Houston Baptist University Counseling and Psychology Programs
Houston Baptist University appears in our ranking of the 20 Best Master’s in Pastoral Counseling Online Degree Programs.
Houston Baptist University and its College of Education and Behavioral Sciences offers different degree programs for students with an interest in human behavior. The Department of Psychology is part of this college and offers a Bachelor of Art in Psychology as well as a psychology minor. This undergrad program features a core of five psychology classes, including Abnormal Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, and Human Growth and Development. Students can also take electives such as Psychology of Religion, Theories of Counseling, Health Psychology and Dying and Bereavement.
There are five graduate programs available in psychology and counseling too. The Master of Arts in Psychology is a general program that includes 37 credits of courses. Students must earn a C or higher in each psychology course taken, and they must maintain a grade point average of 3.0 or higher in all their classes too. Students who scored below a B in certain classes will need to retake those courses through the university. Those classes include both Abnormal Psychology and General Psychology.
Graduate psychology students can also enroll in the university’s MA in Psychology Licensed Specialist in School Psychology program. Once they complete their studies, they can become a licensed school counselor. They will do an internship that requires they complete 1,200 hours of clinical work in the field. Houston Baptist University will help students find an internship in a local school that has an element of supervision. Students will also do some work on their own.
The Master of Arts in Christian Counseling is a graduate program designed for students who want to work as counselors in their churches and other religious organizations. Houston Baptist University boasts a 100% pass rate among graduates who took the national counseling licensing exam after leaving the university. These students passed that exam on their first tries. There is also a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling for students who want to work with patients in clinical settings. All the university’s counseling programs feature the same 1,200-hour internship requirement.
Students can also earn a Master of Education with a Specialization in Counselor Education. Houston Baptist University recommends this program for students who want to work as school counselors. It includes both a fieldwork component and some classroom work. The professors working for this program can help students apply for their licenses and make sure that they meet the requirements for counselors in Texas.
Featured Programs
About Houston Baptist University
Houston Baptist University is a private university located in the Texas city of the same name. It has an affiliation with the Baptist Church. Founded in 1960, it is one of the newer college campuses in the Houston area. With an enrollment of around 3,300 students, it’s also one of the smallest campuses. Also called Houston Baptist and HBU, the university offers smaller class sizes than other schools do. Most of the classes feature 20 or fewer students working with one professor.
As a religious university, HBU allows students to earn credit through missionary work that they do and any other similar programs that they complete. It offers a program called Quest, which allows students to work together and talk about their worship experiences. They also receive credit for attending church services on the campus. Students must earn 80 credits from community life and worship programs to earn their degrees. Houston Baptist University makes it easy for students to find opportunities to earn those credits because it tells them about upcoming programs in a magazine that all students receive.
Houston Baptist University Accreditation Details
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCC) granted accreditation to Houston Baptist University. This accreditation is one of the requirements for students who plan on using the FAFSA as they apply for financial aid, which is available for both graduate students and undergrads. As it is a type of regional accreditation, students who already attended college or took college classes can transfer their credits to HBU.
Houston Baptist University Application Requirements
HBU accepts a wide range of students who want to earn their undergrad degrees each year. Students typically have an SAT score of at least 1114 or an ACT score of 23 or higher. They also graduated within the top half of their high school classes. HBU has an application available online for freshmen. It does not have an essay requirement and does not charge an application fee. Students can log in and out of the system and submit their applications when they feel confident. They will then submit their official transcripts and either an ACT or SAT score.
There is no fee to submit the university’s graduate school application either. This application features just one page but has multiple sections dedicated to factors such as where an applicant studied before and what degree(s) he or she already has. It also asks if the student plans on applying for financial aid. Once the university receives the application, it will contact students and let them know if they need to submit anything else such as a resume, letters of recommendation and/or a writing sample.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Undergrads can enroll in the university as full-time or part-time students. Part-time students pay $1,270 per semester hour. Full-time undergrads pay $15,240 per semester. They can take up to 18 credits without paying any extra fees. Any student who goes above this amount will pay $695 per additional semester hour. Students also pay fees of a little more than $2,000 a year. Graduate students in both the psychology and counseling programs pay $1,650 for each class that they take.
Houston Baptist students at any level can apply for financial aid to significantly reduce their out of pocket costs. Those students must submit the FAFSA, which the university recommends that students file as soon as possible. It becomes available every year at the beginning of October. The financial aid packages designed for undergrads often include working for the university as part of a federal program, grants, and loans, though students may qualify for one or more scholarships also. Graduate students can get loans from private lenders and from the federal government. Admissions counselors can help students applying to one of the programs available from the Houston Baptist University College of Education and Behavioral Sciences learn more about financial aid.