There are many advantages to being a prospective psychology doctoral student in Texas. On the one hand, Texas has an extensive higher education system with public and private schools of all sizes all over the state. On the other hand, Texas’ colleges and universities offer dozens of options for completing your doctoral degree.
Whether you’re interested in clinical training, psychological research, or something in between, you can find an appropriate doctoral psychology program in Texas. The difficult part is simply choosing which program! We’ve selected some of the popular options – both Ph.D. and PsyD programs – to help you narrow your search. Learn more about each program in the detailed guide below!
Psychology PhD and PsyD Programs in Texas
Listed below are some of the popular schools offering psychology PhD and PsyD programs in Texas:
- University of Texas at Dallas
- Texas A&M University
- Angelo State University
- Baylor University
- National University
- The Chicago School
- Grand Canyon University
- University of Arizona Global Campus
To find out how we select colleges and universities, please click here.
University of Texas at Dallas
Ph.D. in Psychology
At the University of Texas at Dallas, you can get advanced psychology training in a Psychology Ph.D. program that is significantly focused on research. In fact, this program has three major research areas:
- Cognitive psychology, which is the study of processes like memory, learning, attention, and motivation.
- Developmental psychology, which explores cognitive, language, and social-emotional development in children.
- Social and personality psychology, which analyzes the cultural differences in the way we process emotions, decision-making, mate selection, and more.
Moreover, you will explore these research themes from a lifespan perspective. That is, you will study subjects of all ages as well as subjects who are mentally ill and mentally healthy.
The purpose of this kind of research is twofold. First, you will gain a better understanding of the human condition, which allows you to add to the body of knowledge of mental health issues. Second, your training prepares you to advance clinical practice. Though this is not a clinically-focused program, you will have opportunities to conduct research in clinical settings on a variety of mental health issues, from autism to health psychology to social psychology, and more.
This program requires you to complete at least 75 semester credits. This includes your master’s-level and Ph.D. studies. The coursework you complete depends in part on which concentration (cognitive, developmental, or social/personality) you choose. Neuroscience is a fourth option you can explore.
Whatever concentration area you elect to pursue, you will have up to five years to complete your coursework and other training. A significant portion of your training is in research, which is primarily conducted at the University of Texas at Dallas’ Richardson campus. There, you will have access to state-of-the-art facilities with labs set up for studying any manner of human behavior, including the following:
- Eye tracking
- Event-related potentials
- Child learning and development
- Adult interpersonal relationships
- Infant visual and auditory preferences
The on-campus labs are also equipped with observational rooms where you can examine parent-child interactions in real time. Furthermore, the university’s Center for Children and Families provides many different outreach opportunities and clinical training in areas like improving children’s learning and improving interpersonal relationships.
Not all research is conducted on campus, though. The university has partnerships with clinics, schools, hospitals, and other agencies where you can expand your research and get real-world experience deriving meaning from the behaviors you observe in a controlled setting.
Additional learning opportunities include the following:
- Weekly lectures with professors
- Research presentations by faculty, visiting scholars, and students.
- A colloquium series featuring internationally-known scientists.
- Symposia at the university’s four research centers.
- Periodic workshops for doctoral students.
You are also required to complete a qualifying thesis research project and a dissertation. The thesis occurs about midway through the program and involves detailed research on a subject of your choice (with advisor approval). In addition to conducting research and producing a journal-quality paper, you must also defend your thesis. You will do the same for your doctoral dissertation, which occurs at the end of the program.
Being that this is a non-clinical program, it’s best suited for you if you desire to become a psychological researcher or scholar. Positions in academics, government research, or private research are potential career paths you might pursue upon graduation.
To apply, you must complete the following steps to apply:
- Have a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited college or university.
- Have an appropriate cumulative undergraduate GPA. The average for applicants to this program is 3.0 and above.
- Submit official transcripts from every college or university you’ve attended.
- Submit three letters of recommendation from people who are familiar with your academic potential.
- Provide a statement of purpose that discusses your professional experiences in this field as well as your research experience, current research interests, and future career goals.
- Provide official GRE scores.
Texas A&M University
Ph.D. in Psychology
The Ph.D. in Psychology from Texas A&M University offers you the flexibility of choosing from five primary training areas:
- Behavioral and Cellular Neuroscience
- Clinical Psychology
- Cognition and Cognitive Science
- Industrial/Organizational Psychology
- Social and Personality Psychology
Let’s assume you’re interested in the clinical psychology option. This program uses a clinical-scientist model of training, which means you will acquire a full scope of skills pertaining to psychological practice, research, and teaching. In fact, this program doesn’t separate research and clinical training; instead, these areas are viewed as two sides of the same coin. This being the case, completing this program prepares you for a wide range of potential careers in clinical, academic, and scientific settings.
This program, which is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA), typically takes five years to complete. The first four years focus on coursework, research, and clinical training. More specifically, the first two years are mostly spent on coursework, while years three and four offer deeper forays into research and clinical practice. The program’s final year is a clinical internship in which you practice your clinical skills in a real-world setting.
How your training proceeds depends on your specific interests as well as the input of your advisory committee. The committee will evaluate your prior education as well as your objectives for the program. Then, they will consult with you to develop a degree plan. Part of the degree plan is a detailed outline of a proposed research problem that you will explore as part of your dissertation. All students, regardless of focus area or research interests, must complete at least 64 credits after a master’s degree. If you enter the program with a bachelor’s degree, the credit requirement increases to 96.
The coursework you complete is typical of a clinical psychology program. On the one hand, you will take foundational classes like Psychopathology, Assessment, and Experimental Psychology. You will also take classes like Introduction to Clinical Ethics and Techniques, Experimental Design for Behavioral Scientists, and Clinical Interventions. In fact, you will take multiple intervention courses as well as multiple assessment courses. There are practicum requirements for both of these areas, too.
The research aspect of the program begins right off the bat in your first semester. Your research will continue each semester until the program’s end. As noted above, you’re required to complete a dissertation, which you must defend before your degree will be conferred.
An additional requirement of this program is a series of examinations. First, you will take a preliminary exam. The purpose of this exam is to demonstrate your learning and mastery of the material. Not only that, but you must also show requisite knowledge of pertinent literature in this field and an ability to conduct bibliographic research. The preliminary exam also measures your ability to understand a research problem and the methodological approaches needed to address the problem.
Typically, the preliminary exam includes multiple components. For example, you might be required to complete a written component as a gauge of general knowledge and an oral component in which the faculty evaluates your ability to think on your feet and address dynamic situations competently.
Second, you will take a final exam, which is conducted by your advisory committee. You will complete the exam after your dissertation is substantially complete and has been submitted to the committee. Since the exam mostly explores the themes in your dissertation, only a small portion of the exam will test your knowledge in broader areas of psychology.
The admissions requirements are as follows:
- Have an undergraduate degree or higher from an accredited college or university.
- Have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.5 or higher (this is not a requirement, but highly recommended).
- Have competitive Verbal, Quantitative, and Written scores on the GRE, which you must submit to the university.
- Submit official transcripts from every college or university you’ve attended.
- Submit a statement of purpose in which you explain your reasons for applying to this program.
- Provide at least three letters of recommendation.
- Submit a curriculum vitae or resume.
Angelo State University
PsyD – Counseling Psychology
Angelo State’s Counseling Psychology PsyD program prepares you for a career as a licensed psychologist in Texas. It’s one of the newest such programs in the Lone Star State, yet has quickly earned a reputation for quality training. Currently, the program is under review for accreditation by the APA.
This is a residential program that requires you to complete 105 semester credit hours over the course of six years. However, you can trim some of that time off if you already have a master’s degree in school psychology, counseling psychology, or clinical psychology. In fact, Angelo State allows you to transfer up to 24 credits if you already have a degree in one of these fields.
Your training begins the first year with essential coursework in areas such as:
- Advanced Abnormal Psychology
- History and Systems of Psychology
- Professional Orientation to Counseling Psychology
- Psychological Assessment
- Multicultural Counseling and Psychology
You’re also required to take Developmental Psychology during the first year. This course examines the major emotional, social, cognitive, and physiological milestones humans achieve over the course of their lives. Furthermore, you will take a Research Methods class that familiarizes you with the processes of conducting psychological research. You will examine quantitative and qualitative methods, learn basic statistics, and explore ethical issues in research, too.
In the program’s second year, you continue your education with essential coursework that covers very broad areas of psychology. For example, you will take Social Psychology, which discusses how social forces impact individual human behavior. You will also take Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy, which helps you start to develop your personal counseling approach by exposing you to historical and modern psychotherapeutic techniques.
Additional coursework is required in the following areas:
- Neuroscience
- Psychopathology
- Cognition and Emotion
- Multivariate Design and Analysis
- Group Psychotherapy
As you progress through the program, you will begin completing tasks that focus more specifically on practice-related issues. As an example, you will take a course on Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, which showcases how to utilize this approach to assist clients in working through any manner of issues, from stress and anxiety to mood disorders to relationship issues.
You will also take a course on Ethics and Law in Counseling Psychology, which informs you of the rules and regulations you must follow as a practicing counseling psychologist. This course is intended not just to ensure you obey the letter of the law and protect yourself but also to ensure your clients are protected. Further coursework in Addictions Counseling, Assessment, and Vocational Counseling occurs during the third year of your studies.
You will begin supervised practicum experiences during the program’s fourth year. These practicums allow you to put what you’ve learned to the test in real-world clinical settings. You will have ample opportunities to observe practicing counseling psychologists and assist with tasks ranging from intake to assessment to conducting therapy. The practicum extends into the program’s fifth year, during which time you will also focus your attention on completing your dissertation.
Lastly, the final year of this program is an internship in professional psychology. The internship extends over three semesters, during which time you will work full-time as a counseling psychologist. Like the practicum, you will be supervised. However, you will have far greater responsibilities and do much more independent work–including directly with clients–than you do during the practicum.
You can apply to Angelo State online if this program sounds like a good fit for you. You must meet the following requirements to be considered for admission:
- Have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. The degree must include at least 18 credits of psychology coursework.
- Have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher and a 3.5 GPA or higher in all psychology coursework. You must also have a 3.5 GPA or higher for all graduate-level work you’ve completed.
- Submit official transcripts from every college or university you’ve attended.
- Submit official GRE scores (145 or higher on Verbal, 145 or higher on Quantitative, and 3.5 or higher on Analytical Writing).
- Provide three letters of recommendation, two of which must be from academic references.
- Submit an essay in which you discuss your background in psychology and your goals related to completing a doctoral degree.
- Participate in a faculty interview.
Baylor University
PsyD – Clinical Psychology
At Baylor University, you can complete a PsyD program that offers both applied clinical training and studies of the science of psychology. No matter which path you choose, you will emerge as a doctoral graduate who has extensive training in the science of psychology and the research acumen to make positive contributions to the field.
The program at Baylor uses a practitioner-scientist model to train you, which is a slight variation of the more common scientist-practitioner model. This change is important because emphasizing the practice of psychology first with roots in the science of psychology enables you to more effectively work with clients with varying needs while also actively contributing to the body of knowledge in psychology.
Furthermore, the goal of this program is to instill in you the importance of being up-to-date on the latest psychological research. The faculty wants you to be a voracious reader and learner who is constantly growing, evolving, and improving your competence.
This program, which has been accredited by the APA since 1976, offers a varied curriculum that hits on key areas of psychology as preparation for your future career. For example, you will take baseline courses such as:
- Ethics and Professional Issues in Clinical Psychology
- Psychological Assessment
- Developmental Psychology
- History and Systems of Psychology
- Biological Foundations of Behavior
You will take courses focusing on clinical applications, too. For example, Clinical Health Psychology offers a look at the foundations of this field and explores the applications of behavioral medicine and its role in the maintenance of overall health. Likewise, you will take Psychopathology and Assessment of Children, which gives you an overview of common mental health disorders in young people and the theoretical approaches that drive the psychological assessment of young clients.
Clinical Psychopathology is another important course that prepares you for clinical practice. This class provides you with opportunities for clinical case formulation in which you propose assessments and potential diagnoses, conceptualize cases, and develop treatment plans. You will build on that knowledge by taking a three-part Psychotherapy class, which offers additional training in areas like cognitive-behavioral therapy.
Additional courses you’re required to take include the following:
- Neuropharmacology
- Memory and Cognition
- Multicultural Issues
- Group and Systems Approaches to Psychotherapy
A three-part Clinical and Research Practicum is another part of your training. This course explores issues related to clinical interviewing, theories of psychotherapy, and clinical assessment. You will participate in field-based learning during each component of this course. That field learning is supervised; you will get consistent supervision and feedback as a means of helping you gain confidence in your abilities as a clinical psychologist.
The final two components of this program are the doctoral dissertation and a clinical internship. The dissertation requires you to complete a thorough research project. You will begin working on the dissertation early in the program and refine it over the course of your studies. You must complete the dissertation and defend it at the end of the program’s fourth year.
A clinical internship rounds out the requirements of this program. The internship is three semesters long and provides you with opportunities to work with all types of clients in a clinical setting. Like the practicum, the internship is closely supervised. You will work with an onsite supervisor and participate in weekly supervision with faculty, too.
You must meet the following requirements to apply:
- Have a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited college or university with at least 12 hours of psychology coursework.
- Have a 2.7 cumulative undergraduate GPA or higher and a 3.0 GPA or higher within your major.
- Submit unofficial transcripts from every college or university you’ve attended.
- Provide three letters of recommendation, at least one of which should be from a professor of psychology.
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