14 Psychology Internships for Undergraduates in Houston
- Stephen Turban
- 2 days ago
- 11 min read
If you’re an undergraduate studying psychology, an internship can help you take what you’ve learned in class and apply it in practical settings. In Houston, you’ll find unique opportunities thanks to the city’s strong network of hospitals, research institutions, and universities. Schools like the University of Houston, Rice University, and Texas Southern University, along with major organizations such as the Texas Medical Center and Houston Methodist, create an environment where psychology students can gain hands-on experience in clinical, counseling, and research settings.
Through these internships, you’ll work with professionals who can mentor you, provide networking opportunities, and guide you toward future academic and career paths. The experience will not only build skills like problem-solving, communication, and empathy but also strengthen your applications for graduate programs, whether you’re considering a master’s degree or a doctoral program.
In this blog, we’ve rounded up 14 psychology internships in Houston that can help you gain meaningful, practical experience and prepare for the next stage of your journey in psychology.
14 Psychology Internships for Undergraduates in Houston
Location: Virtual
Cost: $2,990 with full need-based financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Information not available
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter
Application Deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort. Spring (February), Summer (2 cohorts - April/May/June as applicable), Fall (August) and Winter (November)
Eligibility: Undergraduate students who can work for 10-15 hours/week, for 8 weeks
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Undergraduate students keen to pursue an internship in mental health can consider enrolling for the Ladder University Internship program, a highly selective, fully remote start-up internship program for ambitious undergraduate students. You will be matched with a company based on your indicated interest. No experience required! In the 8-week program, you gain real-world working experience at a top start-up with 8 sessions with the host company. At the end of the program, you will make a professional-level work project presentation and receive a reference letter from your start-up founder or manager. Start-ups that offer internships range across a variety of industries, such as STEM, health tech, environmental science, non-profit, and more. Here is the application form.
Location: Texas Children's Hospital, Medical Center Campus, Houston, TX
Cost: Information not available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Information not available
Dates: Varies (fall, winter, spring cohorts)
Application Deadline: March 24 (fall), September 5 (winter/spring)
Eligibility: Last semester college seniors, graduates or graduate students; must be university-affiliated; must have completed relevant coursework and experience (check all requirements here)
Psychology internships for undergraduates in Houston, looking for a hospital-associated opportunity, could consider the Texas Children’s Hospital Child Life Clinical Internship is a highly competitive internship program accredited through the Association of Child Life Professionals. The program offers you opportunities to enhance advanced clinical skills. You will have an immersive supervised clinical field experience and enhance professional communication skills. The internship components include two main rotations in complementary units/areas and a specialty rotation.
Location: University of Houston, Houston, TX
Cost/Stipend: $4,000 scholarship offered to students
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Information not available
Dates: May through August (10 weeks)
Application Deadline: March 7 (applications typically open in late January)
Eligibility: University of Houston's (main campus only) rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors (all majors) with at least a 3.0 GPA; previous participants ineligible (check all requirements here)
The University of Houston's Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) is a full-time competitive program offering an immersive research experience to UH undergraduates, applying what is studied in class to a real-life project. You will receive a $4,000 scholarship and earn three Honors in Co-Curricular Engagement (HCCE). You will be mentored by a full-time UH faculty member for 10 weeks to complete a research project and attend weekly one-hour summer webinars. With the program open to all disciplines, you can work on a research project with a UT Department of Psychology faculty member in clinical psychology, industrial psychology, social psychology or other fields. At the end of the program, you will present a research poster at the annual Undergraduate Research Day.
Location: Rice University, Houston, TX
Cost/Stipend: $4,800 (also covered - housing, supplement for meals, travel expenses, travel funds for one national conference and REU Site final conference)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 8
Dates: June 2 - July 25
Application Deadline: January 6 (applications typically open in October)
Eligibility: Current undergraduates, including those from community colleges; must be U.S. citizens/U.S. nationals/permanent residents of the U.S.
This 8-week summer program at Rice University offers psychology internships for undergraduates in Houston and across the U.S., with an opportunity to prepare for graduate school and a career in psychological sciences and their applications. You will also gain key skills in research and communication, and attend workshops for professional development, including writing a resume and a research paper, creating an effective oral presentation, preparing for a job interview, and more. You will work on a mentor-supervised research project to address a real-world problem. Earlier projects have included exploring the psychological nature of occupations and the future of work, developing psychological measures, investigating the reliability and validity of AI-based psychological assessments, and more.
Location: Rice University, Houston, TX
Cost/Stipend: $5,000 stipend (low-income students offered a partial subsidy for on-campus housing)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Information not known
Dates: May 27 - July 1
Application Deadline: February 23
Eligibility: Returning Rice undergraduates enrolled full-time during the fall semester in a degree-granting program; international students, especially those on need-based financial aid are eligible (check all criteria here)
Rice University's Office of Undergraduate Research and Inquiry (OURI) offers the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program for undergraduates from under-resourced backgrounds keen to pursue research with a Rice University faculty member. This psychology internship for undergraduates in Houston does not require prior research experience! The mentor will provide guidance through the research process and a specific summer project. Earlier fellows working on research in the field of psychological sciences have worked on cognitive neuroscience methods to discover what affects attention and assessments of personality traits by AI chatbots. In addition to research work, you will participate in weekly workshops, graduate student advisor meetings and complete written assignments. The program wraps up with a poster presentation at a research symposium. (Check the list of potential mentors and projects here)
Location: The Children's Assessment Center, Houston, TX
Cost/stipend: Free (unpaid)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Information not available
Dates: Vary (summer, fall, and spring cohorts)
Application Deadline: April 1 (summer); July 1 (fall), December 1 (spring)
Eligibility: At least 18 years old, not in high school, and have a valid driver’s license/government-issued ID/social security card
The Children’s Assessment Center (The CAC) offers undergraduates, including those pursuing majors in psychology and social work, who are participating in an internship with a college or university, an opportunity to work as a team member in collaboration with The CAC staff. After completing a CAC & Child Advocates Inc. Volunteer Training session, you can take up work as an intern. You can choose to work at The CAC's Activity Center, Training Department and other CAC Departments under the supervision of Activity Center staff who will complete the required evaluations. Although this psychology internship for undergraduates in Houston is not a typical clinical internship, you will gain experience in interacting with sexually abused children and their families while developing professional compassion and empathy. Your responsibilities will be to offer emotional support and friendship to the children, create and implement daily activities, restock essentials like food, and more.
Location: Multiple locations, primarily in Houston, TX
Cost/stipend: Information not available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Information not available
Dates: Vary (should not be less than 150 internship hours)
Application Deadline: May 1 (summer), August 1 (fall), December 1 (spring)
Eligibility: Undergraduates and graduates enrolled in an accredited university; must be 21 years of age by application deadline (check essential requirements here)
Psychology undergraduates could consider one of the internship tracks at the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department (HCJPD) to gain practical experience for class credit. You will participate in an internship orientation provided by trained staff to learn the necessary policies and procedures, prior to working at a designated location. Depending on the track you pursue, some of the responsibilities you may be assigned include interviews and assessments, crisis counseling, case management, assisting with activities, etc. You will attend monthly meetings and make a formal presentation to the HCJPD executive team at the end of the program. (Check out the application and intern sites here)
Location: Phoenix House, Houston, TX
Cost: Information not available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Information not available
Dates: TBA
Application Deadline: TBA
Eligibility: Must be 18 years or older with a valid Texas Driver’s License and basic customer service and computer skills knowledge (check all requirements here)
Undergraduates pursuing a psychology major who are keen to get practical experience in the field of substance use disorders and dependency treatment could consider interning at the Phoenix House. You will learn about the various services and processes for prevention and early intervention, as well as the steps taken to treat drug and alcohol addiction and provide continuing care and recovery support. You can choose between two internship tracks – a clinical track which focuses on treatment, in which you will observe group, individual, or family counseling sessions and drug testing/screenings and later host them; and the prevention track, in which you will assist specialists in preparing consent forms, imparting education to youth in schools and communities, and more.
Location: Encompass Health Hospice, Houston, TX
Cost: Information not known
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Information not known
Dates: Not specified
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Social Science majors
The Encompass Health Hospice offers social science majors an opportunity to gain experience in exploring roles in the rehabilitation of patients, both in-person and at their homes. In this psychology internship for undergraduates in Houston you will be part of a team and develop collaboration and communication skills. You will be a team member alongside physicians, social workers, clinical field supervisors and other personnel while visiting patients. Responsibilities include entering details of a patient's emotional condition and other information, filing medical documents, and performing other jobs assigned to you. You will also participate in interdisciplinary meetings.Â
Location: Multiple host sites
Cost: Information not available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Information not available
Dates: Internships are available throughout the year
Application Deadline: NA
Eligibility: Undergraduates are eligible to apply
The Houston Health Department offers psychology internships for undergraduates in Houston and other areas an opportunity to explore an area of interest from the fields of health and clinic services, community support, environmental health services, and more. You can also specify an area which you wish to pursue. Components of the internship include participation in public health training sessions and community outreach programs. Undergraduates keen to explore a career in Occupational Health Psychology (OHP) can consider an internship with the Houston Health Department. Check the fields available for internships in the application here.
Location: Houston Police Department Community Affairs - VIP Office, Houston, TX
Cost: Information not available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Information not available
Dates: Vary (summer, fall, spring internships offered)
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Students from participating universities and colleges
The Student Internship Program (SIP), which is a unit of the Houston Police Department Volunteer Initiative Program (VIP), is an unpaid internship offered to students of participating universities and colleges. You will intern for a minimum of 12 hours/month to learn about various aspects of police work. As a psychology major, you can consider the social work internship with the police department's victim services unit, the planning and research division, the family violence unit, and other units relevant to your academic coursework. You will gain practical work experience while contributing to the community through this psychology internship for undergraduates in Houston.
Location: Multiple (virtual, hybrid, and in-person internships available)
Cost/stipend: A few paid internships available as determined by the host site
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Information not available
Dates: Vary as decided by the intern and the host site
Application Deadline: Applications open in March for summer cohort, in June for fall, and in October for spring)
Eligibility: Undergraduates and graduates of all majors; international students are eligible; internship requirements may vary by host sites
The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) offers undergraduates of all majors a hands-on experience working on real-world public health projects. You can gain practical and research experience and meet academic requirements through this psychology internship for undergraduates in Houston. The internship topics vary each semester, and you can check here to locate one to match your field of interest.
Location: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Cost/stipend: No fee for students or trainees ($2000 for professionals); unpaid
Acceptance rate/cohort size:
Dates: Vary (6 - 90 days)
Application Deadline: 15 business days before program start
Eligibility: CHEP students, undergraduates, medical students currently enrolled at an academic or healthcare institution/employed/holding a current appointment; must be at least 18 years of age; must secure approval of a faculty sponsor or educator
Undergraduates keen to pursue an observer program to learn the psychosocial aspects of oncology hospital medicine could consider the Observership at the MD Anderson Cancer Center. You can opt for a Short-Term Education Program (STEP Visitor) or a longer observership up to 90 days. You will get an educational experience shadowing one physician, faculty or educator at a time with no direct patient care or any type of clinical/research/business activities. On completion of this psychology internship for undergraduates in Houston, you can request a verification of the appointment as an observer.
Location: Choice Hospice, Houston
Cost: Information not available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Information not available
Dates: Rolling
Application Deadline: Not announced yet
Eligibility: Sociology, Psychology, Health & Behavioral Science, and Political Science students; must be at least 16 years of age (check all requirements here)
Choice Hospice offers psychology and health and behavioral science students an opportunity to take up the role of a volunteer intern. You will shadow registered nurses, social workers, and Chaplains, and provide support in activities like food delivery, assist in research and presentations, and more. You will also participate in interdisciplinary team meetings and have the option to be a virtual volunteer to check in on patients who live alone. This psychology internship for undergraduates in Houston is a solid opportunity to explore careers in health and behavioral science.
One other option—the Lumiere Research Scholar Program
If you’re interested in pursuing independent research in the field of psychology, consider applying to one of the Lumiere Research Scholar Programs, selective online high school programs for students founded with researchers at Harvard and Oxford. Last year, we had over 4,000 students apply for 500 spots in the program! You can find the application form here.
Also check out the Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation, a non-profit research program for talented, low-income students. Last year, we had 150 students on full need-based financial aid!
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a Ph.D. student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.
Image Source - Rice University logo
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