Psychologist Degrees in New York - NY

By an allied health world contributing writer
Published: February, 5 2010

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that only five states have a higher concentration of social science workers than the state of New York. Nearly one out of every 200 city employees here holds a psychology degree in New York (0.47 percent) and works in the social science field, including psychology.

In terms of raw numbers, only California has more social science-oriented employees than New York, which has nearly 40,000 residents in that field. The average social science employee makes $31.91 per hour, which is 34 percent higher than the average wage of all of the state’s employees.

For those who choose a psychology major in New York the doctoral degree must be in the field of psychology and must have been granted due to the completion of a doctoral psychology program that is registered as licensure qualifying by the New York State Education Department, or be considered an equivalent degree according to the Regulations of the Commissioner. All applicants who apply later than December 31, 2001 will need to meet the criteria that went into effect in New York following that date.

A substantial equivalent of a licensure qualifying program in New York needs to be provided by an accredited institution or organization that has been approved by the New York State Education Department, or acknowledged by certain civil authorities as an acceptable psychology-based doctoral program in the legal area in which the school is located.

The program undertaken by those interested in a psychology major in New York needs to be planned and carried out by the institution for the purpose of prepping graduates to practice professional psychology on an independent basis.

The program needs to be considered substantially equivalent to the specifications for the registration of a licensure qualifying doctoral program in the psychological field in the state of New York.

The program for those pursuing a psychology degree in New York should include a minimum of three years of full-time study or a part-time equivalent of full-time study.

The program should comprise 30 semester hours of course work or more that was earned at the institution that granted the doctoral degree.

U.S.-based programs need to be accredited by a regional accrediting body that has been approved by the New York State Board of Regents or the United States Department of Education.

Continuing Education

According to nepsy.com, a website for psychologists in the New England area, New York is one of nine states in the U.S. that does not require psychologists to complete continuing education courses. However, the NYSPA does have a Continuing Education Program. NYSPA members must achieve at least 36 hours of continuing education credits in a time span of three years or less to qualify for recognition of completion of the program.

These credit hours must meet the following criteria for psychology students in New York:

1. Of the 36 required credits, 24 or more of them need to come from programs that are sponsored by the NYPSA or its regional affiliates that have received approval for their programs by the American Psychological Association (APA).
2. Of the 36 required credits, 12 of them can come from other programs or from remote learning opportunities, provided that they have been approved by the APA or NYSPA.
3. Psychologists are only eligible to receive a certificate of completion of the Continuing Education Program once every three years. The credits may be used for only one certificate.