Counseling and Psychology Degree Programs at Lamar University
Lamar University appears in our ranking of the Top 10 Master’s in Counseling Degrees Online.
Lamar University offers a large number of counseling and psychology degree programs that include online options and programs for graduate students. It has both a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. Both programs require that students take classes such as General Psychology, Lifespan Development, Introduction to Statistical Methods, Advanced Statistics and Learning and Study Skills. Students can also take Special Topics, which is a class offered at least once a year. The topics and concepts addressed in this class will change each semester. Other courses that psychology majors can take include Abnormal Psychology, Experimental Psychology, Industrial Psychology, and Sensation and Perception.
The Department of Psychology offers graduate programs in organizational and industrial psychology and clinical psychology. In the clinical psychology program, students learn how to test subjects and measure their responses. This program includes a practicum, which many students choose to do in a clinical mental health clinic. The IO program allows students to do their practicums in industrial settings such as factories and offices. Before students take advanced courses or do their practicums, they will take some required classes. Those classes include Professional Orientation, Advanced General Psychology I and II, Experimental Design and Personality Assessment. Both psychology programs include a thesis also.
Graduate programs in counseling are available from the university’s College of Education and Human Development. One program awards students a Master of Education in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. This program has two residency components that ask students to take five weeks of classes on the Lamar campus. Students are responsible for covering their room and board costs during each residency. All other classes are available online, including Foundations of Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Group Counseling Theories, Measurement and Assessment, and Human Growth and Development. Students will also do an internship that requires 300 hours of fieldwork and a practicum. During the practicum, they must do 60 hours of indirect work and 40 hours of direct work.
A Master of Education in Counseling and Development is also available with a focus on marriage and family therapy. This can help students become licensed counselors in Texas and a few other states and can help them meet the requirements to become a nationally certified counselor or a certified clinical mental health counselor. Those who already have a teaching license can focus on school counseling instead. Each program features practicums and internships that require students to do 400 hours of fieldwork and that they pass two observations done by professors in the program. Both Master of Education programs are available online.
About Lamar University
Lamar University is a private university in Texas that was established in 1923. Originally called South Park Junior College, it went from a two-year college to a four-year university. Some of the names used by the university over the years include Lamar College and Lamar State College of Technology. It is now part of the State University of Texas system and has an enrollment of more than 14,000 students. Also called LU and Lamar, it offers both online and on-campus classes. Those classes have an average ratio of 19 students to every one professor.
Lamar University Accreditation Details
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) awarded accreditation to LU. This accreditation covers its counseling and psychology degree programs as well as those in other areas. SACS not only lets transfer students get credit at the university, but it also allows all types of students to use the FAFSA as they seek out financial aid options.
Lamar University Application Requirements
Some of the requirements for students who want to study psychology at the graduate level include:
- A bachelor’s degree in psychology
- At least 24 credits of undergrad psychology courses
- Courses in statistics and research methods
LU asks that students have a background in psychology because it will help them in their classes. The admissions board looks at multiple factors when making decisions on individual students and may accept those who do not meet all these requirements but have some professional experience. To apply, students must submit their transcripts, three letters of recommendation, a GRE score, statement of purpose and application. The university will only admit those who have a minimum GPA of 3.0 and a score of 150 on both the quantitative and verbal sections of the GRE. All counseling programs feature the same requirements, but they also ask that students fill out a supplemental application that goes directly to the department. The school counseling program is only open to students with a minimum of two years of teaching experience and a valid teaching license.
The application process for undergrads is more streamlined. Students need a score of 1500 on the SAT or 18-24 on the various sections of the ACT. They can use the Apply Texas website, which provides them with spaces to write about their extracurricular interests and any volunteer or work experience they have. LU asks undergrads to submit transcripts and test scores after completing the application.
Tuition and Financial Aid
The LU Tuition Lock is a policy established by the university that locks in the tuition students pay when they first enroll. When they finish a bachelor’s program in four years or a master’s program in two years, they will avoid any tuition increases. The cost for undergrads is just over $5,000 a semester as a Texas resident or $11,315 per semester as a nonresident. LU graduate students pay $5,332 per semester for full-time enrollment as a Texas resident or $10,316 each semester as a nonresident.
Though some students think that they won’t qualify for financial aid, they should still submit the FAFSA. This form allows students to file as independents if they meet certain requirements, but other students will file and use the tax returns filed by their parents the previous year. The FAFSA is the only way that students can get the subsidized and unsubsidized loans that the government offers for undergrads and graduate students. It also helps them qualify for grants. Students should also check the university website to find out about scholarships that include full tuition scholarships and programs that give them a few hundred dollars or more. Lamar University also offers special programs for graduate students majoring in counseling and psychology, including assistantships and grants.
