{"id":11140,"date":"2017-10-27T11:10:23","date_gmt":"2017-10-27T16:10:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/?post_type=insight_posts&#038;p=11140"},"modified":"2026-03-04T15:13:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T21:13:08","slug":"educational-psychologist-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/insight\/career-development\/educational-psychologist-california\/","title":{"rendered":"How to become a licensed educational psychologist in California"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"clearfix\"><p>Have you ever considered becoming a licensed educational psychologist (LEP)? The LEP license is unique to California. Licensed educational psychologists work with children and help to improve their academic experiences.<\/p>\n<p>Do you love working with children and improving their academic experiences?<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/academics\/program-explorer\/?fwp_field_of_study=educational-and-school-psychology\">Educational psychology<\/a> is a broad, rich field that allows you to transform your passion into a career. Licensed educational psychologists and school psychologists work in schools, colleges, and nurseries; their work makes a big difference in individual children\u2019s\u2019 lives.<\/p>\n<p>Do you want to positively impact children\u2019s experience at school? Consider becoming a licensed educational psychologist (LEP). The LEP license is unique to California.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>What are the LEP license requirements?<\/h3>\n<p>California\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bbs.ca.gov\/app-reg\/lcs_requirement.shtml\">Board of Behavioral Sciences<\/a> outlines the licensing requirements on its <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bbs.ca.gov\/app-reg\/lep.shtml\">website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>While it\u2019s always a good idea to read the fine print for licensing requirements, here\u2019s an overview of what you need to become a licensed educational psychologist in California:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A master\u2019s degree or doctoral degree in psychology, educational psychology, school psychology, counseling, or relevant area of study<\/li>\n<li>The degree must be from a school with accreditation from 1 of 6 accrediting bodies, including the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.acswasc.org\/\">Western Association of Schools and Colleges<\/a> (FYI: The Chicago School is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/academics\/regulatory-information\/accreditation\/\">accredited by WASC<\/a>!)<\/li>\n<li>3 years of full-time experience working as a school psychologist<\/li>\n<li>A passing score on the LEP Written Examination<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These 3 years of experience can take several forms. It must include 2 years of full-time experience as a credentialed school psychologist in a public school; this experience can be unsupervised.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to these 2 years, you must either:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Have 1 year of supervised professional experience in an accredited school psychology program<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>OR<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Have 1 year of full-time experience as a credentialed school psychologist in a public school under the supervision of a licensed psychologist<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>When you\u2019ve obtained your degree and relevant experience, you must then get an <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bbs.ca.gov\/pdf\/forms\/lep\/lepapp.pdf\">LEP application packet<\/a>. This packet includes information on other required items like fees, transcripts, fingerprints, and so on.<\/p>\n<p>If you meet the LEP license requirements for education and experience, you will receive a notice to take the LEP exam. The notice includes a deadline by which you must take the exam.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>What does the LEP exam entail?<\/h3>\n<p>The LEP exam includes around 100 multiple choice questions. The questions cover core educational psychology topic areas like assessment, intervention, law, and ethics.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike other licensure exams where applicants must wait for weeks (or months!) to find out their results, you find out whether you\u2019ve passed the LEP exam immediately after completing it.<\/p>\n<p>Get more information on the test from the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bbs.ca.gov\/pdf\/publications\/lep_swhbk.pdf\">LEP Written Examination Candidate Handbook<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Once you\u2019ve passed the exam, you can then apply for LEP licensure. When you\u2019re a licensed educational psychologist, you can have more independence in your career. For instance, unlike school psychologists, you\u2019re not tied to a school district. You\u2019re free to pursue your career on your own terms.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Want to become a licensed educational psychologist in California?<\/h3>\n<p>Your psychology education is the foundation. Explore our many psychology programs at The Chicago School\u2019s three California campuses: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/in-the-community\/locations\/anaheim\/\">Anaheim<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/in-the-community\/locations\/los-angeles\/\">Los Angeles<\/a>, and San Diego.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Learn more about The Chicago School<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Are you interested in learning more about The Chicago School of Professional Psychology? Fill out the form below to request more information, visit our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/academics\/program-explorer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">programs page<\/a>, or you can apply today through our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/apply\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">application portal.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Educational psychology is a broad, rich field that allows you to transform your passion into a career. Educational psychologists and school psychologists work in schools, colleges, and nurseries; their work makes a big difference in individual children\u2019s lives. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":107340,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[110],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1057],"class_list":["post-11140","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-career-development"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to become a licensed educational psychologist in California<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Do you want to make a difference in a child\u2019s experience at school? Consider becoming a Licensed Educational Psychologist. 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