In order to qualify, you must meet the basic requirement and specialized experience requirements described in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions, Professional and Scientific Positions.
Individual Occupational Requirements
Basic Requirements
Degree: major or equivalent in psychology for all specializations except clinical psychology and counseling psychology. These two specializations have additional educational requirements, as stated below:
- Clinical psychology: For positions at grades GS-11 and above, satisfactory completion of all the requirements for the doctoral degree (Ph.D. or equivalent) directly related to full professional work in clinical psychology is required.
- Counseling psychology: For positions at grades GS-9 and above, satisfactory completion of 2 full academic years of graduate study directly related to professional work in counseling psychology, or satisfactory completion in an accredited educational institution of all the requirements for a master's degree directly related to counseling psychology is required.
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE:
1.
GS-7: You must have completed a 4 year course of study leading to a bachelor's from an accredited institution AND must have documented Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) or one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least a GS-05 at the undergraduate level in one of the following:
2.
GS-9: You must have completed 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree or one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least a GS-07 at the graduate level in one of the following:
a) Class Standing - upper third of the graduating class based on completed courses in the college, university, or major subdivision; b) Grade Point Average - 2.95 or higher out of a possible 4.0 as recorded on your official transcript or as computed based on 4 years of education or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of curriculum; OR 3.45 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on the average of the required courses completed in your major field or the required courses in your major field completed during the final 2 years of your curriculum. If more than 10 percent of total undergraduate credit hours are non-graded, i.e. pass/fail, CLEP, CCAF, DANTES, military credit, etc, you cannot qualify based on GPA; c) Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society (note: freshman honor society cannot be used to meet the requirements of this position). (If qualifying based on class standing or honor society membership, provide appropriate documentation). OR 2. You have one full year (18 semester hours or the equivalent) of graduate level study, or possess a master's or higher degree, e.g., LL.B., J.D., LL.M., Ph.D., in a field that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities to do the work of this position. Such fields include business administration, industrial management, industrial engineering, industrial psychology, public administration, political science, or government.(Submit copy of transcripts).
OR
3. You have at least one year (12 months) of specialized experience, that provided knowledge of to perform successfully the duties of the position. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower qualifying pay band or equivalent grade under the General Schedule (GS) or other pay systems. Equivalent experience may be at the level of the lowest GS grade covered by the applicable pay band; however, the experience must demonstrate KSA's to successfully perform the duties of the position being filled.
OR
4. You must have a combination of graduate education as described above and the type of specialized experience as described above, which when combined would equate to 100%. (To compute, first determine your total qualifying graduate level education as a percentage of the graduate education required; then determine your total qualifying experience as a percentage of experience described above; add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal to at least 100 %.) (Submit a copy of your transcript.)
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:
1. Professional knowledge of the principles, concepts, and theories of Psychology, and the standard practices, methods, and techniques of the occupation sufficient to perform difficult, but well-precedented assignments.
2. Knowledge of analysis, evaluation, fact-finding, and investigative techniques in order to gather data, identify significant factors and recommend a solution from a number of possible alternatives.
3. Knowledge of Psychology to perform studies and prepare reports, documentation, and correspondence to communicate factual and procedural information clearly.
4. Skill in applying the principles, concepts, and practices of the occupation sufficient to perform moderately difficult assignments.
5. Ability to communicate clearly, concisely, and with technical accuracy, both orally and in writing, as well as work in a professional manner with peers and management.
6. Ability to learn and apply analytical investigative techniques to accomplish work i the subject-matter field.
PART-TIME OR UNPAID EXPERIENCE: Credit will be given for appropriate unpaid and or part-time work. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week.
VOLUNTEER WORK EXPERIENCE: Refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service Programs (i.e., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student and social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge and skills that can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.