A finite element formulation for the analysis of laminated composite plates based on a higher order theory is presented. Different types of finite elements which take into account transverse shear and normal deformation are developed. The degrees of freedom of the nodal points of these elements are independent of the number of layers. The applications of the elements to the bending of laminated plates with various loading and boundary conditions are given and numerical results are obtained. The accuracy of the elements is assessed by comparing the solutions obtained using the proposed elements with those obtained using the three-dimensional elasticity theory and with the closed-form solutions available in the literature. It is shown that the present approach reduces the number of unknown variables for the same degree of accuracy and extends the field of application of the finite element method. The finite elements proposed are highly efficient and accurate, and may easily be incorporated into existing finite element codes.