Questions and Answers from the California Board of Psychology 1. If a student does not have a Masters degree in psychology is it true that s/he needs to accrue 72 quarter hours before becoming eligible to become a Psychological Assistant? A#1) No. An individual could accrue hours prior to completing 72 quarter units (48 semester or trimester units) of graduate coursework, but the hours will not count towards licensure until completion of the 72 or 48 units. If an individual does not have a Masters degree in psychology, the earliest they could apply for a psych assistant registration is if they were admitted to candidacy for a doctorate degree. If applying as admitted to candidacy, we must receive a transcript and letter (see Section 2913(b)(2) in our Laws and Regs.) from the Registrar of their school. 2. If a student does not have a Masters degree can s/he begin accruing internship hours [not as a psych asst] prior to the 72 quarter hour time? A#2) Yes. As I stated above, the hours will not count towards licensure until completion of the required units, but they can work legally if they're in a formal internship. 3. If pre-doc internship hours begin before the 72 quarter unit time, will those hours be wasted or can they be used as post-doc hours later? A#3) The hours will not count towards licensure. The hours aren't wasted...they are hours of more experience. # 10/30/06; 11:39:36 AM - Licensure -