OAR 858-010-0010: Education Requirements — Psychologist

To meet the education requirement of ORS 675.030(1), applicants for licensure must possess a doctoral degree in psychology from an approved doctoral program in psychology, as set forth below: (1) A program accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) or the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) as of the date the degree was conferred; (2) A program accredited by the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS) as of the date the degree was conferred ;or (3) A program at an institution of higher learning that was regionally accredited as of the date the degree was conferred, if the program submitted an application to the APA or CPA for accreditation prior to the date the degree was conferred and has been granted a site visit by the APA or CPA. The program must not have withdrawn its APA or CPA accreditation application or have been denied accreditation as of the date the licensure applicant enrolled in the program; or (4) A foreign program where APA or CPA accreditation is not available. The applicant must have their program evaluated by a credentialing body recognized by the Board. Submission of foreign degree evaluation and cost of the foreign degree qualification determination are the responsibility of the applicant. The applicant must show that their graduate program in psychology meets all of the following requirements: (a) A minimum of three academic years of full-time graduate study. (b) A minimum of one continuous year in-residence at the institution from which the degree is granted. (A) One continuous year means two consecutive semesters or three consecutive quarters. (B) In-residence means physical presence, in person, at an educational institution or training facility in a manner that facilitates acculturation into the profession, the full participation and integration of the individual in the educational and training experience, and includes faculty and student interaction. (C) The doctoral program may include distance education, but a minimum of one continuous year of the program shall be in-residence. Programs that use physical presence, including face-to-face contact for durations of less than one continuous year, (e.g., multiple long weekends and/or summer intensive sessions) or that use video teleconferencing or other electronic means as a substitute for physical presence at the institution do not meet the in-residence requirement. (c) The program, wherever it may be administratively housed, must be clearly identified and labeled as a program in psychology. Such a program must specify in pertinent institutional catalogues and brochures its intent to educate and train professional psychologists. (d) The psychology program must stand as a recognizable, coherent organizational entity within the institution. (e) There must be a clear authority and primary responsibility for the core and specialty areas, whether or not the program cuts across administrative lines. (f) The program must be an integrated, organized sequence of study. (g) There must be an identifiable psychology faculty sufficient in size and breadth to carry out its responsibilities and a psychologist responsible for the program. (h) The program must have an identifiable body of students who are matriculated in that program for a degree. (i) The program must include a coordinated, sequential and supervised practicum appropriate to the practice of psychology as described in OAR 858-010-0012. (j) The program must include a coordinated, sequential and supervised internship, field or laboratory training appropriate to the practice of psychology as described in OAR 858-010-0013. (k) The curriculum of the program must: (A) Encompass a minimum of three academic years of full time graduate study, including a minimum of one continuous year in residence at the educational institution granting the doctoral degree; (B) Require an original dissertation or equivalent that was psychological in nature that meets the requirement for an approved doctoral program; and (C) Include at least 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours of credit in graded (not “pass-no pass”) courses. (l) The core program shall include a minimum of three graduate semester hours or 4.5 or more graduate quarter hours (when an academic term is other than a semester, credit hours will be evaluated on the basis of 15 hours of classroom instruction per semester hour) in each of the following substantive content areas: (A) Scientific and professional ethics and standards; (B) Research design and methodology; (C) Statistics; (D) Psychometric theory; (E) Biological bases of behavior such as physiological psychology, comparative psychology, neuropsychology, sensation and perception, physical ergonomics, or psychopharmacology; (F) Cognitive-affective bases of behavior such as learning, thinking, motivation, emotion, memory, cognitive information processing, or social cognition; (G) Social bases of behavior such as social psychology, group processes, organizational and systems theory; and (H) Individual differences in behavior such as personality theory, human development, personnel psychology or abnormal psychology. (m) All professional education programs in psychology must include course requirements in developed practice areas/specialties. (n) The program must demonstrate that it provides training relevant to the development of competence to practice in a diverse and multicultural society. (o) Demonstration of competence in clinical psychology shall be met by a minimum of 18 graduate semester hours or 27 graduate quarter hours in the following areas: personality and intellectual assessment, diagnosis, therapeutic intervention, and evaluating the efficacy of intervention. (p) If the program does not meet the core and/or clinical coursework requirements of (l) and (o), the applicant for licensure may remedy a deficiency of up to 6 semester hours or 9 quarter hours by completing graduate level coursework in the deficient content area(s) at a regionally accredited institution. (5) Applicants must provide syllabi or other documentation regarding course content upon the Board’s request.