Texas Psychology Doctorate Programs

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Quick Facts
Texas PsyD Programs
Texas Psychologist Requirements
Texas Doctorate Salary Outlook

Quick Facts

The University of Houston had a 100% licensure rate among psychology graduates between 2014 and 2022.
The annual tuition of an in-state student at Texas Tech is just $11,852.
Attending Texas A&M will cost an annual tuition of roughly $13,099.
Texas Tech sports a graduation rate of 67% among first-time, full-time students.
The University of Houston is the fourth largest university in the state of Texas.

List of PsyD Programs In Texas

Below are programs in Texas where you can earn your Psy.D. This degree is a good option for students who want to work as clinicians in their psychology careers.

SEE ALSO: 5+ Best Online PsyD Programs

Our Lady of the Lake University

Our Lady of the Lake University offers a Psy.D. with a concentration in counseling psychology that trains doctoral students for the practice of assessment and intervention with individuals, families, groups, and couples. This Psy.D. program stresses competencies and skills that are needed in the professional practice of psychology. There is more concentration in this program in psychology application in the field and less on academic research activities. This APA-accredited program has four years of coursework followed by one year of internship. A total of 107 hours are required for graduation.

Institution type: Private
Main campus: San Antonio, Texas
Tuition: $1,065 per credit
Degrees offered: Psy.D. in Counseling Psychology
Accreditation: APA
Visit School: Click here

Baylor University

Baylor University offers a Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology whose goal is to develop competent and professional psychologists with the clinical and conceptual competencies needed to contribute to the science of psychology. The program also aims to teach doctoral students to deliver comprehensive psychological services in a way that is responsive and effective to individual and societal needs. A major focus of this four-year program is didactic coursework and a supervised clinical internship where the student’s clinical competencies can be honed. The program is accredited by the APA.

Institution type: Private
Main campus: Waco, Texas
Annual tuition: $61,695; All students in good standing receive full tuition remission in addition to a stipend
Degrees offered: Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology
Accreditation: APA
Visit School: Click here

University of Houston Clear Lake

The University of Houston Clear Lake offers an APA-accredited Psy.D. in Health Service Psychology with a focus on clinical practice. The major aim of the four-year program is to prepare doctoral students for health professional careers in clinical and school environments. It is modeled to focus on the offering of health services with a strong focus on cognitive-behavioral psychology. Graduates will be highly competent in evidence-based practice, including, assessment, intervention, and consultation.

Institution type: Public
Main campus: Houston
Annual tuition: $11,876 in-state, $24,692 out-of-state
Degrees offered: Psy.D. in Health Service Psychology
Accreditation: APA
Visit School: Click here

Other Psychology Doctorates in Texas

If you would rather earn your Ph.D. in psychology with a focus on academic research, you have some good options in Texas, which are described below.

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

The Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at UT Southwestern Medical Center is accredited by the APA that prepares graduate students to serve as effective psychological clinicians and researchers. The training philosophy in this program reflects a clinical-researcher training model and features a combined experience of clinical and research settings. The program offers advanced research training for students who want to pursue clinically focused careers. In addition, students interested in careers in academia or research have an excellent clinical foundation to build on. During the practica experience, students will have 1,400 hours of supervision and training.

Institution type: Public
Main campus: Dallas
Annual tuition: $12,074 in-state, $25,934 out-of-state
Degrees offered: Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology
Accreditation: APA
Visit School: Click here

The University of Texas at Austin

The University of Texas at Austin offers a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology that is based on a proven clinical science training model. The major objective of the program is to prepare doctoral students for teaching and research careers. The second objective is to train students to practice psychology in a clinical setting. The scientific perspective is stressed in the clinical and research training in this APA-accredited program, whose course of study typically takes six years to complete in total. Faculty are scholars in many vital aspects of psychology, such as addictive behaviors, human sexuality, PTSD, stress and coping, autism, aging and cognition, and depression. UT Austin also offers APA-accredited Ph.D. programs in Counseling Psychology and combined School-Clinical Child Psychology.

Institution type: Public
Main campus: Dallas
Annual tuition: Clinical: $4,464 in-state, $8,847 out-of-state; Counseling: $13,976 in-state, $27,229 out-of-state; School-Clinical Child: $13,976 in-state, $27,229 out-of-state
Degrees offered: Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology, Ph.D. in combined School-Clinical Child Psychology
Accreditation: APA
Visit School: Clinical, Counseling, School-Clinical Child

Texas A&M University

Texas A&M University offers a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology that blends the clinical-scientist and scientist-practitioner models. It integrates the complete range of teaching, research, and applied skills in training Ph.D. students. Graduates of this APA-accredited program have a strong foundation to pursue a career as a clinical scientist in an academic or research environment. They also can work successfully in clinical settings with patients, or in a high-level administrative role in a healthcare facility. Students typically compete successfully for pre-doctoral internships at major medical centers across the country. Texas A&M also offers APA-accredited Ph.D. programs in Counseling Psychology and School Psychology.

Institution type: Public
Main campus: College Station, Texas
Annual tuition: Clinical: $2,582 in-state, $7,348 out-of-state; Counseling: $9,062 in-state, $18,629 out-of-state; School: $4,531 in-state, $9,315 out-of-state
Degrees offered: Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology, Ph.D. in School Psychology
Accreditation: APA
Visit School: Clinical, Counseling, School

Texas Tech University

Texas Tech University offers a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology that is APA-accredited, with the aim of providing doctoral students with broad and general training in major aspects of psychology. Students will develop the empirical and theoretical knowledge and skills to conduct sound and ethical research. Further, graduate students will develop the knowledge and skills to effectively engage with patients in the practice of clinical psychology. Students will have intensive practicum training at the on-campus Psychology Clinic, but they also can get this essential training at Texas Tech Health Sciences Center, University Medical Center, and other local healthcare facilities. The school also offers an APA-accredited Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology.

Institution type: Public
Main campus: Lubbock, Texas
Annual tuition: Clinical: $2,412 in/out-of-state; Counseling: $9,518 in-state, $17,698 out-of-state
Degrees offered: Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology
Accreditation: APA
Visit School: Clinical, Counseling

The University of Texas at Tyler

The University of Texas at Tyler offers a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology that offers doctoral students high-quality academic, research, and clinical training with traditionally underserved populations. The focus of the program is to train students to work in rural areas, with veterans, and geropsychology. Intense training in cultural diversity issues is built into the five-year program. Required clinical training is offered in the on-campus clinic as well as in several agencies in East Texas. The program requires 99 credit hours to graduate and there is a one-year clinical internship. Currently this program is on contingency accreditation status with the APA.

Institution type: Public
Main campus: Tyler, Texas
Annual tuition: $4,800 in/out-of-state; Students receive tuition waivers, scholarships, and assistantships
Degrees offered: Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology
Accreditation: APA on contingency
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Sam Houston State University

Sam Houston State University offers a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology that is designed to produce scientists and practitioners who have expertise in clinical practice and research. The APA-accredited program also has an emphasis on training doctoral students to be legally informed clinicians, with experience and knowledge providing professional psychological services in the US justice system. Students will learn techniques for applying clinical psychology skills to address needs and answer vital research questions in the legal arena.

Institution type: Public
Main campus: Huntsville, Texas
Annual tuition: $17,568 in/out-of-state
Degrees offered: Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology
Accreditation: APA
Visit School: Click here

How To Become A Practicing Psychologist In Texas

Pursuing a license in the State of Texas will require attending to a variety of different matters. First and foremost, you’ll have to start out by attaining all of the required education. After that, you’ll need to work with the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists in order to attend to all of the documentation, examination, and approvals required to receive your license.

You’ll start out on your path toward a psychologist license by earning both your master’s and bachelor’s degree. You’ll end up spending close to six years in pursuit of both of these degrees though that can change based on the university that you choose to attend. So long as you meet all certification requirements outlined by the APA, you will be able to move forward toward your doctorate. Keep in mind, Texas is incredibly specific about which courses are viable for licensure, so refer often to the Texas State Board.

After acquiring your master’s you will be ready to achieve your PsyD or Ph.D. in the field of psychology. Your doctoral program must be verified and approved by the American Psychological Association or the National Association of School Psychologists. Along the way, you’ll need 60 total credit hours and nearly 1,800 hours of supervised work experience.

After you have your education in hand, you’ll be ready to approach the board for your license.

You’ll need to start the process by passing the two mandatory exams for the state of Texas. These two exams will require you to pay application fees totaling $843 and this fee is non-refundable. The two exams are as follows:

- Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology
- Jurisprudence Examination

After your examinations are complete, you’ll be able to apply for a provisional license. This provisional license allows you to practice under the supervised expertise of a licensed professional psychologist. In order to attain this provisional license, you must pass a criminal background check while also supplying two passport photos as well as your school transcripts.
With your provisional license, you must complete two years of supervised training which will total up to 3,500 total work hours. Half of these hours can be earned during an internship while the other half must be acquired after you receive your doctoral degree. If you are trying to become a school psychologist, 600 of those hours must be earned at a public school.
Finally, you’ll be able to apply for your full license. You can apply for your license online via the PLUS program. It takes six weeks to process your application as well as an additional application fee of $180.

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Texas Clinical Psychologist Salary and Job Outlook

Texas has the fourth-highest employment numbers for licensed psychologists in the nation, trailing only California, New York, and Illinois.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual average salary of a counseling or clinical psychologist in Texas is $82,420. The top 10% in this field are making an annual salary that starts at $135,010. Job growth in the state over the following decade is expected to continue along a positive trendline. Clinical and counseling psychologist jobs are projected to increase by 19.6% over this time period.

2023 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures shown here for Psychologists. Job growth projections are from the US Department of Labor-sponsored resource, CareerOneStop. Figures are based on state data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed December 2024.