Psychology in Missouri: Learn About Becoming a Psychologist in MO
Explore Missouri’s psychology licensure requirements and learn how to become a psychologist in Missouri with this guide for students and professionals.
Missouri urgently needs more licensed mental health professionals. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), Missouri has one of the most severe shortages of any state.
KFF data from Dec. 2024 indicates that only 14.2% of Missouri’s mental health care needs are met. This figure was just over half of the already-low national average of 26.4%.
You can help while entering a promising job market by pursuing Missouri psychology licensure. This guide explains how to become a psychologist in Missouri in full detail.
Psychologist Salaries in Missouri
Psychology professionals in Missouri tend to earn salaries below national averages, but the state also had the sixth-lowest cost of living in 2024. The table below summarizes state-specific salary ranges for various psychology specializations:
| Job Title | Lowest 10% | Average Annual Salary | Highest 10% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical and counseling psychologists | $38,430 | $87,730 | $131,920 |
| School psychologists | $53,890 | $67,830 | $103,770 |
| Psychologists, all other | $45,450 | $105,540 | $154,190 |
Psychologist Licensing in Missouri
Missouri psychology licensure requirements cover education, experience, and examination. To meet educational standards, you must hold a doctoral degree in psychology accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA), the Canadian Psychological Association, or the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System. Your qualifying degree must also include a supervised field experience, internship, practicum, or lab component.
Supervised experiential training requirements must cover at least 3,500 hours. At least 2,000 of those hours need to come from a pre-internship or pre-doctoral post-internship experience.
If you hold a master’s degree in psychology, you can complete these 2,000 hours at any time while enrolled in a doctoral program. If you lack a master’s degree, you must complete at least one year of your doctoral program before accumulating qualifying hours.
The remaining 1,500 hours must come from a supervised internship experience. You must complete all these hours in no less than 12 months and no more than 24 months.
In addition, you must pass three examinations to satisfy Missouri psychology licensure requirements:
- The Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP)
- Missouri’s jurisprudence examination
- An oral examination issued by the Missouri State Committee of Psychologists (SCOP)
Missouri also offers licensure by endorsement and reciprocity. You can apply for licensure by endorsement if you have already passed the EPPP and meet all other state standards. To obtain licensure by reciprocity, you must hold a current psychology license issued by another U.S. jurisdiction and have at least five years of experience with that license.
License Requirements for Psychologists in Missouri
Missouri psychology licensure requirements include all of the following:
- A doctoral degree in psychology approved by the APA or another accreditor recognized by the SCOP
- At least 3,500 hours of supervised experiential training
- Passing scores on the EPPP and Missouri’s jurisprudence exam
- Pass an oral examination issued by the SCOP
Demand for Psychology in Missouri
According to a 2023 University of Missouri analysis, Missouri faces the largest shortage of behavioral health care professionals in the United States. The assessment was based on Growing Stress on the Farm, a 2020 study that tracked a 78% increase in suicides among residents of rural Missouri from 2003-2017, among other similar trends.
Labor market analysts agree that Missouri is a welcoming destination for psychology professionals. The following table tracks near-term Missouri job growth projections for four different psychology specializations:
| Job Title | Job Growth (2022-2032) |
|---|---|
| Clinical and Counseling Psychologists | +10.9% |
| Industrial-Organizational Psychologists | +14.3% |
| Psychologists, All Other | +7.4% |
| Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary | +4.8% |
