can an Alaska psychological associate practise independently?
The sources read do not settle it.
The licence's scope is providing psychological services within the nature and extent of the associate's training and experience as defined in regulation (AS 08.86.164(a)), and the specific supervisory-relationship rule for associates, 12 AAC 60.025, was repealed in 1998.
No continuing-supervision requirement was found in the rules read, but no independent-practice authorization was found either.
Ask the Board of Psychologist and Psychological Associate Examiners how it reads the licence before you plan a private practice around it.
What exams does Alaska require for psychologist licensure?
Two.
The EPPP, where a psychologist applicant needs 500 or higher on the computerized version (associates need 450), and the board's state examination — an objective, two-hour test passed at 70 percent or higher, covering AS 08.86, AS 47.30.655–47.30.915, the licensing regulations and the APA's standards and code of conduct.
No EPPP Part 2 requirement was found in the rule read as of September 2026.
ASPPB's integrated EPPP replaces both parts for first-time takers from fall 2027, so check with the board which version you will sit.
I am licensed in another state. Can I get an Alaska licence without retaking exams?
Possibly, through licensure by credentials (AS 08.86.150).
Three routes qualify: an out-of-state psychologist licence whose examination and qualification requirements were essentially similar to or higher than Alaska's, backed by a doctoral degree with primary emphasis on psychology satisfying AS 08.86.130; diplomate status with the American Board of Professional Psychology; or certification with a credentialing organization the board has approved in regulation.
Verifications must reach the department directly from the issuing jurisdiction, the ABPP or ASPPB, and credential applicants still submit fingerprints for the criminal-history check.
How much continuing education does Alaska require?
An average of 20 credit hours for each year during the concluding licensing period (12 AAC 60.260(b)), with at least three of the total hours in professional ethics.
Publications and presentations earn up to 20 credit hours each when published, accepted, or presented during the two-year reporting period immediately preceding the licence renewal (12 AAC 60.330).
At least half must be live interactive: programs where students and instructors engage with the content and each other in real time, whether in person or online — pre-recorded and self-study hours do not count (12 AAC 60.260(c), (d)).
More Alaska & Clinical Psychologist Resources
Sources
- Alaska DCCED/CBPL — Statutes and Regulations: Psychologists and Psychological Associates (AS 08.86; 12 AAC 60), rev. 9/21/2026 (retrieved 2026-09-24)
- PSYPACT Commission — PSYPACT Map (retrieved 2026-09-24)
Sourced from the statute, rules, board pages and other documents cited above.
Verified September 2026.
This is career information, not legal or clinical advice — confirm current rules with the Alaska Board of Psychologist and Psychological Associate Examiners (CBPL).