Educational Psychology

Doctoral Degree Program

Graduate opportunities

Federal and state mandates regarding effective practices are changing how corporations, organizations and programs operate.

At the University of North Texas, the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Educational Psychology focuses on generating sophisticated data for key decision-makers. The data can be used:

• To help corporations remain competitive
• By faculty members to advance other fields using critical research methods and develop new approache s
• To demonstrate the value of programs serving children and families or social policy

The Department of Educational Psychology offers challenging course work that examines research design, human development, measurement, family studies, policy, evaluation and statistics, gifted and talented individuals, sport pedagogy, and sports and exercise psychology.

You can pursue concentrations in:

• Gifted and talented
• Human development and family science
• Psychosocial aspects of sport and exercise
• Research, measurement and statistics
• Sport pedagogy

Our faculty members obtain grants, write books and publish scholarly, peer-reviewed journal articles. They've been recognized by or serve as officers and leaders for many national, international and regional academic professional organizations, including the:

• American Educational Research Association
• National Council on Family Relations
• Society for Research in Child Development
• Association for Applied Sport Psychology
• American College of Sports Medicine
• Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE America)
• National Association for Gifted Children
• Council for Exceptional Children

The College of Education is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (1140 19th Street, Suite 400; Washington, D.C. 20036; telephone 202-223-0077). This means we meet or exceed strict academic standards for excellence in education.

Outstanding support and services

We provide you opportunities to present research at national and regional conferences, publish journal articles, apply for grants and participate in professional activities with faculty mentors. You can also collaborate with scholars in the department's other graduate programs, such as the special education program.

UNT offers a wide variety of services exclusively to graduate students. The Graduate Student Writing Support office can help you with writing, and the Center for Interdisciplinary Research offers assistance with statistical research.

The Toulouse Graduate School ® offers several professional development workshops, including a Dissertation Boot Camp. Many of the workshops are available online for your convenience.

Research centers and opportunities

The Office of Research Consulting offers opportunities for practical involvement with program evaluation and methodological/statistical consultation.

The staff assists with the conception, design, methods, analysis and interpretation of research projects, proposal writing, evaluations, dissertations and theses.

The internationally renowned Office of Family Science Education, Research and Policy provides research and outreach to parent and family educators, family support professionals and other students. Ongoing projects include:

• Continuing Education through Online Training
• Database Registry for Parent Educators
• The International Conference on Parent Education and Parenting
• Professional Development Recognition System Additional research opportunities exist at our up-to- date observational laboratory, a testing laboratory and computerized data analysis laboratory.

Attending UNT

Admission requirements

You must meet the admission requirements for the graduate school, including a minimum 3.4 GPA on master's degree work, and provide the department with the following:

• Official GRE scores that are less than five years old
• Personal résumé or curriculum vitae
• Three letters of recommendation from academic or professionally applicable sources
• Personal statement of career objectives explaining how this doctorate advances those objectives

Program acceptance is based on a holistic review of these materials, and first priority is given to applicants who are strong in all areas.

Degree requirements

A master's degree in a related field is preferred but not required. You must complete a minimum of 63 credit hours beyond a master's degree (90 credit hours beyond a bachelor's degree) to be a candidate for the Ph.D. degree. This includes:

• 9 credit hours of educational psychology department core courses
• 21 credit hours of educational psychology degree core courses
• 21 credit hours of concentration area courses
• 3 credit hours of supervised research practice
• 9 credit hours of dissertation

Financial assistance

A number of competitive teaching fellowships and assistantships are available to help you pursue your degree. These opportunities include working with professors on research grants and projects or as a teaching assistant, teaching undergraduate classes and supervising student teaching.

You apply for these positions by submitting an application to the department. We also offer several scholarships.

Information about other financial assistance programs is available at the fiancial aid website or the grad school website.