Best Psychology Programs in Texas for 2027

The BA and the BS in psychology at Texas A&M have identical psychology requirements, and they differ in what surrounds them: the BA adds 14 hours of a foreign language through the intermediate level and extra humanities, while the BS adds more hours in the physical and biological sciences. Both start with Psychology as a Major and Profession, Introduction to Psychology and Introduction to Psychological Science Methods, then move through Introduction to Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience, Elementary Statistics for Psychology and Research Design and Methods in Psychological Science, each of the last two worth four hours. You also choose one diversity course, such as Black Psychology or Psychology of Culture and Diversity, and select from lists in social and developmental topics and in cognitive and biological topics.

Degrees

BA with a humanities-oriented support curriculum, or BS with a science-oriented one.

Research Sequence

Introduction to Psychological Science Methods, Elementary Statistics for Psychology and Research Design and Methods in Psychological Science.

BA Language Requirement

14 hours of a foreign language through the intermediate level.

Minimum Grade

C or better in courses counted toward the major.

Program Sources: Psychology - BA < Texas A&M CatalogsPsychology - BS < Texas A&M Catalogs

UT Austin's psychology BA requires breadth across behavior and development, cognition and neuroscience, and diversity in behavioral science. You'll take a separate course for each area after building a foundation in introductory psychology, statistics, and psychological methods. Course choices include child language, psychopharmacology, moral development and diversity in cognitive aging. The methods course must be completed at UT, and introductory statistics and methods require at least a C before upper-division psychology registration. Plan that sequence before choosing advanced electives.

Breadth Areas

Separate courses cover behavior/development, cognition/neuroscience and diversity in behavioral science.

Methods Prerequisites

Statistics and methods require at least a C before upper-division registration; methods must be taken at UT.

Program Sources: Psychology (BA) < University of Texas at Austin

Houston's psychology BA and BS share early work in research methods with a laboratory, psychological statistics, social psychology, personality and biological psychology. Cognitive psychology and advanced electives follow. The BA map adds a foreign-language sequence, while the BS map allocates additional study to mathematics, mathematical reasoning or science. Both include a minor. If you want the online BA completion option, plan your lower-division work first: Houston specifies that only the upper-division classes needed to finish that degree are available online.

BA and BS Planning

Shared psychology coursework sits alongside different language or mathematics/science requirements.

Online Completion

The BA online option provides upper-division completion classes for students prepared to finish the degree.

Program Sources: Psychology BA Academic Map, 2026–27Psychology BS Academic Map, 2026–27Psychology (B.A.) | University of Houston

Texas Tech's terminal experimental psychology MA follows an apprenticeship model: students conduct research with a faculty supervisor throughout the program. A formal thesis is optional, but the alternative research project must be comparable in scope and include written and oral presentation. Required methods training includes experimental design and advanced correlational methods and factor analysis. Students also take psychology electives and courses beyond their immediate specialty. Because admission depends on a faculty match, the department asks applicants to contact the professors they hope to work with.

Research Model

Ongoing faculty apprenticeship; thesis or a comparable research project.

Methods Training

Experimental design, advanced correlational methods, and factor analysis.

Program Sources: Terminal Masters | Social Psychology | Psychological Sciences | TTU

A 3.5 GPA and B grades in both statistics for psychology and a psychological research methods course set the admission bar for the master's in psychology at UT San Antonio, and students enter only in the fall. The 36-hour degree is research training: a 12-hour core of Research Design, Inferential Statistics, Psychological Measurement and Correlation and Regression Analyses, six hours chosen from developmental, psychopathology, social, cognition or biological psychology, six hours from topics such as individual differences, industrial/organizational, health or multicultural psychology, and six hours of electives that include a Research Internship and Master's Research. Most students finish in two or three years. The degree prepares you for a PhD or applied research jobs and is not a path to licensure as a therapist.

Degree Length

Minimum of 36 semester credit hours, typically two or three years.

Core Courses

Research Design, Inferential Statistics, Psychological Measurement and Correlation and Regression Analyses.

Admission

Fall only, with a 3.5 GPA and a B or higher in statistics and research methods.

Electives

Six hours, including Research Internship and Master's Research.

Program Sources: Psychology - UT San Antonio Graduate CatalogMaster’s Degree in Psychology - UT San Antonio

East Texas A&M's 36-credit psychology MS uses asynchronous online coursework and offers thesis and non-thesis routes. Thesis students develop an independent study, from reviewing the literature and designing the research to collecting and analyzing data. The non-thesis plan suits students whose goals call for further coursework instead of a research project. Course selection can draw from experimental, cognitive, social, and educational psychology, with statistics included in the training. Year-round admissions and course offerings allow students to plan a two- to three-year course of study.

Delivery

Asynchronous online coursework in a 36-credit program.

Completion Routes

Thesis and non-thesis plans.

Program Sources: Psychology (MS) | East Texas A&M University, ETAMU

UT Austin's psychology PhD begins research in the first year alongside quantitative study and departmental core courses. You'll complete research methods and ethics, then meet additional course or research requirements set by your area. Those areas include behavioral neuroscience, developmental psychology, social and personality psychology, and research on individual differences and evolution. Annual reviews with your supervising mentor consider coursework and research progress. The department's later stages center on an independent dissertation, while approved courses and collaborations outside psychology can extend your methods or subject knowledge.

Early Research

Research begins in the first year, alongside at least one quantitative course.

Area and Mentor

Your area sets additional requirements; a supervising mentor reviews research and coursework progress annually.

Program Sources: PhD Program | Psychology | Liberal Arts | UT - AustinAreas of Graduate Study | Psychology | Liberal Arts | UT - Austin

Five research interest groups, called RIGs, organize the doctoral program in Psychological Sciences at Rice: Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine, Human-Computer Interaction and Human Factors, Industrial-Organizational Psychology, and Psychometrics and Quantitative Psychology. Students and faculty work together inside a group, so programs are tailored to shared research interests, and collaborations reach the Texas Medical Center and NASA. After the master's thesis, each student forms an admission to candidacy committee that sets requirements such as a journal-ready thesis, a written exam or added coursework. A dissertation committee follows, with at least three members including an outside Rice faculty member.

Research Groups

Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, Health Psychology, Human-Computer Interaction, Industrial-Organizational Psychology, and Psychometrics.

Milestones

Master's thesis, admission to candidacy, then the dissertation.

Candidacy

Requirements are set by the student's RIG and candidacy committee, and may include a written exam.

Dissertation Committee

Chair, a department faculty member and an outside Rice faculty member.

Program Sources: Graduate Studies | Department of Psychological Sciences | Rice UniversityDoctoral Degree | Department of Psychological Sciences | Rice University

Only six hours of psychology are required in Amarillo College's Associate in Science, and the rest is a 42-hour general education core plus 12 hours of recommended courses you pick with an advisor based on where you plan to transfer. The major courses are General Psychology and either Child Psychology or Lifespan Growth and Development. The recommended list includes Psychology of Adjustment, Social Psychology, Introduction to Social Work, Social Problems and Business Computer Applications. General education covers composition, math, life and physical sciences, Texas and U.S. government, U.S. history, a first-year seminar and Introduction to Sociology, which adds up to 60 semester hours.

Degree Length

60 semester hours, including 42 hours of general education.

Major Courses

General Psychology, plus Child Psychology or Lifespan Growth and Development.

Recommended Courses

12 hours chosen with the major advisor, such as Psychology of Adjustment and Social Psychology.

Advising

Course selection is based on the university you plan to transfer to.

Program Sources: Psychology (A.S.) - Amarillo College Catalog

Odessa's Psychology AA is designed for transfer into a bachelor's program. The department's psychology study covers lifespan development, learning, cognition, emotions, personality and mental health. You'll work with psychological principles, scientific approaches to behavior, and interpretation of research and data. The degree also emphasizes communication through clear writing, discussion and presentations, alongside understanding cultural differences. Use your intended transfer major to choose a course plan with an advisor, especially when deciding how much further study you want in behavioral research or human services.

Behavioral Study

Topics include lifespan development, learning, cognition, personality and mental health.

Research and Communication

The program develops research interpretation, scientific analysis of behavior and clear communication.

Program Sources: Associate's in Psychology and SociologyDegrees and Certificates - Odessa College