Main Office
Eagle Student Services Center, 354
P.O. Box 305459
Denton, TX 76203-5459
(940) 565-2383
Web site: www.tsgs.unt.edu
Sandra L. Terrell, Associate Dean
Donna Hughes, Coordinator for Graduate Services and Graduate Admissions
The Toulouse School of Graduate Studies administers the Center for Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies, which is responsible for the following degree programs:
In addition, all students seeking to pursue any UNT graduate degree, certification or a second bachelor's degree, or who simply wish to register for courses as a non-degree student, must first apply for admission to the School of Graduate Studies. If a student meets the basic standards for admission specified by the School of Graduate Studies, the student is then eligible for admission consideration by one of the degree programs offered at UNT.
Please consult the Admission section of this catalog for information on School of Graduate Studies for general admission standards and procedures and sections of this catalog dealing with particular programs for more specific information on admission standards and procedures.
The Center for Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies currently sponsors the following degrees:
The center also is involved in the sponsorship of universitywide efforts to bring together faculty with interests and concerns in specific interdisciplinary topic areas. As these interest groups are formed, information about each will appear in this catalog.
The Faculty of Environmental Ethics is drawn from 19 departments universitywide engaging in interdisciplinary research and instruction involving the ethical issues related to United States and global environmental problems. Teaching areas of the faculty currently include art; the biological sciences; business law; chemistry; communications; economics; education; English; finance; foreign languages and literatures; geography; the health sciences; history; kinesiology, recreation and leisure studies; management; philosophy; political science; psychology; radio, television and film; religion studies; sociology; and social work. The faculty works closely with the Institute of Applied Sciences, the Center for Environmental Economic Studies and Research, the Center for Environmental Philosophy and the major international periodical in the field, Environmental Ethics: An Interdisciplinary Journal Dedicated to the Philosophical Aspects of Environmental Problems.
More than 30 faculty members from diverse academic departments regularly teach courses
examining women's roles, activities, and experiences throughout history and across cultures. These courses
expand understanding of gender differences, cultural diversity, and social change, while strengthening
critical thinking and communication skills. Teaching areas of the faculty currently include anthropology;
applied gerontology; communication studies; criminal justice; economics; English, foreign languages and
literatures; history; journalism; philosophy; political science; psychology; radio, television and film;
religion
studies; and sociology. The faculty of women's studies regularly present colloquia and lectures
concerning their research and current issues in women's studies.
For further information about women's studies at UNT, please contact Dr. Claire L. Sahlin, Director of Women's Studies, General Academic Building, Room 302, P.O. Box 305189, Denton, TX 76203-5189; (940) 565-2098; E-mail: sahlin@unt.edu.
Main Office
Eagle Student Services Center, 354
P.O. Box 305459
Denton, TX 76203-5459
(940) 565-2383
Donna Hughes, Coordinator for Graduate Services and Graduate Admissions
UNT offers a Master of Arts and a Master of Science with majors in interdisciplinary studies. A minimum of 36 semester hours of graduate courses is required for this degree. However, the program offers the student a high degree of flexibility in the selection of course work.
The major in interdisciplinary studies is coordinated directly by the associate dean of the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies. Prospective applicants for this program should discuss their plans with the associate dean.
Applicants for admission to the degree program in interdisciplinary studies must submit (1) a completed School of Graduate Studies application form, (2) complete transcripts and (3) a written statement outlining the course work areas to be combined on the degree and the goals the applicant hopes to accomplish by completing the degree. In addition, applicants are required to present satisfactory scores on the aptitude test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). A total of 1000 on the combined verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE is required, and the score on each of the sections must be at least 400. All of the above materials and scores must be submitted prior to any enrollment for courses leading to the degree.
For both the Master of Science and Master of Arts with a major in interdisciplinary studies, the degree program must include no fewer than three separate fields of study with at least 6 hours in each field. For all sequences no more than 15 hours (including thesis and special problems) may be taken under any one course prefix or subject field. In addition, students may take no more than 15 hours from the College of Business Administration. A special committee, representative of each of the several disciplines of the student's program, will be formed to help the student develop the degree plan and supervise the student's progress.
Students may choose the non-thesis option and complete at least 36 semester hours for a Master of Arts or Master of Science. Thesis option requires 30 semester hours plus 6 hours of thesis, for a total of 36 hours. Students must meet the foreign language requirement for the Master of Arts.
For either degree, a comprehensive final examination, oral and/or written, must be completed, ordinarily during the final semester of enrollment. The examination is prepared, administered and evaluated by the members of the student's advisory committee.
Two possible approaches can be taken to designing an acceptable interdisciplinary studies degree program for either the Master of Arts or Master of Science.
Under the first approach, the candidate may plan a program designed to serve a particular intellectual interest not met by any specific degree program available through the traditional disciplines, making use of existing courses from any graduate area of the university.
Under the second approach, students pursue one of several interdisciplinary themes.
These themes provide a somewhat more specialized focus while maintaining the interdisciplinary nature of the program. Each theme generally requires a common core of courses closely related to the area of interest, with provision for inclusion in the program of a number of electives drawn from several disciplines. In developing programs under these themes, students still must meet the general requirements for the interdisciplinary studies degree outlined above. Prospective students should note that in all cases the degree awarded upon completion of the program is a Master of Arts or Science with a major in interdisciplinary studies. This approach is not the same as pursuing a degree with a major in a specific discipline.
University courses are interdisciplinary in nature and are available to students working toward the master's degree with the interdisciplinary major.
All Courses of Instruction are located in one section at the back of this catalog.
The "Course and Subject Guide," found in the Courses of Instruction section of this book, serves as a table of contents and provides quick access to subject areas and prefixes.
Main Office
Information Sciences Building, 205
P.O. Box 311068
Denton, TX 76203-1068
(940) 565-2445
Brian C. O'Connor, Associate Director
Graduate Faculty: Becker, Brazile, Chandler,
A. Cleveland, D. Cleveland, D. Ennis, P. Fisher, Gossett, Hastings, Holcomb, Kappelman,
Kemerer, Knezek, Moen, Norris, O'Connor, Parberry, Poirot, Prybutok, Rhea, Rorvig, Schamber, Schlieve,
Shi, Simpson, Spence, Spink, Stein, Swigger, Totten, Turner, Vedder, Wheeless, Windsor, Yellen, Young.
The interdisciplinary doctoral program in information science responds to the varied and changing needs of an information age. There is increasing recognition of the central role of information in individual, social, economic and cultural affairs, and the widespread application and influence of the revolutionary information and communication technologies. Graduates of the program will be prepared to contribute materially to the advancement and evolution of the information society. Such individuals will work in a variety of roles and application settings in information agencies as administrators, researchers and educators. The multifaceted nature of information requires the focusing of resources, courses and faculties from a broad range of academic units.
At UNT, five units participate in the doctoral program. These units are:
The program emphasizes the interrelationship of the economic, social, cultural and technological aspects of an evolving information society. The goal is to unify knowledge systems, problem-solving approaches and research methodologies regardless of their disciplinary roots, and to produce graduates who will be leaders in the information age.
Although technology is a vital part of the program, computers and communication systems are but one dimension of information science. Thus, the program is directed toward human information and communication capabilities that rest on a broad range of biological and behavioral attributes and the employment of technology.
The mission of the interdisciplinary doctoral program is to provide a center of excellence in graduate education and research in three related areas:
Admission to the PhD program in information science is highly competitive. To maintain a student/faculty ratio necessary for program excellence, not all qualified applicants can be accepted. Prospective applicants must obtain all application forms for the program from the program offices located in the School of Library and Information Sciences. All required materials must be filed by February 1, preceding the fall semester for which the student is applying and by September 1 for spring admission. In addition to the admission requirements of the School of Graduate Studies, the following are required for admission to the interdisciplinary PhD program in information science.
1. Possession of a master's degree in an information related field from an accredited institution.
2. Completion of an application form for admission to the program.
3. Resume.
4. An example of formal writing (published paper, major term paper, etc.).
5. A personal statement giving the applicant's career objectives, research interests and specific qualifications to pursue doctoral work.
6. Three letters of recommendation.
7. A superior academic record in prior study.
8. An acceptable score on the combined verbal and quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Examination.
9. For international students, a minimum score of 550 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), or evidence of successful completion of a non-credit intensive course in English from the North Texas Intensive English Language Institute.
10. An interview may be required with members of the program committee of the interdisciplinary doctoral program in information science.
The course work for the program can be completed in two years of full-time study or extended over a longer period. Typically, the dissertation requires an additional year.
A student must earn a minimum of 60 semester hours of graduate credit beyond the master's degree in organized course work, directed study and research, and the dissertation. A research tool requirement also must be completed in addition to the minimum 60-hour program. Additional courses above the 60 hours also may be stipulated as needed, such as leveling courses. Students entering the program with a bachelor's degree must take at least 90 credit hours.
The number of graduate credit hours required for graduation, the distribution of credits, as well as the selection of the research tool requirement must be planned and approved under the direction of the student's major adviser. Requirements approved by the major adviser also must receive the concurrence of the student's doctoral advisory committee and be approved by the Interdisciplinary PhD Program Committee and the dean of the School of Graduate Studies. In all cases, courses counted toward the doctorate must be numbered 5000 or above.
The 60 hours (minimum), plus research tool, required for the degree are distributed among core courses, concentration, electives and dissertation research.
Electives, which must number 5000 or above, must be chosen with the approval of the student's major adviser.
The student must complete a minimum of 12 hours in Doctoral Dissertation, INFO 6950.
Doctoral students must maintain continuous enrollment in the colloquium during each semester in which they are registered for courses prior to passing the qualifying examination for admission to candidacy. Only 3 hours of credit earned in the colloquia may be included in the degree plan. Students also must maintain continuous enrollment in INFO 6950 after advancement to candidacy until the dissertation is complete.
All students will be required to choose two concentrations from the three available.
1. Information theory and design. Seminars and research in this area explore ways to structure information and knowledge for a multitude of information systems and uses. Students and faculty develop measures and methods for the evaluation and study of information systems, related communications processes, and subsequent systems application and design or redesign.
2. Information and behavior. Studies relate to human information and communication behavior and the systematic response to these behaviors by using information technologies to advance communication and learning.
3. Information policy and management. Inquiries focus on organizational behavior in respect to information and the management of information, and of the organizations and systems that handle information.
With permission of the program committee, as well as the student's doctoral advisory committee,
a special concentration may be created to provide a framework of learning for a student with
special research interests that do not fall into one of three listed areas.
SLIS 6945, Doctoral Seminar in Information Issues (Colloquium) (1 hour required each semester; 3 hours toward degree).
Design, 3 Hours
Statistics, 3 Hours
Subject Core, 9 Hours
Electives, which must number 5000 or above, must be chosen with the approval of the student's major adviser.
The student must complete a minimum of 12 hours in INFO 6950, Doctoral Dissertation.
An objective of the PhD program is to provide students with a variety of approaches to solving information problems from a number of disciplines. Therefore, no more than 18 graduate credit hours may be taken from any one academic unit in areas of concentration and electives.
A student entering the program is expected to have basic computer knowledge consisting of computer usage in society and uses of micro-packages for productivity, including word processing, databases and spread sheets. In addition, students should have programming experience in one of a variety of computer languages.
Satisfactory attainment of these background requirements will be determined by the student's adviser and the program committee. Deficiencies can be met by enrollment in a variety of courses as determined by the student's major adviser and the program committee.
Students are expected to have completed the equivalent of one of the following research methods or statistics classes upon admission to the program. If this requirement has not been met, the student will be expected to take one of the following courses as a deficiency.
Students are required to have completed basic course work in the organization of information equivalent to SLIS 5200, Fundamentals of Information Organization. If this requirement has not been met, the student will be expected to take SLIS 5200 as a deficiency.
The program committee will review annually the programs of all PhD students.
The first review for a student will be before the end of his or her first year of study, or upon completion of 18 hours of study. The review will include information made available from the student's professors and the student's grades. The student must maintain a grade average of B on all course work on the degree plan.
The program committee will vote either to let the student continue his or her studies, or to recommend to the executive committee that the student's program be discontinued. The program committee will consult with the student's major adviser and doctoral advisory committee as required. A majority vote of the program committee is required in either case.
The decision of the program committee may be appealed. Statements of procedures to be followed are available in the office of the graduate dean.
General qualifying examinations may be scheduled by the student's advisory committee when all course work as presented in the degree plan has been completed with a minimum B average, the research tool requirement has been satisfied, any deficiencies have been removed and the records have been cleared of any incomplete grades.
The examination is given in two parts: written and oral. The written part covers the subject core, methods core and each of the two areas of concentration. The format of the written examination is normally an in-house, closed-book examination, handwritten or produced on a word processor, given in four sections of four hours duration. The oral part includes questions regarding the written examination and the presentation and defense of a preliminary dissertation proposal. A formal dissertation proposal must be presented later and defended before the student's doctoral advisory committee in an open forum.
When the student has passed the qualifying examinations and a dissertation topic is approved, the advisory committee and program committee may then recommend the student for admission to candidacy for the doctorate.
The student must submit a dissertation reflecting original and independent research and representing a significant contribution to the field. The dissertation must be based on an approved proposal. When the major professor and other members of the advisory committee have reviewed the dissertation, the final examination, which normally will be primarily a defense of the dissertation, may be scheduled. The student must perform satisfactorily on the final examination and then file an application for the degree.
All Courses of Instruction are located in one section at the back of this of
The "Course and Subject Guide," found in the Courses of Instruction section of this book, serves as a table of contents and provides quick access to subject areas and prefixes.
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