In the present study, the thermal buckling analysis of thick anisotropic laminated composite plates is carried out using the finite strip method based on the higher-order shear deformation theory. This theory accounts for the parabolic distribution of the transverse shear strains through the thickness of the plate and for zero transverse shear stresses on the plate surfaces. Therefore, this theory yields improved results over the Mindlin plate theory and eliminates the need for shear correction factors in calculating the transverse shear stiffness. The critical temperatures of simply supported rectangular cross-ply and angle-ply composite laminates are calculated. The effects of several parameters, such as the aspect ratio, the length-to-thickness ratio, the number of plies, fibre orientation and stacking sequence, are investigated.