Texas A&M University-Commerce

Programs in Psychology and Counseling at Texas A&M University-Commerce

Texas A&M University-Commerce appears in our ranking of the Top 25 Most Affordable Master’s Degrees in Counseling in the South.

Psychology and counseling programs are available through the Department of Psychology, Counseling and Special Education at Texas A&M University-Commerce. Its basic program is a bachelor's psychology program that includes classes like aspects of psychology, learning process and development, experimental psychology, psychology of personality and international psychology. There is also a special topics class available that looks at a unique area of psychology nearly every semester. Psych students can also enroll in its Psychology MS program, which has an emphasis on applied psychology. It includes 17 courses on professional issues in psychology, personality assessment, social and cultural basis of behavior and applied behavior analysis as well as a practicum and a thesis. The university also offers a doctoral psychology program.

Those with an interest in counseling can enroll in either the clinical mental health counseling program or the program in school counseling. School counseling students will look closely at bullying and other issues that students face in the modern world, the importance of assessing the skills of students and counseling students in their time of need. The university offers additional classes that will help students become licensed professional counselors too. With the clinical mental health counseling program, students learn how to counsel those suffering from mental conditions and emotional problems. Texas A&M University-Commerce has a doctoral program in counselor education too.

About Texas A&M University-Commerce

Texas A&M University-Commerce is one of the member colleges in the Texas A&M University School System and the third largest campus in that system. Its convenient location, which is about an hour outside of Dallas, made the school popular with both students in the big city and those living in more rural communities. Founded as the East Texas Normal College, it opened in 1889 and only offered classes designed to train, teach and prepare students for working as teachers in both Texas and western territories. It later became a state teaching college and then a state college when it added degree programs and then brought it programs outside of educational fields.

The main campus actually has Interstate 24 running through its borders and is home to facilities like the Morris Recreation Center and Gee Library. It also operates satellite campuses in downtown Dallas and three other cities and has partnerships with two smaller classes. These partnerships let students take some of their courses at those campuses before transferring to Texas A&M University-Commerce. Though its education program remains one of the best in the west and one of the best in Texas, it now offers more than 50 degree programs at the undergrad level and some graduate and doctoral programs too.

Texas A&M University-Commerce Accreditation Details

Texas A&M University-Commerce has both regional accreditation and specialty accreditation from six groups for its degree programs. The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business accredited its program in business, and its program in social work has accreditation from the Office of Social Work Education Office of Social Work. Other groups that granted the university accreditation for its degree programs include the Accreditation Board for Engineering & Technology, Inc. (AEBT), Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs, National Association of Schools of Music and National Association of Schools of Art and Design. Its regional accreditation, which gives it the authority to offer degree program and award degrees comes from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

Texas A&M University-Commerce Application Requirements

This branch of Texas A&M is just one of the dozens of colleges that use the ApplyTexas website. This website lets you create an account that you can use to log in and out of the system as you work on your application. Like many schools, it asks that students complete a college prep curriculum in high school that includes four years of English courses, at least three years of social science/social studies, laboratory science and math classes and two years of some type of foreign language course. American Sign Language courses will fulfill this requirement too. If you have an ACT score of 980 or higher, a minimum ACT score of 21 or are within the top 30% of your graduating class, you automatically qualify for admission to the university. All students must complete the application, submit a score from the SAT or ACT and submit a high school transcript. Texas A&M University-Commerce also asks for an essay of no more than 500 words that explains your future goals, why you want to study your major and the experience that you have.

The university's graduate application is also available via the ApplyTexas website. You need to pay a $50 application fee when you file it and submit a GRE score and a college transcript. Some departments at the university may require a score from a different test like the MCAT or GMAT. You'll also need to check whether your department requires letters of recommendation and/or a resume. The university offers full acceptance and both conditional and provisional acceptance to those who have lower grade point averages or do not meet the requirements of their programs.

Tuition and Financial Aid

When you enroll in classes at Texas A&M University-Commerce, the university will lock in the rate you pay as a freshman and let you keep paying that same amount later, even if the rate rises. Taking 15 credits will make you a full-time student and leave you paying around $4,000 per semester as Texas resident. All nonresidents pay just over $10,100 per semester for the same number of credits. You'll also need to pay for textbooks, fees, and supplies, and those who live on-campus must pay for a room and meal plan. The cost for graduate students is slightly higher, though those students also qualify for locked in rates. Texas residents pay around $573 per credit hour, and nonresidents pay around $980 per credit hour.

If you need help paying for any of your expenses, make sure that you file the FAFSA during the late spring or early summer. Your responses will help the school determine how much assistance you need based on your parents' income or your own income. Graduate students may receive loans from the government or private lenders, grants, and jobs on-campus. Undergrads qualify for more grants and scholarships and can also apply for unsubsidized loans and the campus's work-study program.

Click here to learn more about counseling degree programs at Texas A&M University-Commerce.