Main Office
Matthews Hall, Suite 304
P.O. Box 311337
Denton, TX 76203-1337
(940) 565-2093
Web site: www.coe.unt.edu/tac/index.htm
Graduate Faculty: Allen, Brookshire, Bullock, Callahan, Ditzenberger, Ennis-Cole, Hildreth, Holcomb, Holder, Knezek, McCallon, Norris, Poirot, Rademacher, Sarkees-Wircenski, Sayler, Schlieve, Schumacker, Thomas, Tyler-Wood, Walker, J. Wircenski, Young.
The Department of Technology and Cognition offers course work in applied technology, training and development; computer education, instructional technology, cognitive systems; research design and measurement, applied statistics program evaluation; and the education of special populations and gifted learners.
Certification and degree programs in the department focus on such areas as technological solutions in education, non-traditional education, research and evaluation design, applied technology and special education.
Financial support may be available on a limited basis for research, teaching and internships. Funds vary depending on grants and other activities of the faculty in the department.
Faculty in the department have extensive research interests that include the examination of the development, delivery and evaluation of instruction in education and industrial training environments.
Faculty interests include but are not limited to microcomputer applications, networks, telecommunications, artificial intelligence, multimedia, CD-ROM, computer-assisted and managed instructional environments, human-computer interfaces, cognitive development and information processing of traditional and special populations, design of educational environments, test design and analysis, assessment strategies for traditional and special populations, utilization of technology in assessment, ethical considerations of the application of technology, statistical modeling, program evaluation, analysis of different population needs, multi-occupations models, regional planning and articulation, strategies for working with special youth and adult populations.
Grants from the U.S. Office of Education, Texas Education Agency, Job Training Partnership Program and other sources provide financial support to graduate students, depending on program needs. Tuition and stipend support is available for both full and part-time students in the areas of educational diagnostics, severely emotionally disturbed and autistic education, early childhood special education, and transition and correctional special education.
The department offers the following degrees at the master's and doctoral level:
Further specialization at the master's level is offered in career investigation, cognitive systems, educational media, health science technology, marketing education, office education, trade and industrial education, and training and development. The department also supports an interdisciplinary master's degree in corporate training and development. Additional information on this degree is available from the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies. The doctoral program in special education is offered as part of the Federation of North Texas Area Universities.
Depending on the degree attained, graduates of these programs will normally seek employment in business, education, industry, military, as trainers, program administrators, supervisory personnel, teachers, guidance counselors, training technologists, curriculum development specialists, research and evaluation specialists, and community college and university faculty members.
Applicants must meet requirements for admission to the School of Graduate Studies and meet all requirements of the College of Education. For admission to any of the programs in this department, the applicant should file an application in the Department of Technology and Cognition office and schedule an interview with the program coordinator or graduate director.
The Master of Education with a major in applied technology, training and development is a 36-hour program. A combined score of at least 800 on the verbal and quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required for admission to this degree program.
Required for major: ATTD 4350, 4520, 5000, 5430, 5440, 5480, 5490, 5530 and 5720, and 3 semester hours of applied technology, training and development courses determined in consultation with the adviser.
Required for minor: 6 hours of courses outside the department. This is the recommended degree for those seeking certification in trade and industrial education, office education, marketing education, career investigation and professional vocational supervision.
The Master of Science with a major in applied technology, training and development is a 36 semester hour program that includes 6 hours credit for thesis or problems in lieu of thesis. Admission to this degree is contingent on a combined score of at least 900 on the verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE.
Required courses for the major are: ATTD 4350, 5010, 5100, 5440, 5480, 5490, 5530 and 6470, CECS 5110 or 5130; and 3 hours of electives selected in consultation with the adviser. A comprehensive research project covering the student's field of specialization is required. This is the recommended degree for those seeking careers in the field of training and development.
The purpose of this program is to prepare administrative and supervisory personnel, community college faculty and curriculum development specialists. Admission to this doctorate degree is contingent on obtaining a combined score of at least 1000 on the verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE with a minimum of 400 on the verbal section, taking a written and oral admission exam, a grade point average of 3.4 on all master's work, a career goal compatible with the degree and three letters of recommendation. Required for the major: ATTD 5430, 6030 (6 hours), 6200, 6210, 6450 and 6470; and 12 hours of ATTD/CECS courses. The 12 hours of research, statistics, and computer requirements includes EDER 5210, 6010 and 6020; and 3 hours from EDER 5250 or 6240, or CECS 5410. Dissertation credit is earned through ATTD 6950.
Required for minor: 12 hours in a field outside the major.
The purpose of this program is to prepare potential university faculty and researchers and corporate training specialists. Admission to this doctorate degree is contingent on obtaining a combined score of at least 1500 on the verbal, quantitative, and analytical sections of the GRE with a minimum of 400 on the verbal section, taking a written and oral admission exam, a grade point average of 3.4 on all master's work, a career goal compatible with the degree and three letters of recommendation. Required for major: ATTD 6030, 6200, 6210, 6450 and 6470; and 9 hours of ATTD/CECS courses and 6 hours of support courses outside the College of Education. The 18 hours of research and statistics requirements include EDER 5210, 6010, 6020 and 6230; and 6 hours from EDER 5350, 6210 and 6240. Dissertation credit is earned through ATTD 6950.
Required for minor: 12 hours of course work outside the College of Education.
This degree is a 36-hour program. Requirements include a core of 21 hours: CECS 5100, 5110, 5200, 5210, 5300 and 5310; CECS 5610 or EDER 5210. Also required are 15 hours of additional course work. These 15 hours may be selected entirely from CECS courses numbered above 5020, or may include up to 6 hours of credit in approved courses in other departments. A final comprehensive examination is required.
In addition to the minimum requirements of the School of Graduate Studies, this program requires a minimum of 18 hours in education, personnel training and management, or the behavioral sciences; CECS 5010 and 5020; and a GRE total score of 1000 with 400 minimum on both the quantitative and verbal portions.
Applicants must meet requirements for admission to the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies. The general requirements for education are described in the College of Education section. Admission to the doctorate program in educational research is contingent on obtaining a combined score of at least 1100 on the verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE with a minimum score of 500 on both sections, taking the written admission exam and a personal interview with the faculty. Courses required for the major: EDER 6030 (3-6), 6210, 6220, 6230, 6240, 6250, 6260, 6270 and 6280; plus 3 hours to meet individual needs and interests; plus EDER 6010, 6020 and 6950 as required of all doctoral candidates.
Required for the minor: 12 hours outside the major selected with the advice of the advisory committee.
The Master of Education in special education includes certification or endorsement in generic special education service delivery, severely emotionally disturbed and autistic education, gifted and talented education, early childhood special education and educational diagnostics. In addition, a student may choose a course of study that does not include certification or endorsement as well as an emphasis in learning disabilities.
Recommended minors include, but are not limited to, human development, early childhood, learning theory, educational technology and educational research. Students seeking certification should check the specific requirements for the minor area.
Specific master's degree requirements are listed below. Course substitutions may be made by the faculty adviser.
Special Education: Generic: EDSP 5010, 5020, 5220, 5240, 5330, 5430, 5600, 5710 and 5720; 6 hours of electives; valid Texas teaching certificate at the time of application for endorsement.
Special Education: Severely Emotionally Disturbed and Autistic: EDSP 5100, 5240, 5330, 5600, 5610, 5620, 5630, 5640, 5710 and 5720; EDER 5210; 3 hours of computer education; valid Texas generic special education teaching certificate.
Special Education: Gifted and Talented: EDSP 5100, 5150, 5160, 5170, 5180, 5250, 5420 (or two years documented teaching in a gifted and talented program) and 5710; 6 hours from 5240, 5330 and 5900; 6 hours of electives; valid Texas teaching certificate at the time of application for endorsement.
Special Education: Educational Diagnostician: EDSP 5010, 5020, 5100, 5240, 5250, 5330, 5530, 5540, 5600, 5710 and 5720; CECS 5300; EDUC 5010; valid Texas teaching certificate in special education or a related area and three years successful teaching experience at the time of application for certification.
Special Education: Early Childhood: EDSP 5050, 5060, 5070, 5080, 5430, 5710 and 5720; 3 additional hours in early childhood education; EDEC 5070 and 5580; 6 elective hours; valid Texas teaching certification at the time of application for endorsement.
Special Education: Learning Disabilities: EDSP 5020, 5210, 5220, 5230, 5250, 5330, 5420 and 5800; 6 additional hours in special education; 6 elective hours.
Special Education: Correctional Special Education: EDSP 5240, 5330, 5600, 5610, 5620, 5640, 5650, 5670, and CJUS 5470; 3 hours from CJUS 5260, 5300, and ATTD 5400; 6 hours; 6 additional hours in EDSP 5020 and 5100.
Special Education: Transition: EDSP 5240, 5330, 5600, 5620, 5630, 5640, 5660, and 5670; 6 hours from RHAB 5400, 5410, and 5430; ATTD 5520;6 additional hours in EDSP 5100 and 5710.
Requirements for special education certificates and endorsements are described in the College of Education section.
Applicants must meet requirements for admission to the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies. The general requirements for education are described in the College of Education section. The PhD in special education is offered as a cooperative program between the University of North Texas and Texas Woman's University under guidelines established by the Federation of North Texas Area Universities. The program enables students to use the combined faculties, libraries, computer facilities and research opportunities available at both universities in the development of their doctoral studies.
The federation doctoral program provides opportunities for formal course work, independent study, internships, practicum and dissertation research. The program also includes federation-sponsored seminars featuring outstanding nationally and internationally recognized educators.
Given the importance of appropriate educational experiences during the early years for both the individual and the society at large, graduate programs are needed that provide education for future leaders in the conceptualization and provision of special education programs, as well as expertise in conducting research that will extend understanding of the importance and means of providing special education experiences. The purpose of the federated doctoral program in special education is to train professional educators to assume leadership roles in higher education and in public and private education settings. Graduates of both institutions have a broad base of information and are prepared to assume diverse roles, including teaching, research and administrative responsibilities.
Students initially apply for admission to the graduate school of one of the participating universities. After meeting the general university admission standards, each student's application is then reviewed by the Special Education Federation Admissions Committee, made up of faculty from both UNT and TWU. Students graduating from the federation program will receive the degree from the university through which they entered the program.
The doctoral program is staffed by faculty from both the University of North Texas and Texas Woman's University. The following faculty members from each university participate in the program:
The policies of the doctoral program are guided by committees made up of faculty from both of the participating institutions. The policies are consistent with the policies of both participating universities.
Faculty of the two participating universities pursue a variety of research topics. The faculty in special education at UNT actively pursues a broad range of research interests. These include leadership personnel needs in special education, implications of school reform/refinement for delivery of services to students with special needs, implications of social policy on decision making for special populations, links between training and research in leadership preparation, applications of technology in special education (both for personnel preparation and student evaluation), and educational assessment/evaluation of students with special needs.
Other research topics are construction of assessment/evaluation instruments, teacher ratings of student behaviors, management/instructional systems for students with learning and/or behavioral problems, competencies needed by teachers of special populations, predictors of student success in school, cognitive development in children, parental involvement/cooperation relationships in student educational decision making, management strategies for students with aggressive and violent behaviors, educational decision making in juvenile correction facilities, ecological assessment, acceleration of gifted students and identification frameworks for students with special needs (including gifted/talented).
The UNT faculty also conducts research in evaluation of programs for students with special needs, creativity in children and youth, strategies for conducting applied research with special populations, learning/management strategies relevant to serving culturally and linguistically diverse children with special needs in both urban and rural areas, application and outcomes of various consultation models with teachers serving students with special needs, prevention/interventions for at-risk populations (including infants prenatally exposed to drugs and alcohol) and teacher evaluation of content-mastery approach for special education students.
Research interests of TWU faculty include adolescent aggression; adolescent suicide among the gifted; the development of personality type in children and the application of type concepts in education; identification/assessment of individuals with disabilities; intervention strategies for use with emotionally disturbed students; programs and facilities for mentally retarded and emotionally disturbed people; and definition of gifted, talented and creative.
Other research interests of the TWU faculty are attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in adults; the
operational definition of psychological processing abilities in learning disabilities definitions; methods and materials
for
handicapped learners; learning disabilities in children, adolescents and adults; behavioral characteristics
and educational intervention strategies for high-risk infants and young children; the effects of physical and/or
health problems on academic, social and emotional development; and educational programming for individuals
diagnosed with developmental disabilities, health problems and neurological impairments.
Admission to the doctoral program in special education takes into consideration several critical factors deemed important for success in graduate studies. No single factor determines an individual's eligibility for admission.
Admission to the federation doctoral program in special education is a two-step process. Each applicant first must apply to and meet the general admission requirements of either the Graduate School at TWU or the School of Graduate Studies at UNT. The student should apply to the school that best meets their research and career objective interests.
Applications for students who meet initial admission standards are forwarded to the Special Education Federation Admissions Committee for review. Initial acceptance into the federation doctoral program is contingent upon the applicant meeting the following program admission standards:
1. A minimum grade point average of 3.0 on the master's degree.
2. A combined score of at least 1000 on the verbal and quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) with a minimum score of 450 in both areas.
3. Three years of successful teaching experience with the appropriate populations or related, acceptable experience. In the event the student does not meet this requirement, the Special Education Federation Admissions Committee may recommend that the student participate in extensive practicum or internship experiences as part of the doctoral degree requirements. This practicum or internship will be in addition to that required as part of the regular degree program.
4. Applicants must submit the following to the Special Education Federation Application Review Committee: a letter of intent to pursue doctoral studies in special education, a professional position statement of 1,000 words or less, a professional resume and three letters of recommendation from persons who can testify to the applicant's ability to do advanced graduate work. Upon review of the above-mentioned information, the admitting university may require a personal interview.
5. Special Education Federation Written Admissions Examination. Applicants must complete successfully the written admissions examination within their first 12 hours of course work to receive unconditional admission.
6. Approval of the Special Education Federation Admissions Committee.
If the applicant is deficient in any of the above areas, an appeal may be made to the Special Education Federation Admissions Committee. In addition to the listed criteria, the committee may consider the applicant's related work experience, publications, presentations to professional organizations, leadership roles, teaching excellence, awards and other things that might provide evidence of potential success in a doctoral program.
Students are required to have a master's degree in special education or an appropriate related field to enter the program. Students not meeting this requirement or who are deficient in specific areas will be required to take additional courses. Students are not admitted to the doctoral program until the master's degree and deficiency requirements are met.
A minimum of 60 hours beyond the master's is required, plus satisfaction of the tool subject requirement. Based upon a review of the preparation of each entering student, additional deficiency courses may be required. The following specific degree requirements must be completed. A list of UNT and TWU early childhood education course descriptions follows after the program description materials.
1. Each student must complete a 12 credit hour core. The student must complete the following courses.
In addition to the above 12 hours, students must complete a sequence of courses at their respective degree-granting institutions. The following courses apply to each institution.
2. Minor area requirements. Each student must complete a minor area. This minor area consists of 12 to 18 semester credit hours. In fulfillment of this requirement, students will select the most appropriate courses from the offerings of both participating universities with the advisement of the minor area professor.
3. Additional degree requirements. Additional requirements to complete the degree may be imposed by the Special Education Federation Admissions Committee. All entering students at UNT must complete 9 semester hours of introductory research and statistics and 9 additional credit hours in either advanced research and statistics or computer education.
4. Each student must complete a research tool subject that will enhance the completion of the dissertation research. In most cases the research tool subject will consist of research methods or computer-related courses. Students enrolling through UNT are required to take 9 semester credit hours of computer education to fulfill this requirement.
5. The student must complete successfully the written qualifying examination prepared by the Special Education Federation Qualifying Examination Committee.
6. The student must successfully develop a dissertation proposal, defend the proposal, and successfully complete and defend the proposed research. The research project should add substantive confirmation or understanding of the principles, theories and practices of special education. Both quantitative and qualitative research projects are acceptable.
Each student's program will be guided by a doctoral committee. While the committee will be composed primarily of faculty from the degree-granting institution, at least one committee member will be from the alternate participating school. The chair of the committee will be a faculty member from the university through which the student will receive the degree. The committee actively participates in (a) developing the student's degree plan, (b) evaluating the written and oral qualifying exams, and (c) evaluating the dissertation proposal and final defense.
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