Best School Psychology Programs in Montana Rankings for 2026
The NASP-approved school psychology program in Montana, with the OPI Class 6 license pathway, the private-practice route, internship requirements, online and neighboring-state options, and school psychologist salary data for 2026.
Key Takeaways
- Montana has one NASP-approved school psychology program, the Specialist in School Psychology (SSP) at the University of Montana in Missoula. It holds NASP's full 10-year approval, and UM also runs an APA-accredited School Psychology PhD. If you want to train in-state, those are your two choices.
- You practice in Montana public schools with a Class 6 Specialist License in School Psychology from the Office of Public Instruction. The cleanest route is a NASP-approved specialist degree with a 1,200-hour internship (at least 600 in a school), or the NCSP national certification.
- Montana school psychologists earn a median of $80,010, about 16.6% below the $95,990 national median (BLS, May 2025). The state employs only about 170 of them, one of the smallest school psychology workforces in the country. Billings leads the state at a $93,890 median.
- Because Montana has only one in-state program, a lot of people weigh it against online specialist programs and programs in neighboring Idaho and Wyoming. We lay out that in-state vs online vs neighboring-state decision honestly below, because for most Montanans it is the real question, not which of several programs to pick.
- Montana has a documented, severe shortage of school psychologists, especially in rural and tribal districts. NASP recommends one school psychologist per 500 students, and the national ratio is closer to 1,071 to 1. The OPI even built an alternative licensure route to fill rural openings, and the UM program reports a 100% job placement rate.
Montana is one of the smallest school psychology markets in the country, and it shows up in the numbers. The state employs roughly 170 school psychologists and pays a median of $80,010 a year, about 16.6% under the $95,990 national median, according to May 2025 BLS data. That is below the U.S. median, and you should know that going in. What Montana lacks in pay it makes up in demand: there are nowhere near enough school psychologists to cover the state, and rural and tribal districts struggle the hardest to fill positions.
Here is the situation that shapes every decision. Montana has exactly one NASP-approved school psychology program, the Specialist in School Psychology (SSP) at the University of Montana in Missoula, plus a companion APA-accredited PhD in the same department. So your real choice is not which of several programs to attend. It is whether to train at UM, go online through a NASP-approved out-of-state specialist program, or cross into a neighboring state like Idaho or Wyoming. We cover that trade-off in detail below, because for most Montanans it is the actual question.
To work in Montana public schools you need the Class 6 Specialist License in School Psychology from the Office of Public Instruction, and that license recognizes degrees earned anywhere, not just at UM, as long as the program meets NASP specialist standards. If you want to see clients privately outside of schools, that is a separate doctoral-level license from the Montana Board of Psychologists. Below you will find the in-state program in detail, the honest case for online and neighboring-state options, what the Class 6 license actually requires, real salary numbers by metro, and how to decide.
Best School Psychology Programs in Montana Rankings (NASP-Approved EdS & SSP)
All 2 programs ranked in this guide, with tuition, format, and accreditation at a glance.
| # | School | In-State Tuition | Format | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Montana: Specialist in School Psychology (SSP / EdS) | Resident graduate tuition + fees (see UM Business Services; WRGP rate available for Western-region students) | On-campus | |
| 2 | University of Montana: PhD in School Psychology | PhD: most students funded through assistantships (~$16,000 stipend + fee waiver) | On-campus |
University of Montana: Specialist in School Psychology (SSP / EdS)
In-State
Resident graduate tuition + fees (see UM Business Services; WRGP rate available for Western-region students)
Out-of-State
Nonresident graduate tuition; WRGP students pay 150% of the in-state rate
Length
3 years (~69 credits)
Field Hours
1,200-hour internship (min. 600 in a school), typically paid
Concentrations
- The only NASP-approved school psychology program in Montana, holding NASP's full 10-year approval
- Reports a 100% job placement rate and a 100% Praxis II / NCSP certification rate for graduates
- About 82% of graduates stay and work in Montana, so the program feeds districts statewide
- The RAISE Initiative, backed by a $3.75 million U.S. Department of Education grant, funds free tuition and a $16,000 stipend for fellows who commit to rural and Indigenous schools
University of Montana: PhD in School Psychology
In-State
PhD: most students funded through assistantships (~$16,000 stipend + fee waiver)
Out-of-State
PhD: most students funded through assistantships (~$16,000 stipend + fee waiver)
Length
5 years (doctoral)
Field Hours
Multiple years of practica + a year-long predoctoral internship
Concentrations
- The only APA-accredited school psychology doctoral program in Montana, accredited since 2015
- Most students receive departmental assistantships with a stipend near $16,000 plus a fee waiver
- An approved Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP), so qualifying out-of-state students pay a reduced rate
- A doctorate opens research, faculty, and clinical roles and shortens the path to the private-practice psychologist license
Montana School Psychologist License Requirements (OPI Class 6)
The licensing board, exam pathway, and supervised hours you'll need to practice independently.
Licensing Board
Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI): Class 6 Specialist License, School Psychology
(406) 444-3150
To work as a school psychologist in Montana public schools, you need the Class 6 Specialist License in School Psychology from the Office of Public Instruction. Montana keeps this simple by recognizing three ways in, so a degree earned online or out of state can still qualify you. You meet the standard by holding the Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) credential, or by finishing a specialist-level degree from a NASP-approved program that included a 1,200-hour internship with at least 600 hours in a school, or, if your degree is not from a NASP-approved specialist program, by holding a master's or higher in school psychology and getting a NASP-approved program to certify your training is equivalent and included that 1,200-hour internship.
A few Montana-specific steps catch people off guard. Before OPI issues the license, you have to finish the free online course An Introduction to Indian Education for All in Montana, which reflects the state's constitutional commitment to teaching about Native American history and culture. You also clear fingerprinting and a background check, pay a $150 initial review fee at the Class 6 level, and submit transcripts and materials. Part of the application even routes through the Montana Association of School Psychologists, which reviews your preparation. The Class 6 license is a 5-year renewable license, and you renew with 60 OPI renewal units or a mix of units and college credits.
The Praxis School Psychologist exam (#5403) matters mostly through the NCSP route: a passing score of 155 is required for the national certification, and the University of Montana reports a 100% pass rate, so its graduates finish credential-ready. If you want to practice privately outside of schools, that is a different and higher bar: a doctorate plus two years of supervised experience and the licensing exams through the Montana Board of Psychologists.
Class 6 Specialist License, School Psychology
Practice as a school psychologist in Montana public K-12 schools: assessment, counseling, crisis response, and intervention design
Hours
1,200
Duration
typically a 3-year specialist program
Exam: NASP-approved specialist degree or NCSP; the NCSP route requires the Praxis School Psychologist exam (#5403, passing 155). Plus the Indian Education for All course and fingerprinting
Licensed Psychologist (private practice, Montana Board of Psychologists)
Independent private practice of psychology outside public schools: assessment, therapy, and consultation
Hours
N/A
Duration
Associate
Exam: EPPP plus the Montana jurisdictional course, after two years of supervised experience (including a residency year). Solo private practice does not count toward the supervised-experience requirement
Montana does not grant fully automatic reciprocity, but the Class 6 license is friendlier to out-of-state and online graduates than many states. Because OPI accepts a NASP-approved specialist degree or the NCSP national certification as the basis for licensure, a school psychologist trained in another state can usually qualify by documenting their degree, their 1,200-hour internship, and, ideally, their NCSP. If your program was not NASP-approved, you can still get in through the equivalency-recommendation route. Either way, build in time for fingerprinting, the Indian Education for All course, and the OPI and Montana Association of School Psychologists review before your first school year starts.
School Psychologist Salary in Montana
BLS state median wages by counseling specialty, with national comparison and top-paying metros.
Montana pays school psychologists below the national median, and it is worth being clear-eyed about that. The BLS May 2025 data puts the Montana median at $80,010, against a national median of $95,990, a gap of about 16.6%. The range runs from roughly $59,520 at the 10th percentile to about $101,380 at the 90th. Pay generally follows the certificated salary schedule districts use for teachers, so it climbs with experience and graduate credits, but Montana's schedules sit lower than those in high-cost states. One offsetting factor: Montana has no statewide retail sales tax, and its cost of living outside the resort towns is moderate, so the paycheck stretches further than the headline number suggests.
The metro picture is thin, because the workforce is small and the BLS only breaks out school psychologists separately in one Montana metro. Billings leads the state at a $93,890 median, close to the national figure and well above the statewide median, with the top 10% there clearing $130,870. Missoula, home to the University of Montana, and Bozeman, the state's fastest-growing metro, both employ school psychologists too, but their numbers are too small for BLS to report a separate school-psychologist wage. If salary is your top priority, Billings is the clearest target inside the state. If you want the highest pay overall, you may end up weighing a job across the line in a higher-paying neighboring state.
School Psychologists (BLS 19-3034)
National median: $95,990
Top metro: $93,890 (Billings, MT)
Clinical & Counseling Psychologists (private-practice comparison, BLS 19-3033)
National median: $100,580
Top metro: $98,460 (Bozeman, MT)
Montana School Psychology Job Market and Shortage
Major employers, mental health shortage context, and loan repayment programs that erase debt for service.
There are not enough school psychologists in Montana, and the gap is wide. NASP recommends one school psychologist for every 500 students, but the national ratio sits near 1,071 to 1, and Montana's low workforce numbers, about 170 statewide, mean the real coverage in rural and tribal districts is far thinner. You can watch the gap yourself on the NASP state shortages dashboard. The shortage is severe enough that the Office of Public Instruction built an alternative licensure route specifically to help rural districts fill positions.
Demand is driven by work schools are legally required to do. Every special-education eligibility decision rests on a psycho-educational assessment, and a single school psychologist in a rural Montana county often covers several districts spread across long drives. School psychologists here work for local public school districts, county cooperatives and special-education co-ops, the Montana School for the Deaf and Blind, and schools serving the state's seven reservations, where the need for culturally responsive practitioners is acute. That is part of why the University of Montana built the RAISE Initiative, funded by a $3.75 million U.S. Department of Education grant, to train and place school psychologists in rural and Indigenous schools. The UM program reports a 100% job placement rate, which tells you exactly how hungry Montana districts are for graduates.
Loan Repayment & Scholarship Programs
Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). School psychologists employed full-time by a public school district, county cooperative, or other public employer qualify for federal PSLF, which forgives the remaining balance on Direct Loans after 120 qualifying payments. Eligibility is based on your employer, not your job title, so almost every public-school job in Montana counts.
RAISE Initiative funding. Through a $3.75 million U.S. Department of Education grant, the University of Montana offers selected SSP fellows three semesters of free tuition plus a $16,000 annual stipend in exchange for a commitment to work in rural and Indigenous Montana schools. That is grant money, not a loan, so it lowers what you borrow in the first place.
OPI service stipend. The Montana Office of Public Instruction offers eligible SSP students a stipend of up to $6,000 a year toward instructional costs, with recipients agreeing to serve as a school psychologist in Montana for two of the three years after graduation.
Funded doctoral assistantships. UM PhD students typically train on a departmental assistantship worth about $16,000 plus a fee waiver, so much of the doctoral program comes with a paycheck rather than more debt. Out-of-state students may also qualify for the reduced WRGP tuition rate.
How to Choose a School Psychology Program in Montana
Decision factors that actually matter, not generic checklist filler.
Montana has one in-state program, so the real decision is whether to train at the University of Montana, go online through a NASP-approved out-of-state program, or cross into a neighboring state. Here is how to think it through.
If you want to train in-state and work in Montana: the University of Montana SSP is the obvious pick. It is the only NASP-approved specialist program in the state, 82% of its graduates stay in Montana, and it reports 100% job placement. For most Montanans, this is the default answer.
If you want a doctorate or a research career: UM's APA-accredited School Psychology PhD is the only doctoral option in Montana, it funds most students with an assistantship near $16,000, and it shortens the path to the private-practice psychologist license.
If you want to work in rural or tribal schools: the UM RAISE Initiative pays free tuition plus a $16,000 stipend for fellows who commit to rural and Indigenous districts, the exact places where Montana's shortage is worst.
If you cannot move to Missoula: a NASP-approved online specialist program can still qualify you for the Montana Class 6 license, because OPI accepts a NASP specialist degree or the NCSP regardless of where you earned it. Just confirm the program is NASP-approved and arrange a Montana internship placement.
If you live near the Idaho or Wyoming line: it can make sense to look at programs and jobs in neighboring states. Some pay more than Montana, and the NCSP credential makes moving your license across state lines much easier. We cover Idaho and Wyoming on their own pages.
If salary inside Montana is your priority: target Billings, the only metro where the BLS reports a separate school-psychologist median, at $93,890, well above the statewide $80,010.
If you want the cheapest path: compare the UM resident rate, the RAISE and OPI stipends, and the WRGP rate against online tuition. With grant funding on the table, the in-state route is often the lowest net cost despite the small program size.
Related Pages
School Psychologist Career Guide
What school psychologists actually do day to day
School Psychologist Salary
Salary data by state, experience, and setting
School Psychology Programs by State
Browse school psychology programs in every state
School Psychology Programs in Idaho
NASP-approved programs and licensure in Idaho
School Psychology Programs in Wyoming
NASP-approved programs and licensure in Wyoming
Sources
- NASP: School Psychology Credentialing Resources (Montana)
- NASP: Program Approval & Accreditation List (search Montana)
- Montana Office of Public Instruction: Educator Licenses
- Montana Association of School Psychologists: Class 6 Licensure
- Montana Board of Psychologists (private practice licensure)
- NASP: Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) Eligibility
- NASP: State Shortages Data Dashboard
- Bureau of Labor Statistics: OEWS Montana, May 2025
- University of Montana: Specialist in School Psychology (SSP)