How To Become a Psychologist in Rhode Island 2025

If you want to pursue a career in psychology, then you probably have questions about how to become a psychologist or how long it takes to get a psychology degree.

The educational requirements to become a psychologist slightly differ depending on whether you are focusing on research or clinical practice. Research typically only requires a master's degree, while clinical practice requires a doctoral degree, licensure, and supervised experience.

Below, we explain how to become a psychologist and the requirements in Rhode Island.

What Does a Psychologist Do?

Psychologists study human development and behavior. Depending on whether they pursue research or clinical practice, they may study more about particular mental health conditions, teach psychology, or work with clients in private practice or other settings.

Psychologists in clinical practice also diagnose mental health conditions, provide therapeutic options, including talk therapy and medications, and offer support to individuals and families.

4 Steps To Become a Psychologist in Rhode Island

There are multiple steps to becoming a psychologist, from earning your degree from an accredited institution to passing licensure exams. Below, we explain the steps to become a psychologist in Rhode Island, including tips for the fastest way to become a psychologist.

Step 1: Earn Your Bachelor's and Master's Degrees

If you want to become a psychologist, you must first earn your bachelor's degree from an accredited program. On average, it takes four years to earn a bachelor's degree, but you may complete your degree sooner if you enroll in a program where you can earn an accelerated psychology degree online.

You may pursue graduate school and earn a master's degree if you are interested in research or teaching. A master's program may also help prepare you for a doctoral program.

Step 2: Earn Your Doctoral Degree

To become a licensed psychologist in Rhode Island you must earn a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) or Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) from an American Psychological Association or APA-accredited program. You will also complete a predoctoral internship where you will participate in 1,500 hours of supervised experience.

You may earn your degree via an in-person learning experience or by searching for accredited psychology programs online.

Step 3: Apply For Your Temporary Permit and Pass The Licensure Exam

You must apply for your temporary permit once you complete your doctoral degree to finish your remaining hours of supervised experience.

You must also pass the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) to receive your psychology license from the state board. For more information about licensing, you can contact the Rhode Island Department of Health.

Step 4: Receive Your License And Complete Continuing Education

Once you have passed the EPPP and completed your post-doctoral supervised practice, you should receive your psychology license from the state board. To maintain your license, you must complete 24 hours of continuing education via online seminars or other formats every two years.

What Are the Best Degrees for a Psychologist?

The degree you earn will depend on which area of psychology you want to pursue, whether that's research or clinical practice. If you want to pursue research or teaching, you may only need to earn a master's degree. However, if you want to pursue clinical practice, then you'll need to earn a doctoral degree and meet the licensure requirements set by the Rhode Island Board of Psychology.

Top Psychology Degree Programs

Do you want to become a psychologist? Keep reading to learn more about where you can find relevant psychology programs, including schools where you can earn the most affordable online psychology degree.

1. University of Rhode Island

The University of Rhode Island offers two doctoral psychology programs � one in behavioral psychology and one in clinical psychology. The behavioral psychology program trains students to be researchers, while the clinical psychology program trains students in both research and practice.

Students who select the behavioral psychology program may be interested in teaching as well.

• Estimated tuition cost: $918 per credit (in-state); $1,788 per credit (out-of-state)
• Accreditation: New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), Commission on Accreditation of the APA (CoA-APA)

2. Rhode Island College

Rhode Island College, a public college based in Providence, RI, offers a Master of Arts (MA) in psychology program that prepares students for research careers and further study at the doctoral level. Both full-time and part-time options are available, with full-time students typically completing the program in two years.

Students must submit undergraduate transcripts, resumes, and three letters of recommendation to apply. Note that there is also a $50 non-refundable application fee.

• Estimated tuition cost: $528 per credit (in-state); $792 per credit (for neighboring states such as Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, and Maine); $1,028 per credit (out-of-state)
• Accreditation: NECHE

3. Roger Williams University

Roger Williams University offers a graduate-level psychology program in forensic mental health counseling. This two-year, full-time program prepares students to obtain licensure and provide clinical counseling in forensic settings.

In addition to studying topics such as psychopathology and family violence, students will complete two clinical practicums and one clinical internship.

• Estimated tuition cost: $490 per semester (for all residency statuses)
• Accreditation: NECHE

4. Bryant University

Bryant University offers a full-time PsyD program in clinical psychology. The program consists of coursework, clinical placements, and a one-year doctoral internship.

Students who enroll in this program also have the option to select a concentration in either child and adolescent psychology or health psychology.

• Estimated tuition cost: $1,458-2,917 per credit (for all residency statuses)
• Accreditation: NECHE

5. Johnson & Wales University

Johnson & Wales University offers a Master of Science in clinical mental health counseling program that students can complete in 18 months. The program runs on a Monday through Thursday schedule, with the majority of classes offered in person.

Through a combination of education and relevant fieldwork, this program prepares students to pursue careers as private practice clinicians, school adjustment counselors, and more.

• Estimated tuition cost: $774 per credit hour (for all residency statuses)
• Accreditation: NECHE, Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)

Other Psychology Degrees

Graduate-level psychology programs are not limited to schools in Rhode Island. Keep reading to learn more about graduate programs offered at neighboring universities, including accredited PsyD programs online.

Capella University

Capella University offers PhD and PsyD programs in psychology with multiple concentrations in each track. The PhD programs are delivered online, while the PsyD programs are offered online and in person.

The PsyD program prepares students to become licensed psychologists through coursework, clinical practicum, internships, and research.

• Estimated tuition cost: $555 per credit hour (PsyD); $570 per credit hour (PhD)
• Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (HLC)

University of Massachusetts Lowell

The University of Massachusetts Lowell offers a PhD program in psychology. Through this program, students will learn about qualitative and quantitative research methods, behavior analysis, and more.

Students who complete this program find employment in research and data analysis roles, as well as academic positions.

• Estimated tuition cost: $946.44 per credit (in-state); $1,404.44 per credit (New England regional program); $1,624.88 per credit (out-of-state)
• Accreditation: NECHE

Bridgewater State University

Bridgewater State University, located in Massachusetts, offers a master's program in clinical psychology. This program combines research and practice along with practicums and internships.

This program also prepares students to become mental health counselors or to pursue further graduate study at the doctoral level.

• Estimated tuition cost: $530.50 per credit hour (for all residency statuses)
• Accreditation: NECHE

University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

University of Massachusetts Dartmouth offers two graduate-level psychology programs: a Master of Arts (MA) in clinical psychology and a Master of Science (MS) in research psychology. The MA is a three-year program, and the MS is a two-year program.

The MA program prepares students to meet the licensing requirements needed to become counseling psychologists, while the MS program prepares students for research careers as well as doctoral studies.

• Estimated tuition cost: $689.75 per credit (in-state); $878.92 per credit (for regional residents); $1,244.75 per credit (out-of-state)
• Accreditation: NECHE

Northeastern University

Northeastern University, located in Boston, offers multiple PhD programs in psychology, including counseling psychology, school psychology, and population health. The population health and school psychology programs prepare students to become researchers, while the counseling psychology program prepares students to become clinicians.

These programs combine education with mentoring and experiential opportunities to ensure student success.

• Estimated tuition cost: $1,946 per credit hour (for all residency statuses)
• Accreditation: NECHE, CoA-APA

Skills of a Psychologist

There are multiple skills and competencies associated with being a psychologist, including both hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills can be learned in classes, while soft skills, such as interpersonal communication, empathy, research, ethics, and problem-solving, are built with practice.

Careers and Job Outlook for Psychologists

Common career paths for psychologists in Rhode Island include school psychologists, forensic psychologists, counseling psychologists, or research or teaching positions. Psychologists may also work with other health professionals in healthcare or social work settings.

What Is the Average Salary of a Psychologist in Rhode Island?

According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the annual salary for clinical and counseling psychologists in Rhode Island in May 2023 was $120,720.

Explore Psychology Degrees

Use the resources on Learn.org to learn more about psychology programs. Contact individual schools to find which psychology program is best for you.