Birmingham Educational Psychology Service

How to become and Educational Psychologist

To practice as an EP in the UK, you must have undergone appropriate training and achieved qualifications that are recognised by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

Since 2006, initial educational psychology training has included a 3-year postgraduate doctoral programme. The minimum requirements to be considered for a place on the doctorate training include:

• a psychology degree ( at least 2:1) or have completed an approved conversion course or a Master’s degree, AND be eligible for the British Psychological Society (BPS) Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC).
• a minimum of one year’s full-time experience working with children and young people within an educational, health, social care, youth justice, childcare or community setting.

Further information on how to become an EP is available on the Association of Educational Psychologist’s website. (Interested in a career in Educational Psychology? | Association of Educational Psychologists (aep.org.uk))

Currently, the Department for Education provides funding for EP doctoral training through the Educational Psychology Funded Training scheme. More information about this scheme is available on the Association of Educational Psychologist’s website. (Educational Psychology Funded Training (EPFT) scheme | Association of Educational Psychologists (aep.org.uk))

Please see below for a video of two of our EPs talking about their route into the profession. The video was created by the Birmingham Careers Hub for teenagers and young people interested in educational psychology.