The University of Houston’s Psychological, Health, & Learning Sciences department is an interdisciplinary collection of scientists, scholars
We welcome you to the Department of Psychological, Health, & Learning Sciences. We train the next generation of counseling, school, quantitative and learning science professionals. We prepare undergraduate students for work in the fields of health and human development & family studies.
Our students and faculty are a vibrant group. We may practice different disciplines, but we're drawn together by a desire to right society's wrongs. We work to ensure people of all backgrounds have the opportunity to live healthy and productive lives. Our diversity — of thought, discipline, and background — unites us. This diversity will solidify our place among the top departments of our kind in the nation. It will also nurture what makes us unique amongst our peers.
The mission of our department is to advance scientific knowledge, effect real-world change, maximize student potential for global competitiveness and enhance the quality and length of life in all segments of society.
This mission has three critical goals:
EXCELLENCE
Engaging in innovative research and providing rigorous and pioneering programs of study that have significant social/educational impact and public health relevance.
STUDENT SUCCESS
Fostering robust mentoring relationships and providing exceptional undergraduate and graduate programs that prepare future professionals to solve real-world challenges and improve the lives of those they serve.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Sustaining strong long-term relationships that enable and enhance our collective impact on local, national and international communities through our research, teaching and service.
DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
Valuing diversity and promoting social and academic inclusion to enrich learning, inform scientific inquiry and facilitate the development and delivery of culturally-informed services within a uniquely diverse metropolitan context. Furthermore, this involves challenging structural inequities to reduce disparities and promote social justice locally and globally.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Fostering an educational culture that promotes collegiality, honesty, fairness, empowerment, transparency and collective responsibility.
Five faculty members earned promotions, effective September 2021: Virmarie Correa-Fernández to associate professor with tenure, Leslie Frankel to associate professor with tenure, Erica Jordan to clinical associate professor, Kayce Solari Williams to clinical associate professor.
Associate Dean for Research Ezemenari Obasi has been named a Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Distinguished Chair, a prestigious University honor. He is the first professor from the College to achieve this hard-earned recognition.
Lorraine Reitzel, a professor in the Department of Psychological, Health, & Learning Sciences, has been named a Distinguished Professor of Education, an honorable College distinction.
Taewon Kim, a doctoral student in the counseling psychology program, received the 2021 Graduate Student Research Award from the American Psychological Association’s Society of Vocational Psychology.
Mycah Ayala and Mariana Vázquez, doctoral students in the school psychology program, have been awarded blue ribbons for their research posters by the American Psychological Association’s Committee on School Psychology.Our faculty members’ research programs have received funding from federal and state organizations such as the Institute of Education Sciences, National Institute on Drug Abuse and Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas. It is our mission to advance scientific knowledge, effect real-world change and enhance the quality and length of life in all segments of society. Our department is uniquely positioned to have a measurable impact on the elimination of global disparities in health and education.
The following is a collection of brief video overviews of some of our most recent research findings. If you would like to learn more about our research, please visit our degree program pages.
CheckED invites faculty, staff and students to a conversation with research fellow Caroline Kaufman, Ph.D., on Friday, Sept. 24 from noon to 1 p.m. She will discuss her article “Psychological Research Examining Antisemitism in the United States: A Literature Review” and will answer questions about her academic work and professional experience. RSVP here for Zoom information
The Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies is hosting free virtual recruitment fairs for those interested in earning a graduate degree in K-12 administration, higher education or special populations or earning certification as an educational diagnostician. RSVP now for the events: Monday, Oct. 4, 2021, 7 to 8 p.m.; Monday, Nov. 1, 2021, 1-2 p.m.
Want to be a leader in higher education administration? The Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies is offering virtual information sessions for the M.Ed. and Ph.D. programs in higher education on Thursday, Oct. 14 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Wednesday, Dec. 1 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Learn more and RSVP now!
Learn more about earning a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction with a focus on mathematics education at a free virtual open house Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021 from 6 to 7 p.m. Learn about our focus on ending educational inequities, meet faculty, and get your admissions questions answered! RSVP.
The first day of class for fall 2021 was Monday, Aug. 23. Don’t miss these remaining key dates: The last day to drop a course or withdraw with a ‘W’ is Wednesday, Nov. 17, and the last day of class is Saturday, Dec. 4. Hope you are enjoying the semester!
The University of Houston will be closed Thursday, Nov. 25 and Friday, Nov. 26, 2021 for the Thanksgiving break. You can view UH’s full holiday schedule for 2021 and 2022 on the Human Resources website. Go Coogs, and let’s give thanks!
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COLLEGE SNAPSHOTLearn more about the College of Education’s programs, research, community engagement and more in our new magazine. Prospective students won’t want to miss this useful guide! Read on. |
Department of Psychological, Health, & Learning Sciences at the University of Houston
Department Chair: Dr. Nathan Grant Smith
UH College of Education
Stephen Power Farish Hall
3657 Cullen Blvd., Room 491
Houston, TX 77204-5023
Department: 713-743-7397
Undergraduate: coeug@uh.edu or 713-743-5000
Graduate: coegrad@central.uh.edu or 713-743-7676
General: coecomm@uh.edu or 713-743-5010
