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.
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 Learning, Instruction, and Student Success Cluster comprises faculty whose research examines (a) the ways in which individuals learn in authentic (formal or informal) contexts; (b) the impact of instructional methods and/or interventions that target learning needs; and/or (c) strategies that bolster student goals, achievement, and outcomes.
The mission of this Cluster is twofold: First, to develop innovative measurement, statistical analysis, and quantitative research methods and evaluate their utility (e.g., causal inference, computerized adaptive testing, longitudinal data analysis, curriculum-based measurement). Second, to apply state-of-the-art quantitative and mixed research methods to significant educational, psychological, and societal issues (e.g., STEM learning outcomes, diverse learners, juvenile justice and crime, youth violence exposure).
The PHLS Development of Risk and Resilience Research Cluster focuses on understanding what promotes well-being, prevents problems, or reduces harm from problems. Members of this research Cluster are especially interested in understanding the biopsychosocial contributions to risk and resilience, and the social ecology of malleable factors related to health and educational disparities including socioculturally-sensitive intervention and social justice policies.
The PHLS Behavioral Health and Health Disparities Cluster focuses on generating knowledge and practices that positively impact the overall physical and mental well-being of diverse populations. Members of this Cluster are particularly interested in (a) promoting well-being through prevention of and intervention with mental illness, as well as substance abuse or other health-compromising behaviors; and (b) addressing differences in health outcomes and health care associated with social, environmental, or economic disadvantages.
Faculty in this Cluster develop knowledge, perspectives, and understandings of other cultures that vary by race, ethnicity, language, social class, sexual orientation, gender and gender identity, and identity (among others) through the lifespan. This focus includes training on developing specific skills, competencies, and points of view needed by professionals in a multicultural society; examining equity, including the distribution of resources in all its forms; and advocating through scholarship.
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.
Are you interested in education-related programs in curriculum and instruction, K-12 administration, higher education and school psychology? Our recruiter will be online to provide information during the Career Eco Texas Graduate and Professional School Virtual Fair on Sept. 22, 2020. Register now!
If you’re thinking about graduate school, our recruiter will be online to answer your questions during the Idealist Graduate School Virtual Fair on Sept. 30, 2020. Register now! We have programs in curriculum and instruction, K-12 administration, higher education, counseling and school psychology.
CLASS majors: Interested in becoming a counselor, school psychologist, or K-12 or higher education administrator? Sign up to learn more about the College of Education’s grad programs at the virtual UH Graduate School Info Session on Wednesday, Oct. 7, from 4 to 5 p.m.
UH has postponed spring 2020 commencement ceremonies due to the coronavirus pandemic and restrictions on event sizes. The ceremonies will be rescheduled for early fall. Visit the UH commencement webpage for more information.
Join our recruiter for a virtual chat about the graduate programs offered at the University of Houston College of Education on Oct. 14, 2020 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. CST. We offer master’s and doctoral programs in curriculum and instruction, K-12 administration, higher education, counseling, psychology and learning sciences. Learn more.
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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
