The University of Houston-Victoria psychology program recently was ranked by Open Education Database as one of the top online undergraduate psychology programs in the nation.  

 

Open Education Database based its ranking calculations on the quantifiable factors it thinks contribute to the ideal online learning experience – cost, full-time to part-time faculty ratio, financial aid, program acceptance, accreditation and more.  

 

The UHV School of Arts & Sciences program was ranked No. 9 on the national list in part because of its low tuition rates, the number of full-time faculty and financial aid assistance for students.  

 

Jeffrey Di Leo

“UHV prides itself on offering an excellent college education with affordable tuition and a variety of financial assistance options,” said Jeffrey Di Leo, dean of the School of Arts & Sciences. “This recognition shows that it is possible to have a great education in psychology without breaking the bank.”  

 

Rick Harrington, chair of the Social & Behavioral Sciences Division in the UHV School of Arts & Sciences, agreed that this is not only a great acknowledgment for the psychology program, but also for UHV psychology students.  

 

“Rankings like this give validation to our students that UHV has a high-quality program,” he said. “Our students are able to say they’ve graduated from a nationally recognized program.”  

 

Rick Harrington

Open Education Database is an online education directory that helps future students search and compare universities for convenient, valuable and relevant online education programs. The database only lists accredited programs.  

 

Psychology classes offered online at UHV are the same content as those offered face to face. Like many of the online programs at UHV, the psychology program was slowly integrated online one class at a time during the past decade. It has been a labor of love, said Catherine Perz, an associate professor of psychology and director of the UHV undergraduate psychology program.  

 

Catherine Perz

“Sometimes people think that online classes are easy for faculty and staff, but in reality, good online courses require a lot of additional time and teamwork,” she said. “I’m delighted that the consistent hard work of our faculty and staff is being recognized in the quality of our online programs in psychology.”  

 

The program has seen tremendous growth during the past five years with a 104 percent increase in students from 2008 to 2012. Harrington said that online courses are one reason for the growth.  

 

“It also has to do with our outstanding psychology faculty, who contribute to the quality of our program,” he said. “The undergraduate team, led by Dr. Perz, is always assessing the undergraduate psychology program and improving the coursework based off of faculty and student feedback.”  

 

UHV offers a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in psychology, as well as graduate programs in counseling psychology, forensic psychology and school psychology. All degree programs offer face to face and online components. Some graduate courses are only offered in a classroom environment.  

 

To learn more about earning a psychology degree from UHV, contact the School of Arts & Sciences at 361-570-4201 or ArtsSciences@uhv.edu.

For more information about Open Education Database and the company's rankings, visit www.oedb.org.