Psychologists in Chicago enjoy numerous employment opportunities, along with a worthwhile salary figure. The state of Illinois ranks at number 4, in the list for the states with the highest employment level in this occupation, with 4,700 opportunities, as per the 2018 data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.If you want to become a part of this field in Chicago, you will have to fulfill certain educational, experience and licensure requirements. It must be noted that all states in the US require psychologists to be licensed to be eligible to practice. Therefore, it is important for you to understand the following steps to become a psychologist in Chicago.

How to Become a Psychologist in Chicago?

In order to become a part of this field in Chicago, you will have to meet certain requirements. The following list of steps sheds some light on these requirements in detail.

  1. Get a Bachelor’s Degree


    2. This degree does not need to be in a psychology major, though it would help to have a fundamental understanding of the basic psychology concepts. It will typically take 4 years to complete this program.

  1. Get a Master’s Degree in Psychology

    2. You may go for a Master of Science or a Master of Art degree in Psychology, which can take approximately 2 years to complete. To get into a master’s program, students will have to submit their GRE or GMAT scores, along with meeting other admission requirements. You would not have to complete this step if you go for a doctoral program in psychology that includes a master’s component.

  1. Get a PhD or a PsyD

    2. This is the minimum level of education required to become a psychologist in the US, as per the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. You must get one of these two degrees through an accredited program. If you want to go into the research sector, you are advised to go for a PhD, whereas if you want to go for clinical practice, you will need a PsyD degree. Both these degrees would take four to seven years to complete.

  1. Get Licensed to Practice in Illinois

    2. After completing all the educational requirements, students will have to complete the licensure requirements. These would include completing one year of experience after your doctorate degree. This means the completion of 1,750 hours of supervised practice, followed by submitting an application for examination to the board.

Once your application has been accepted, you will be given an exam date for the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP). If you manage to get the required minimum score on this exam, you will be eligible to apply for and get a license to practice psychology in Chicago. Along with the application, you will also have to give a fee for processing.