Psychology (M.A.)

The University of Houston-Victoria offers two psychology master's degrees, a 48-semester hour degree in counseling psychology and a 66-semester hour degree in school psychology.  The counseling psychology degree is designed to meet the educational requirements for the Texas Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) credential and/or the Licensed Psychological Associate (LPA) credential.  The school psychology degree is designed to meet the academic requirements for the Texas Licensed Specialist in School Psychology (LSSP) credential.

1.  General Admission Requirements. Admission to Graduate Studies (see graduate admission requirements). In addition to meeting university admissions requirements for a graduate degree, prospective psychology students must submit their official GRE scores.  GMAT scores will not be accepted.
2.  Program Admission.  Admission to the counseling psychology or school psychology program is based on an evaluation by the program's admission committee of the following information.
   1.  A 1-2 page essay that states the applicant's reasons for applying to the program and the applicant's career goals.
   2.  One letter of recommendation from a non-UHV, non-family source.
   3.   Evidence of having completed undergraduate or graduate courses in statistics, research methods, and abnormal psychology.  A particular course will be waived as a requirement if the student passes a comprehensive final exam or its equivalent for the designated course with a grade of "C" or better.  The exam may be taken no more than once for a particular course.
3.  Degree Requirements.  The counseling psychology and the school psychology degree plans have a common core of 30 semester hours.  The counseling psychology degree plan has a concentration requirement of an additional 9 semester hours and the school psychology degree plan has a concentration requirement of an additional 21 semester hours.  Nine semester hours of practicum are required for the counseling psychology degree and 3 semester hours of practicum are required for the school psychology degree.  A 12 semester hour internship is also required for the school psychology degree.

1.  Common Core (30 semester hours).  The following courses are required for both degrees:

 PSY 6321 Advanced Abnormal Psychology

 PSY 6326 Advanced Research Methods

 PSY 6330 Life-Span Developmental Psychology

 PSY 6331 Multicultural Psychotherapy

 PSY 6332 Advanced Social Psychology

 PSY 6333 Ethics and Practice of Psychology

 PSY 6334 Theories and Issues in Psychotherapy

 PSY 6335 Techniques of Psychotherapy

 PSY 6336 Introduction to Assessment

 PSY 6337 Advanced Assessment

2.  Concentration Requirements

Counseling Psychology (9 semester hours)

  PSY 6319 Educational and Career Decision Making

  PSY 6338 Group Psychotherapy

  PSY 6339 Theory and Techniques of Family Therapy

 

School Psychology (21 semester hours)

  PSY 6315 Advanced Learning

  PSY 6328 Biological Psychology

  PSY 6340 School Consultation

  PSY 6341 Behavior Management

  PSY 6342 Child Assessment

  C&I 6321 Principles of Curriculum Development,

   or C&I 6322 Principles of Curricular Organization

  AED 6310 Theoretical Foundations of Educational Administration,

   or AED 6311Foundations of Educational Administration

3.  Practicum/Internship Requirements

Counseling Psychology (9 semester hours)

  9 semester hours of PSY 6303 Psychology Practicum

 School Psychology (3 s.h. of practicum and 12 s.h. of internship)

  3 semester hours of PSY 6303 Psychology Practicum

  12 semester hours of PSY 6605 School Psychology Internship

4.  Comprehensive Exams

 Students must pass a comprehensive exam to graduate.  The comprehensive exam is tailored to

the student's program (i.e., counseling or school psychology).  The counseling psychology comprehensive exam is a 3-hour 200-item multiple choice exam that consists of 20 items from each of the core courses.  The school psychology comprehensive exam is a Praxis specialty area test.  It is a 2-hour multiple choice exam designed for those wishing to serve in educational settings as school psychologists (e.g., LSSP’s in Texas).

4.  Review of Student Progress.  Student progress will be reviewed on a regular basis with the intention of identifying students who may need remediation to continue in the program.  Continuation in the counseling psychology or school psychology program requires satisfactory academic performance, appropriate personal attributes, and ethical behavior.  In addition, students must demonstrate the acquisition of appropriate clinical and professional skills.  All students are evaluated annually and as needed for academic progress and professional behavior and development.  A student who fails to meet minimal criteria will be asked to sign a probation agreement that specifies the remediation terms for continuation in the program.  Dismissal from the program will result if the student fails to follow the terms of the agreement.  More detailed information about the minimal criteria for continuation in the program may be obtained from the student's academic advisor or the program coordinator.