Not only is Texas one of the largest states by land size and population, but it also has one of the largest higher education systems in the nation – the University of Texas system has nearly 250,000 students.
Moreover, Texas has plenty of other colleges and universities that aren’t in the UT system. That means it’s a great place to find the exact program for your needs at the best school for your needs as well.
With all that choice comes some difficult decisions, though. It can be difficult to sort through dozens of potential schools offering graduate degrees in psychology, so we have narrowed the field down for you!
Best Psychology Graduate Programs in Texas
Listed below are some of the popular schools offering psychology graduate programs in Texas:
- Texas A&M International University
- Lamar University
- Texas State University
- University of Texas at Tyler
- University of Texas at San Antonio
- University of Texas at Austin
- Baylor University
To find out how we select colleges and universities, please click here.
Texas State University
Texas State University got its start in 1899 as a teacher’s college. Over the years, though, the school expanded into other fields and today stands as a large comprehensive public university with multiple campuses. The school also boasts a student body with over 33,000 undergraduate students.
As a student at Texas State, you will have access to all the programs and services you need to succeed. This includes tutoring, library services, and IT services for remote learning. There are also hundreds of undergraduate majors and minors, graduate programs, and doctoral degrees. This includes the master’s degree in psychological research discussed below.
Psychology Graduate Programs
The Department of Psychology at Texas State University offers one graduate program – a ‘Master of Arts in Psychological Research’. This two-year program is residential, meaning you must attend classes and conduct research on campus and do so on a full-time basis.
Since the focus is on research, this degree prepares you for two tracks: continuing your studies in a doctoral program and entering the workforce in a psychological research setting. This is not a practitioner program and, as such, does not include coursework or field experiences required to become a licensed psychologist.
Instead, you will focus on topics like:
- Principles of Measurement and Statistics
- Psychological Assessment
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Biological Basis of Behavior
- Univariate and Bivariate Statistics
Additionally, you will take courses focusing on research ethics, psychological research skills, and interpersonal communication skills. You will also complete many research activities in on-campus labs with professors from the Department of Psychology.
The research areas you might explore include Cognitive Neuroscience, Neuropsychology, or Social Psychology. Developmental Psychology and Quantitative Psychology are additional areas of inquiry.
The application requirements for this program are as follows:
- Submit a graduate application for admission
- Have a minimum 3.0 GPA in the last 60 hours of bachelor’s-level coursework, any graduate-level coursework, and in the following prerequisite courses: Introduction to Psychology, Quantitative and Statistical Methods, and Experimental and Research Methods.
- Submit a research interest statement in which you identify your top three desired areas of research
- Provide a resume or curriculum vitae that outlines prior research experience, awards, or scholarships
- Provide a statement of purpose that explains your general plans for graduate study
- Submit three letters of recommendation
University of Texas at Tyler
The University of Texas at Tyler is located east of Dallas and is a popular school for students in East Texas and Western Louisiana. Though the school was founded just over 50 years ago, it’s part of the University of Texas System, giving you access to the full breadth and depth of resources that the University of Texas has to offer. Yet, as a smaller school in the UT System, you can take advantage of smaller classes and more one-on-one experiences with your professors.
UT Tyler has a wide range of programs to choose from. In fact, the school offers nearly 50 bachelor’s degrees, nearly three dozen graduate degrees, and a handful of doctoral programs. In each case, you will benefit from expert instructors with real-world experience in their fields of study. As a prospective psychologist, having professors with that level of experience will prepare you well for your career.
Psychology Graduate Programs
UT Tyler offers two graduate programs in psychology: A ‘Master of Science in Clinical Psychology’ and a ‘Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology’.
The master’s program at UT Tyler is a full-time, on-campus program that requires you to complete 60 credits to graduate. Those credits include a mixture of traditional coursework and field experience activities that enable you to work with clients in real-world settings while being supervised by an experienced psychologist.
The clinical psychology curriculum includes courses in the following:
- Evidence-Based Practices
- Applied Counseling
- Applied Therapy
- Advanced Human Growth and Development
- Group Counseling and Therapy
Two three-credit practicum experiences are also required.
This licensure-track program prepares you for work as a Licensed Psychology Associate (LPA) in Texas. Alternatively, you can continue your studies in a Ph.D. program.
To apply, you must submit an online application for admission and provide official transcripts from each college or university you’ve attended. You must also submit a list of three references and complete a background check.
The Ph.D. program in Psychology from UT Tyler is also a full-time residential program. During your five years in the program, you will participate in a curriculum based on the scientist-practitioner model. As such, you’ll take part in rigorous academic activities, including coursework, research, and clinical training.
This program focuses specifically on serving under-served populations. This includes older people, rural populations, and veterans, to name a few. You will take cultural diversity courses throughout the program to help prepare you for working with a broad range of clients.
In addition to coursework, you will have the opportunity to conduct research on campus and take part in supervised clinical work at the on-campus mental health clinic. You’ll also get to work in off-campus agencies that partner with the University for training purposes. As a result of this training and upon graduation, you’ll be eligible for psychologist licensure in Texas.
You can apply to this program if you satisfy the following requirements:
- Have an undergraduate degree with at least 12 credit hours of psychology, including research methods, statistics, abnormal psychology, and history and systems of psychology.
- Have a 3.0 GPA or higher for your undergraduate studies
- Have previous research experience
- Submit a statement of purpose, official transcripts, a curriculum vitae, and a list of three references
University of Texas at San Antonio
Like the University of Texas at Tyler discussed earlier, the University of Texas at San Antonio is part of the larger UT System. Though UTSA isn’t as large as the main campus in Austin, it still boasts nearly 35,000 students.
Something unique to UTSA is the makeup of the student body – a large portion of students are Hispanic. In fact, UTSA ranks in the top 10 in the nation for degrees awarded to students of Hispanic descent.
At UTSA, you will get a high-quality education, particularly if you focus on research – the school is a Carnegie Foundation R1 research institution.
UTSA has more than 30 research centers and institutions and has invested millions of dollars in its research facilities in recent years. Likewise, the University is recognized for providing students with an affordable education and promoting social mobility.
Psychology Graduate Programs
The ‘Master of Science in Psychology’ from UTSA is a research and academic-focused program. As a graduate of this program, you can enter the field of psychological research or apply to a doctoral program to get additional training. This is a non-licensure option, so if you wish to work in a clinical or therapeutic setting, you might consider pursuing UTSA’s ‘Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling’.
This is a residential degree with most courses provided at the main UTSA campus. Additionally, courses are mostly offered during the day, so working a traditional 9-5 job is not possible while enrolled in this program.
Your coursework is clustered into a few days each week, which provides you time to conduct research during the other days of the week. The combination of coursework and research allows you to learn crucial psychological techniques in class, then apply them in a laboratory setting.
To apply, you must first submit a graduate application for admission. You must meet the following requirements as well:
- Have a bachelor’s degree from a regionally-accredited institution or an overseas institution that provides equivalent training
- Have a 3.2 GPA or higher for your last 60 undergraduate credits, including at least 18 credits of psychology-related courses, 12 credits of which must be upper division
- Submit official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended
- Provide two statements of purpose – one focusing on professional goals and the other on research
- Provide a resume and two letters of recommendation
University of Texas at Austin
As the flagship institution in the University of Texas System, UT Austin is one of the most recognizable schools in the country. It’s a very large school with well over 50,000 students. Likewise, UT Austin offers a broad range of academic programs in its 18 colleges and schools.
UT Austin is a comprehensive public institution with programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels. Undergraduate students can choose from more than 150 majors, while graduate students have nearly 140 programs from which to choose.
There are also nearly 100 doctoral programs available. No matter what your course of study might be, you’ll learn from professors who are at the top of the field.
Psychology Graduate Programs
The Ph.D. program in Psychology at UT Austin is a full-time, residential program that requires about four or five years to complete for non-clinical tracks and about six years for the clinical option. Though there is just one Ph.D. available, you can pursue multiple specialization options to focus your studies. These include:
- Behavioral Neuroscience
- Clinical Psychology
- Cognition, Brain, and Behavior
- Developmental Psychology
- Individual Differences and Evolutionary Psychology
- Perception, Brain, and Behavior
- Social Psychology
Whichever specialization you choose, you will participate in a general curriculum that provides you with a solid foundation of understanding in psychology. To do so, you will take courses in advanced statistics and psychological research. Additionally, you will take classes in cognition, abnormal psychology, and physiology, to name a few.
Another component of this program is the dissertation. This extensive research project begins by submitting a research topic for approval from the psychology department. You will conduct the necessary research and write the dissertation toward the end of the program, at which point you must defend your dissertation to a committee prior to your degree being conferred.
You can apply by meeting the following requirements:
- Submit an application for admission, including a $65 application fee
- Provide a statement of purpose
- Provide a statement of research objectives
- Submit three letters of recommendation
- Submit official transcripts from each college or university you’ve attended
- Provide a 10-20 page academic writing sample
- Submit a curriculum vitae
Baylor University
Baylor University was founded in 1845 in Waco on a plot of land along the Brazos River. It was one of the first universities in Texas and is the longest continually-running institution in the state. Today, the school encompasses 1,000 acres and has state-of-the-art facilities, top-tier sports programs, and an abundance of off-campus activities to fill your time when you aren’t in school.
The University offers hundreds of degree options, including bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. The school has programs in 11 schools and colleges, where the school’s 21,000 students can get the preparation they need for future learning or careers. If you join the ranks of Baylor’s student body, you’ll learn alongside students from around the world on a campus that’s not only beautiful but diverse, too.
Psychology Graduate Programs
Baylor offers two doctoral programs in psychology: a PsyD and a Ph.D.
The PsyD program is a practitioner-preparation degree in clinical psychology. The program includes formal classroom studies as well as research opportunities and practicum experiences.
Over the course of the five-year residential program, you will take courses like:
- Ethics and Professional Issues in Clinical Psychology
- Psychopathology and Assessment of Children
- Biological Foundations of Behavior
- Clinical Health Psychology
- Neuropharmacology
Additionally, you will participate in extensive supervised clinical experiences throughout the program. These experiences allow you to apply your classroom learning in a setting with actual clients. Combined with detailed training and research opportunities, you’ll exit this program with a high degree of competency in psychological practice.
To apply, you must submit an online application for graduate admission. You must also provide the following:
- Unofficial transcripts from each college or university you’ve attended that show a 3.0 GPA or higher for undergraduate studies
- Three letters of reference
- A personal statement of interest
- A list of academic and research interests
- TOEFL scores if you aren’t a native English speaker
- GRE scores (though this requirement is currently waived)
Baylor’s Ph.D. program is a four- to five-year residential program that prepares you for a career in academic and research settings. You can choose from three specialties: General Experimental Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience, or Social Psychology.
Regardless of the specialty you select, you will complete a mix of coursework and psychological research. You must also pass a qualifying exam, complete a doctoral dissertation, and pass a final oral exam as well.
Some of the specific courses you will take include:
- Seminar in Memory and Cognition
- Advanced Statistical Methods
- Psychology and Neuroscience Seminar
- Social Psychology
- Introduction to Experimental Design
In addition to coursework and research, you will also participate in campus teaching activities. This includes working as a Teaching Assistant and as an undergraduate psychology course instructor.
You can start the application process online. The admissions requirements for the PsyD program apply to this Ph.D. program as well.
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