Psychology Master’s Degree Programs in Texas
Even psychology research initiatives are bigger in Texas. For example, at the University of Texas at Austin, the Psychology Department’s faculty is actively seeking answers to profound questions in cognitive neuroscience, developmental psychology, and evolutionary psychology: How does the brain control behavior? … How do children develop normally and optimally? … How do nature and nurture combine to form unique individuals?
In College Station, researchers at Texas A&M University’s Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences recently made a breakthrough discovery in fear relapse that could one day help clinicians better treat disorders like PTSD. At Texas State University you’ll find the innovative MA in Psychological Research that hits on groundbreaking discoveries in electrophysiology, sleep, eye-tracking and behavioral testing, led by a faculty made up of clinical, developmental, social, quantitative, and health psychology experts.
Regardless of which area of psychology you want to learn more about, chances are you’ll find an abundance of programs, research, and practice opportunities available to you, from Dallas to Houston to Austin and beyond.
A Master’s Degree is the Jumping Off Point to a Psychology Career in Texas
While a doctorate degree in psychology is the minimum requirement to serve as a clinical psychologist in Texas, a master’s degree is a solid foundation on which to build a career in other areas of psychology or pursue doctoral-level study.
For example, a master’s degree in psychology serves as the minimum educational requirement for achieving licensure as a psychological associate through the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists. Your master’s degree, provided it is earned through a program approved by the American Psychological Association or National Association of School Psychologists, also meets the educational requirements needed to become licensed as a school psychologist through the Board of Examiners and Psychologists.
Want to work as a professional counselor in Texas? You’re in luck. Licensure through the Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors requires a minimum of a master’s degree in a counseling-related field.
No Shortage of Opportunities for Master’s Degrees in Psychology
Psychology master’s degree offerings in Texas are just as plentiful as you’d expect. For example, the Texas A&M System offers master’s degrees in psychology at its College Station, Commerce, Corpus Christi, and Kingsville campuses, while the University of Texas System offers psychology master’s degrees at its Pan American, San Antonio, El Paso, Brownsville, Austin, and Arlington campuses.
Other noteworthy programs in Texas include Texas Women’s University, whose master’s programs include study in psychological science, counseling psychology, and school psychology, and Texas Tech University, whose graduate offerings in the Department of Psychological Sciences include clinical psychology, counseling psychology, cognition and cognitive neuroscience, human factors psychology, and social psychology.
Border Issues Require the Expertise of Psychology Professionals
There are few places in the U.S. where border issues are as important to both residents and refugees as Texas.
Recent news reveals that rising numbers of refugees from Central America are crossing the Texas-Mexico border, straining the resources, refugee centers, and federal processing facilities located there. The Rio-Grande Valley Sector, which runs from Rio Grande City to Brownsville to Corpus Christi has experienced the largest surge of immigrants to date.
Social psychologists, clinical and counseling psychologists, and community psychologists are just some of the professionals providing assistance to asylum seekers in refugee centers like the Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen, medical clinics, private aid organizations like the Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, and government agencies.
Industrial/Organizational Psychologists Study and Formulate Programs That Optimize Working Conditions for the Texas Workforce
Whether it’s finding ways to optimize worker productivity or addressing worker health and safety, industrial/organizational psychologists are part and parcel of a healthy work environment.
This may include formulating new training programs to ensure the health and well-being of workers in Texas’ booming oil industry (e.g., Shell, Exxon Mobile, ConocoPhillips), improving the organizational structure at automotive assembly plants (e.g., General Motors, Ford, Nissan, Toyota), or studying worker productivity at the state’s largest healthcare systems (e.g., Interim HealthCare, Tenet Healthcare Corp., Cornerstone Healthcare Group).
A Super-Sized State and its Super-Sized Economy Call for Psychologists in All Fields
From health psychologists to school psychologists to clinical psychologists and more, opportunities for psychology professionals in Texas are as impressive as the size of this state’s economy. Boasting a massive $1.6 trillion economy, Texas was recently named the best state for business in 2018 by CNBC – the fourth time the state has won this distinction.
From the state’s mind-blowing manufacturing output (which makes up about 10 percent of the total manufactured goods in the U.S.) to its designation as the top exporting state in the nation (kudos to crude oil), Texas’ motto might as well be ‘go big or go home.’
With a super-friendly business environment (zero corporate tax here) and a surging personal income, Texas is poised for continued growth in its population and economy, which spells great news for psychology professionals working in applied psychology, from healthcare to business and industry to schools to the courts.