How to Become an Educational Psychologist

Educational psychologists typically work with learning centers and educational institutions and are involved in assessing the learning needs of individuals. They are also responsible for developing and executing effective interventions to help individuals overcome learning difficulties.

If this branch of Psychology looks interesting to you, then you should think about joining this field. To find out more about this line of work, read this article to learn how to become an Educational Psychologist in the U.S.

If you possess strong analytical and critical thinking skills, then you might be an ideal candidate for an Educational Psychologist role.

Read the licensing and training guidelines highlighted below and discover what it takes to become a Psychologist in the U.S.

Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics

The career outlook figures published by BLS indicate that the job opportunities for Psychologists will shoot up by 14% from 2018 to 2028.

The path to becoming an Educational Psychologist includes the following steps:

1. Complete a Bachelors and a Master’s Degree in Psychology

After getting your high school diploma, you should start looking at undergraduate programs at different universities and check whether they are offering a Psychology major. Many schools are currently offering a 4-year long Bachelor of Science (B.S) or a Bachelor of Arts (B.A) program in Psychology. You can enroll in any of these two programs.

Once you have completed your undergraduate education, you can enroll in a Master-level program, such as a 2 year-long Master of Science (M.S) in Educational Psychology or an M.Ed. (Master’s in Education) in Educational Psychology. Some of the topics that you will study during your Master’s program will include the following: Introduction to Educational Research, Advanced Learning Theories and Principles of Measurement.

2. Obtain an Advanced Degree (if required by the State)

As per the guidelines published by BLS, aspiring psychologists usually need to obtain a doctoral degree or an education specialist degrees (Ed.S.) from an accredited school.

You might want to check with your state which degree they require for Educational Psychologists. For instance, in order to work as a Licensed Educational Psychologist in California, candidates only need a Master’s degree in Psychology from an accredited university.

3. Apply for a State License
Educational Psychologists are required to get a license, which is issued after they pass a written exam. According to the information shared by BLS, licensing laws generally vary by the type of position and by state. Thus, it is advised that you log on to your state pages to find reliable state-specific licensing guidelines.

The first step is to obtain a Bachelor’s degree (B.S or B.A) in Psychology, which can be completed in four years. After getting done with the Bachelor’s degree, candidates have to enroll in a Master’s degree (M.S or M.A) in Psychology, which can take up to two years to complete. Students can also enroll in a Doctoral Program and can major in Educational Psychology. The doctoral program can be completed in seven years.

In order to work as an Educational Psychologist, you will have to:

Separate employment data for the category of Educational Psychologists is not available on the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, therefore we will use the category of ‘Psychologists (All Others)’ as our point of reference. It has been reported that annual mean wage of this category was $98,230 in 2019.