A college degree, for starters. +5

You need to have at least a masters degree. Most psychoanalysts are medical doctors. They start by getting into a good college, where they major in anything they want. While working on their major, they focus on a set of courses that will prepare them for med-school, and most importantly, for the MCATs (like the SATs for med school). If you get into med school you will graduate in 4 years. While in med school you learn about the entire human body and take clerk ships in a variety of medical specialties. After graduating med school, you take a residency in psychiatry. While going through your residency in psychiatry, you begin to apply to Accredited schools for training in psychoanalysis. The practice of Psychoanalysis is not regulated by the government. The American Psychoanalytic Association accredits a few schools. There are other options though. There are two alternate paths: become a clinical social worker, with a license to practice therapy. This takes an undergrad degree in social work (BSW) or psychology, and a masters in social work (MSW). Some people even get their doctorate in social work (DSW or PhD). After several years of practice, you will be eligible to apply to a psychoanalytic training institute. The second path, become a licensed psychologist (PhD or PsyD). Either path, you must have some years practicing. You must also decide which viewpoint on Psychoanalysis you will take. Some different orientations of psychoanalysis are Freudian, Lacanian, and Jungian. Each has their respective training institutes. To make it more confusing, the aforementioned pathways of becoming a psychoanalyst are different for different orientations. Make sure you begin reading Freud, Jung, Klein, Erikson, Reik, and Lacan. To be a psychoanalyst is to be a reader. You also have to be ready to defend psychoanalysis from other more mainstream mental health specialists. It is a dying art, and psychoanalysis needs fresh minds, new ideas, and more diversity among its practitioners.

It depends on what you mean by psychoanalyst. It means something different than psychotherapist. "Psychoanalysis is a type of psychotherapy. It was developed by Sigmund Freud in the late 1800's and it is based on overcoming the desires and negative influences of the unconscious mind. ... Psychoanalysis is used most typically to treat patients suffering from neurosis or personality complaints." Psychoanalyst is the third one on the list in the article below: http://www.guidetopsychology.com/psypsy.htm