Psychologist Licensure in North Carolina: Degree, Supervised Hours and the EPPP
North Carolina licenses psychologists through the North Carolina Psychology Board under the Psychology Practice Act, G.S.
Chapter 90, Article 18G.
The permanent psychologist licence takes a doctorate from a clearly labeled program, two years of supervised experience totalling at least 3000 hours, at least 1500 of them postdoctoral, the EPPP at a scaled score of 500 and a state exam.
A master's-level licensed psychological associate can apply for independent practice since October 1, 2025.
North Carolina has been an effective PSYPACT member since March 1, 2021, and psychologists do not prescribe.
Verify before you rely on this
At a glance
Licensed psychologist (provisional and permanent) and licensed psychological associate (LPA); health services provider certifications HSP-P, HSP-PP (for provisional licensees) and HSP-PA sit on top of the licences (G.S.
90-270.153).
A doctoral degree based on a planned and directed program of studies in psychology from an institution of higher education, from a program publicly identified and clearly labeled as a psychology program (G.S.
90-270.145(a)(3)).
Of the two supervised years, one must be a formal training program: at least 1500 hours of practice completed within 24 consecutive months (21 NCAC 54 .2009(h)(4)-(5)).
APA-accredited internships are deemed to meet those criteria, and the statute lets one of these years be predoctoral (21 NCAC 54 .2009(h)(10); G.S.
90-270.139(d)(2)).
Required.
A minimum of 1 calendar year and 1500 hours of the 3000 supervised hours must be accrued at the postdoctoral level, and the statute requires one of these years to be postdoctoral (21 NCAC 54 .2009(a); G.S.
90-270.139(d)(1)).
EPPP at a scaled score of 500 for the psychologist licence, 440 for the LPA licence; State Examination at 78 percent; ethics renewal examination every two years (21 NCAC 54 .1901(a)).
No EPPP Part 2 requirement was found.
Yes: the licensed psychological associate, on a master's or specialist degree in psychology from a clearly labeled program, with the EPPP at 440.
Independent practice is available from October 1, 2025 after 4,000 supervised post-licensure hours (S.L.
2025-37; G.S.
90-270.139(e1)).
Member, in effect: NC 361, enacted 2020-07-01, effective 2021-03-01, per the PSYPACT Commission map as read in September 2026 (G.S.
Ch. 90, Article 18H).
None.
North Carolina psychologists do not prescribe.
Renew biennially by October 1 of each even-numbered year (G.S.
90-270.147(a)).
A minimum of 24 continuing education hours per biennial period, at least 15 under a Category A sponsor including at least 3 in ethics (21 NCAC 54 .2104(c)).
The North Carolina credential ladder
- Provisional license as a psychologistPre-licensure
For an applicant who meets everything for the psychologist licence except the two supervised years; while practising in North Carolina, a provisional licensee receives at least one hour per week of face-to-face individual supervision until the Board approves permanent status (21 NCAC 54 .2009(b)-(c)).
- Licensed psychological associate(LPA)Other
A master's- or specialist-level licence to practise psychology.
Supervision applies to the activities the Board lists, and the statute's independent-practice route ends supervision once the Board approves an application under G.S.
90-270.139(e1) (G.S.
90-270.145(b)(1)(c)).
- Licensed psychologistIndependent
The permanent doctoral licence to practise psychology: a clearly labeled psychology doctorate, two supervised years, the EPPP at a scaled 500 and the State Examination (G.S.
90-270.145(a); 21 NCAC 54 .2009(a), .1901(a)(1)).
- Health services provider certification (HSP-P / HSP-PP / HSP-PA)Other
Not a separate licence: after January 1, 1995 a permanently licensed psychologist providing health services must hold the HSP-P certification, granted on at least two years of acceptable supervised health services experience of which at least one year is postdoctoral; qualified associates can earn the parallel HSP-PA certificate, and provisional licensees the HSP-PP certificate (G.S.
90-270.153(b)-(d)).
Two licences, one provisional stage, one certification
North Carolina issues two licences: licensed psychologist, permanent or provisional, and licensed psychological associate.
A psychologist applicant who has everything except the two supervised years gets the provisional licence, and a doctoral applicant without the master's degree can still be licensed as an associate by passing the exam at the associate level (G.S.
90-270.139(d)(3); 90-270.145(b)(2)).
Anyone qualified by education who offers to practise must apply for licensure within 30 days (G.S.
90-270.139(a)).
On top of the licences, the Board certifies health services providers: HSP-P for psychologists, HSP-PA for associates, and HSP-PP for provisional licensees (G.S.
90-270.153(b)-(d)).
The seven-member Board seats three licensed psychologists, two licensed psychological associates and two public members (G.S.
90-270.140).
For how master’s-level psychology licences work where they exist, see the master’s-level psychology practitioner.
“A psychologist who meets all other requirements for a permanent license set forth in G.S. 90-270.145(a) except the two years of supervised experience shall be issued a provisional license at the Psychologist level and shall comply with supervision requirements specified in this Rule.”
A doctorate from a program that says psychology
The statute's education test is deliberately literal: the degree must come from a program that is publicly identified and clearly labeled as a psychology program, wherever the university houses it administratively.
The Board's rules fill in residence, internship and field experiences, course credits and content, and faculty numbers and qualifications (G.S.
90-270.145(a)(3)).
The same labeling test governs the associate's master's or specialist degree in psychology (G.S.
90-270.145(b)(1)(c)).
Applicants trained outside the United States, at either level, must show training and degrees substantially equivalent to those required of applicants trained within the United States (G.S.
90-270.145(c)).
For how the PhD and PsyD routes to this degree differ, see PhD vs. PsyD.
“a doctoral degree based on a planned and directed program of studies in psychology from an institution of higher education. The degree program, wherever administratively housed, must be publicly identified and clearly labeled as a psychology program.”
Two years, 3000 hours, and the postdoctoral half
Two thresholds govern: a minimum of 3000 supervised hours across two years, at least 1500 of them in at least one postdoctoral calendar year (21 NCAC 54 .2009(a)).
The statute frames them as experience germane to your training and intended area of practice, one of which shall be postdoctoral and one of which may be predoctoral (G.S.
90-270.139(d)).
Of the two years, one must meet the training-program criteria: a planned program completed within 24 consecutive months, at least 1500 hours, two hours per week of individual supervision plus two hours per week of instruction, at least half the supervision from doctorally trained psychologists (21 NCAC 54 .2009(h)).
The other year needs at least one hour per week of face-to-face individual supervision, 1500 hours, and completion within a consecutive 4-year period (21 NCAC 54 .2009(i)).
APA-accredited internships are deemed to meet those criteria, and .1611 exempts a postdoctoral trainee from licensure when the training meets them and the doctoral program was APA- or CPA-accredited at graduation.
Health-services supervision must come from certificate holders or psychologists the Board recognizes (G.S.
90-270.139(d)).
For the whole path from degree to licence, see how to become a clinical psychologist.
“a minimum of 2 years consisting of at least 3000 hours of supervised practice … A minimum of 1 calendar year consisting of at least 1500 hours of this supervised practice shall be accrued at the postdoctoral level.”
The EPPP, a state exam, and an ethics check every two years
Pass the EPPP at a scaled 500 for the psychologist licence or 440 for the associate licence (21 NCAC 54 .1901(a)(1)).
The score also steers an associate's supervision future: approval for the rule's lowest-supervision level takes a 500, or five years of practice for an associate who scored below it.
Every applicant also passes the Board's State Examination on the Psychology Practice Act, this Chapter's rules and the APA code of ethics at 78 percent, and licensees complete an ethics renewal examination every two years (21 NCAC 54 .1901(a)(2)-(3)).
Applicants must sit the first exam they are admitted to, and a second failure ends practice until reapplication (G.S.
90-270.139(b)); retakes are capped at four in a 12-month period, no closer together than 60 days (21 NCAC 54 .1903).
No EPPP Part 2 requirement appears in the rules read; ASPPB's integrated exam replaces the two-part format for first-time takers from fall 2027.
“The passing point for licensed psychologist shall be a scaled score of 500, and the passing point for licensed psychological associate shall be a scaled score of 440”
The associate's supervision levels, and who may supervise
Supervision attaches to the activities Rule .2006 lists: personality assessment, neuropsychological evaluation, psychotherapy or counseling with clinical populations, intrusive, punitive or experimental procedures, clinical supervision of others.
Practice avoiding them needs no supervision; salaried public-school employees are exempt for employed activities, contractors are not (.2008(b)-(c)).
Level 1 covers an associate yet to reach 3 calendar years and 4500 post-licensure supervised hours, one to four hours a month.
Level 2, one hour a month, is for an associate below the 500 pass point once those thresholds are met; Level 3, one every three months, follows at 500 or above, or after 5 years below it.
Either approval takes a Board-form application, average-or-above ratings for those years, a calendar year with the most recent supervisor, and their recommendation; sessions run 30 minutes to two hours, per work setting, across at most two supervisors (21 NCAC 54 .2008(h)).
Supervisors (.2001): a permanently licensed psychologist; a person in a State psychology position on December 31, 1979 (that position only); a doctoral-level psychologist licensed where the supervisee practises; an HSP-PA-certified associate approved for Level 3.
“Psychotherapy, counseling, and any other interventions with a clinical population for the purpose of preventing or eliminating symptomatic, maladaptive, or undesired behavior provided by a psychological associate require supervision.”
Independent practice for associates, since October 1, 2025
An LPA now has a statutory exit from supervision.
The Board must approve independent practice, without supervision by a qualified licensed psychologist or qualified licensed psychological associate, for an associate who has 4,000 hours of post-licensure experience delivering psychological services under qualified supervision within at least 24 and less than 60 consecutive months, documents all performance ratings as average or above average, and files an application with proof (G.S.
90-270.139(e1)).
The Board's page directs associates to apply before beginning independent practice.
After approval, an HSP-PA-certified associate may provide health services without supervision (G.S.
90-270.153(h)).
An associate licensed before June 30, 2013 who shows 4,000 supervised health-service hours within at least 24 and less than 60 consecutive months meets the requirements for HSP-PA certification (G.S.
90-270.153(i)) — a route to the certificate, not a separate independent-practice door; the (e1) requirements still apply.
Independence does not open neuropsychology or forensic psychology: those still require specialized education and training the Board determines (G.S.
90-270.145(b)(3)).
For which states let specially trained psychologists prescribe, and on what terms, see prescriptive authority for psychologists.
“Has 4,000 hours of post-licensure experience in the delivery of psychological services under the supervision of one or more qualified licensed psychologists or qualified licensed psychological associates within a time period of at least 24 consecutive months and less than 60 consecutive months”
PSYPACT: member, in effect since March 1, 2021
North Carolina enacted the Psychology Interjurisdictional Licensure Compact as Article 18H of chapter 90 (G.S.
90-270.160 et seq.); the sources read do not isolate the enactment date.
The PSYPACT Commission map, as read in September 2026, lists the state as a member in effect: enacted July 1, 2020, effective March 1, 2021.
The compact is doctoral-level only, so an LPA cannot practise under it.
A psychologist uses PSYPACT for telepsychology or temporary in-person practice in other participating states.
The Board's notice also runs inbound: a psychologist physically located in North Carolina must hold a North Carolina licence, or an exemption, regardless of where the client sits.
For how PSYPACT’s telepsychology and temporary-practice authorizations work, see PSYPACT explained.
“For a psychologist to provide psychological services when the psychologist is physically located in North Carolina, the psychologist must be licensed by the North Carolina Psychology Board (or exempt from licensure under the NC Psychology Practice Act) regardless of where the individual receiving the services is located.”
Moving to North Carolina: endorsement, mobility credential, ABPP, senior psychologist
Endorsement takes licensure or certification as a psychologist by a similar board in another jurisdiction, in good standing, graduation from an institution of higher education, a Board-prescribed examination, and senior psychologist status as the rules define it (90-270.146(a)).
The (a1) route repeats those two, adding a doctoral degree in psychology, a Board-prescribed examination, no unresolved complaints anywhere, and a current mobility credential (90-270.146(a1)).
The Board waives the national written exam for an ABPP diplomate in good standing (90-270.146(d)).
Senior status splits by level: psychologists need a doctoral degree in psychology plus 12 continuous years licensed at that level; associates need a master's, specialist or doctoral degree plus 12 continuous years licensed at the master's level, all by ASPPB-member state or provincial boards; both need 10 of them at 20-plus hours weekly, a clean record, no unresolved complaints and the State Examination; pre-1978 degrees relax the in-psychology test (21 NCAC 54 .1707).
A nonresident psychologist licensed by a substantially equivalent board may take a temporary licence up to 30 aggregate days a calendar year, complying with Board-set supervision requirements (90-270.139(f)).
“Upon application and payment of the requisite fee, the Board shall waive the requirement of the national written examination to any person who is a diplomate in good standing of the American Board of Professional Psychology.”
Biennial renewal and the 24-hour CE rule
Licences renew biennially by October 1 of each even-numbered year, with a late fee after that date (G.S.
90-270.147(a)).
The Board defines the biennial renewal period as running from October 1 of an even year to the last day of November in the next even year (21 NCAC 54 .2104(b)(2)).
Each period takes at least 24 continuing education hours, at least 15 under a Category A sponsor (the Board itself, APA and its approved sponsors, NASP and its sponsors, NCAHEC, or NCPA), including at least 3 ethics hours with ethics in the program title (21 NCAC 54 .2104(b)(3), (c)).
Caps: 3 hours for Board-required supervision, 9 hours of APA-doctoral coursework, and 1 hour for the ethics renewal exam (21 NCAC 54 .2104(f)-(h)).
Hours do not carry over between periods (21 NCAC 54 .2104(i)).
A licensee who falls short is not renewed and is suspended automatically under G.S.
90-270.148(f) (21 NCAC 54 .2104(a)).
“During each biennial renewal period, a licensee must complete a minimum of 24 continuing education hours, a minimum of 15 of which must be completed under a Category A program sponsor”
What changed in 2025, and citations that moved
Session Law 2025-37 (House Bill 67), Part III, titled Master's Level psychologist Reforms, was ratified June 25, 2025 and became effective October 1, 2025.
It added the independent-practice route at G.S.
90-270.139(e1), rewrote the associate supervision provisions in G.S.
90-270.139(e), amended the health-services certification section, G.S.
90-270.153, and rewrote the nominating committee for Board seats: the North Carolina Association of Professional Psychologists joins it, and it seeks nominees from licensees rather than the advice of graduate-department chairs (G.S.
90-270.140).
Of the Board rules read, .1707, .1901, .2001, .2008, .2009 and .2104 were last amended effective August 1, 2021, while the postdoctoral-trainee rule, .1611, was amended June 1, 2022; .1903 and .2006 are older.
One citation trap: the Psychology Practice Act was recodified from Article 18A (G.S.
90-270.1 et seq.) to Article 18G (G.S.
90-270.135-.155) by Session Law 2020-82, so older pages citing Article 18A are pointing at repealed sections.
“This Part becomes effective October 1, 2025.”
What This Page Does — and Doesn’t — Cover
This page summarizes the North Carolina 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 North Carolina Psychology Board 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 North Carolina Psychology Board before you count hours, register for an exam or apply — and before you take one of the clinical psychologist jobs in North Carolina that asks for it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a postdoc year to become a psychologist in North Carolina?
Yes.
The rule requires a minimum of 3000 hours of supervised practice across two years, and a minimum of 1 calendar year consisting of at least 1500 of those hours must be accrued at the postdoctoral level (21 NCAC 54 .2009(a)).
The statute requires one of these years to be postdoctoral and allows the other to be predoctoral, so a qualifying internship year can supply the predoctoral half (G.S.
90-270.139(d)(1)-(2)).
One of the years must also meet the rule's training-program criteria (21 NCAC 54 .2009(h)).
Confirm with the Board how your hours will be counted.
Can an LPA practise independently in North Carolina?
Yes, since October 1, 2025, but not by default.
The Board approves independent practice after an application showing 4,000 hours of post-licensure experience delivering psychological services under qualified supervision within at least 24 and less than 60 consecutive months, plus performance ratings that are all average or above average (G.S.
90-270.139(e1)); the Board asks associates to apply before starting.
An HSP-PA-certified associate may then provide health services unsupervised.
Associates licensed before June 30, 2013 can alternatively reach that certificate with 4,000 supervised health-service hours in at least 24 and less than 60 consecutive months (G.S.
90-270.153(i)).
What score do you need on the EPPP in North Carolina?
A scaled score of 500 for the licensed psychologist licence and 440 for the licensed psychological associate licence (21 NCAC 54 .1901(a)(1)).
Both titles also sit the Board's State Examination on the Psychology Practice Act, the Chapter's rules and the APA ethics code at 78 percent, and licensees take an ethics renewal examination every two years.
No EPPP Part 2 requirement was found; from fall 2027 ASPPB's single integrated exam replaces the two-part format for first-time takers.
Can a North Carolina LPA use PSYPACT?
No. PSYPACT is doctoral-level only, so a licensed psychological associate cannot practise under it in another participating state.
Psychologists can: North Carolina is an effective PSYPACT member, enacted July 1, 2020 and effective March 1, 2021, per the Commission map as read in September 2026.
The compact covers telepsychology and temporary in-person practice across member states.
Watch the inbound rule too — a psychologist physically located in North Carolina needs a North Carolina licence regardless of where the client is.
More North Carolina & Clinical Psychologist Resources
Sources
- G.S. Chapter 90, Article 18G, Psychology Practice Act (NC General Assembly) (retrieved 2026-09-24)
- 21 NCAC 54, North Carolina Psychology Board rules (NC OAH) (retrieved 2026-09-24)
- S.L. 2025-37 (House Bill 67), Part III, Master's Level psychologist Reforms (NC General Assembly) (retrieved 2026-09-24)
- G.S. Chapter 90, Article 18H, Psychology Interjurisdictional Licensure Compact (NC General Assembly) (retrieved 2026-09-24)
- North Carolina Psychology Board, home page (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 North Carolina Psychology Board.