Alabama N/A Requirements: Hours, Exams & Step-by-Step Guide

Licensure as a psychologist in Alabama is governed by the Alabama Board of Examiners in Psychology and the Alabama Administrative Code, Chapter 750‑X‑2. The Board focuses on doctoral education plus a qualifying pre‑doctoral internship, followed by exams. It does not impose a numeric postdoctoral supervised‑experience requirement.

Below is an organized guide built around the Board’s own rules and brochure language.

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1. Basic statutory qualifications

Under Ala. Code §34‑26‑41 and Rule 750‑X‑2‑.01, an applicant for psychologist licensure must provide evidence that: (legislature.state.al.us)

• Is of good moral character.
• Is at least 19 years of age.
• Has a doctoral degree in psychology from a department or school of psychology at an accredited institution (details below).
• Demonstrates competence in psychology by passing examinations prescribed by the Board (EPPP and Professional Standards Examination).
• Is not engaged in unethical practice under the APA Ethical Principles and Code of Conduct.
• Has not failed a Board examination within the preceding six months.

Alabama also requires proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful presence and a state/federal criminal history background check via ALEA and FBI, including two fingerprint cards and the ALEA fee. (psychology.alabama.gov)

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2. Doctoral education requirements

Type of degree

Rule 750‑X‑2‑.04 requires a doctoral degree in psychology from a department or school of psychology. Programs accredited (fully or provisionally) by the American Psychological Association (APA) automatically meet the Board’s definition of a department/school of psychology. (psychology.alabama.gov)

Graduates of non‑APA‑accredited programs can still qualify, but the program must satisfy detailed organizational and curriculum criteria, including:

• Organizational criteria (selected points):

  • Program is in an institution accredited by a regional accreditor.
  • Department clearly states its intent to educate and train psychologists.
  • Identifiable psychology faculty and student body; psychology faculty responsible for the curriculum. (psychology.alabama.gov)

• Curriculum criteria (selected points): (psychology.alabama.gov)

  • At least three academic years of full‑time graduate study, with:
    • At least two years at the degree‑granting institution.
    • At least one year in full‑time residence at that institution.
  • At least 60 semester hours (90 quarter hours) of graduate‑level psychology coursework, excluding internship, with specified core areas (statistics, ethics/professional standards, research methods, history and systems, biological bases of behavior, cognitive‑affective bases, social bases, individual behavior, etc.).
  • Course credit for thesis/dissertation, practica, or internship does not count toward the 60‑hour minimum.

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3. Required supervised experience: the pre‑doctoral internship

Alabama’s supervised‑experience requirement is met through a doctoral‑level internship that satisfies Rule 750‑X‑2‑.07. There is no separate numeric “total hours” requirement in state rule (such as 1,500 or 2,000), and no mandated postdoctoral supervised hours (see Section 4). Instead, the Board defines the internship in terms of structure, intensity, and weekly time allocations.

3.1. APA/CPA‑accredited internships

If your internship was accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) or the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) at the time you trained, the Board automatically recognizes it as meeting its internship requirements. (psychology.alabama.gov)

In practice, this means Alabama defers to the accrediting body’s hour standards for such internships (APA internships are typically around 2,000 total hours), but Alabama’s own rules don’t state a specific hour number—only that an APA/CPA‑accredited internship is acceptable.

3.2. Non‑accredited internships – detailed Board criteria

If your internship was not APA/CPA‑accredited, it must meet all elements of Rule 750‑X‑2‑.07(2). Key aspects tied to the type of hours and time include: (psychology.alabama.gov)

Nature of the experience

• The internship must be “an organized training program, in contrast to supervised experience or on‑the‑job training.” It must provide a planned, programmed sequence of training experiences to ensure breadth and quality.
• Training must occur after clerkship, practicum, and externship—i.e., at an advanced stage of doctoral preparation.

Direct client contact

• At least 25% of the trainee’s time must be in direct client contact.
  • “Direct client contact” is not separately defined, but it clearly refers to assessment and treatment activities conducted directly with clients in need of psychological services.

Supervision and didactic hours

• The internship must include a minimum of two hours per week of regularly scheduled, formal, face‑to‑face individual supervision that specifically addresses psychological services the intern provides.
• In addition, there must be at least two more hours per week of learning activities, which can include:
  • Case conferences involving the intern’s cases
  • Seminars on clinical issues
  • Co‑therapy with a staff member including discussion
  • Group supervision
  • Additional individual supervision

Together, this means a minimum of four hours per week devoted to formal supervision and structured learning, with at least two of those hours being individual face‑to‑face supervision. (psychology.alabama.gov)

Weekly time and duration

• Any internship experience claimed must total at least 20 hours per week. (psychology.alabama.gov)
• The internship must be the equivalent of one year of full‑time training, completed in:
  • No less than 11 months (10 months for school psychology internships), and
  • No more than 24 consecutive months. (psychology.alabama.gov)

Setting and supervision structure

The internship site must also meet these conditions: (psychology.alabama.gov)

• Agency has a clearly designated staff psychologist responsible for the integrity and quality of the training, licensed/certified by a state or provincial psychology board.
• Agency has at least two licensed psychologists on staff as supervisors.
• Internship supervision is provided by staff (or affiliates) who carry clinical responsibility for the cases; at least half of all supervision must be provided by one or more psychologists.
• Training covers a range of assessment and treatment activities conducted directly with clients requiring psychological services.
• Training is at intern level: trainees hold a title such as “intern,” “resident,” or “fellow,” not staff psychologist.
• The site has a written statement or brochure describing the goals and content of the internship and setting clear expectations about quantity and quality of work.

Use of multiple sites

• A maximum of two internship sites or consortium programs can be used to meet the requirement.
• If two sites are used:
  • Each must independently meet all criteria (a) through (n).
  • Each must provide at least 20 hours per week of internship training. (psychology.alabama.gov)

These are the only “hour‑type” requirements Alabama specifies: proportion of time in direct service, minimum weekly supervision/learning activities, minimum weekly hours, and duration equivalent to a full‑time training year.

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4. Postdoctoral supervised‑experience hours

Alabama is unusual in not requiring postdoctoral supervised experience hours for psychologist licensure:

• The Board’s own rules and brochure contain no postdoctoral hour requirement; the experience standard is entirely tied to the doctoral internship described above. (psychology.alabama.gov)
• The Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) supervised‑experience survey lists “0 Post‑Doc” hours required for Alabama. (asppbcentre.org)
• Independent licensure is available upon completion of the doctoral program, qualifying internship, and exams, without a mandated postdoctoral year. (careersinpsychology.org)

So, unlike a state that might require “1,500 supervised postdoctoral hours,” Alabama has no specified number of postdoctoral hours beyond whatever supervision you receive in employment.

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5. Examinations

5.1. Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP)

The Board uses the national EPPP to assess basic competence: (psychology.alabama.gov)

• Exam is designed by ASPPB and administered through Pearson VUE.
• The EPPP fee is paid to ASPPB/testing vendor and is separate from Alabama’s application fee.
• You cannot schedule the EPPP until the Board has reviewed your application and declared you eligible.

5.2. Alabama Professional Standards Examination (PSE)

All candidates (except those licensed under certain endorsement provisions) must pass Alabama’s Professional Standards Examination, a multiple‑choice test covering: (psychology.alabama.gov)

• Alabama psychology licensure law; and
• APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct.

Key features:

• Typically 42 multiple‑choice questions with a required 80% passing score (34 of 42). (careersinpsychology.org)
• Administered at the Board office in Montgomery during weekday morning hours.
• Fee of $50, paid when you sit for the exam (not with your initial application). (psychology.alabama.gov)

If you fail an examination, Board policy requires a six‑month wait before retaking; you may need to reapply if you fail more than once under a single application. (careersinpsychology.org)

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6. Application components and timeline

6.1. What you must submit

The Board’s “Information for Psychologist Applicants” brochure lists these core items: (psychology.alabama.gov)

1. Completed, notarized application form.
2. $400 non‑refundable application fee (check or money order payable to the Alabama Board of Examiners in Psychology).
3. Passport‑quality photograph.
4. Official transcripts from all post‑secondary education (sent directly from registrars).
5. Four positive references from psychologists, with at least:
   • Three who are licensed/certified at the doctoral level;
   • One from the dissertation advisor/department chair/program director;
   • One from the pre‑doctoral internship supervisor or internship training director (and if two internship sites were used, a reference from each site).
6. Degree Validation Form completed by the doctoral institution and sent directly to the Board.
7. Verification of licensure from any other jurisdictions where you hold or have held a psychology license.
8. Internship Documentation Form signed by both you and your internship training director (one for each internship site, up to two).
9. Two fingerprint cards, signed criminal history release, and ALEA fee for background check. (psychology.alabama.gov)

6.2. Deadlines and review process

• Application files must be complete by the first day of odd‑numbered months to be scheduled for review. (psychology.alabama.gov)
• The Board generally meets on the second Friday of odd‑numbered months to review completed applications.
• After review, you are notified in writing of:
  • Admission to examinations, or
  • Any deficiencies or decisions regarding licensure. (psychology.alabama.gov)

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7. Restrictions before licensure

The Board emphasizes that temporary licensure is not granted, and there is no provision to practice psychology prior to licensure in Alabama: (psychology.alabama.gov)

• You may not represent yourself as a “psychologist” on office doors, stationery, advertisements, etc., before you are licensed.
• Doing so constitutes a Class B misdemeanor and can cause the Board to suspend review of your application until the violation is resolved.

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8. Step‑by‑step summary

Putting the requirements together:

1. Complete a qualifying doctoral program in psychology that meets Rule 750‑X‑2‑.04 (APA‑accredited or equivalent).
2. Complete a doctoral‑level internship that:
   • Is APA or CPA‑accredited or
   • Meets all criteria in Rule 750‑X‑2‑.07, including:
     • At least 20 hours/week,
     • The equivalent of one year full‑time training (11–24 months; 10–24 months for school psychology),
     • ≥25% of time in direct client contact, and
     • ≥2 hours/week of individual face‑to‑face supervision + ≥2 hours/week of other learning activities. (psychology.alabama.gov)
3. Gather documentation: transcripts, Degree Validation Form, four psychologist references (including at least one internship supervisor), internship documentation, background‑check materials.
4. Submit application and $400 fee to the Alabama Board.
5. Once the Board approves your credentials, sit for and pass the EPPP.
6. Pass the Alabama Professional Standards Examination on state law and ethics.
7. Upon successful completion of exams and all requirements, the Board issues your license as a psychologist—with no additional postdoctoral hour requirement. (asppbcentre.org)

This reflects the current rules and Board brochure as of their latest posted revision (August 2022) and statewide regulatory information available in November 2025. For any application you plan to file, you should verify that no subsequent rule changes have been adopted by checking the Board’s website or contacting the Board office directly.