UNT Home | Graduate Studies | College of Education | Special Education - Master's Degree Program
Graduate faculty and areas of research
Lyndal M. Bullock, Regents Professor; Ed.D., Kansas. Designing appropriate educational environments and services for children/youth with severe emotional/behavioral disorders; behavioral assessment and positive interventions; parent-professional communication.
Bertina Hildreth Combes, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Texas at Austin. Transition of students with learning disabilities from high school to post-secondary settings; mentoring; teacher development; use of juvenile literature in teaching about disabilities.
Mary Bailey Estes, Lecturer; Ph.D., North Texas. Charter schools and students with disabilities; emotional/behavioral disorders; bilingual collaboration in teacher preparation.
Endia Lindo, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Vanderbilt. Effects of reading interventions and family background on elementary and middle school students’ vocabulary and comprehension; improving reading performance of students who are low-achieving/diagnosed with high-incidence disabilities.
Pamela Peak, Lecturer; Ph.D., North Texas. Academic assessment; learning disabilities; bilingual collaboration in teacher preparation.
Michael Sayler, Associate Professor and Associate Dean for the College of Education; Ph.D., Purdue. Gifted and talented program development and assessment; identification; intellectual precocity; academic interventions; social and emotional development.
Smita Shukla-Mehta, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Oregon. Applied behavior analysis; functional behavioral assessment; positive behavior support; behavioral escalation and prevention of problem behavior; classroom and instructional management; severe disabilities and autism; philosophy and practice for inclusive education.
Tandra Tyler-Wood, Associate Professor; Ph.D., North Carolina. Assessing and determining appropriate curriculum for special needs populations.
For More Information
University of North Texas
Department of Educational Psychology
Special Education Master's Program
1155 Union Circle #311335
Denton, Texas 76203-5017
Phone: 940-565-2093
Fax: 940-565-4055
TTY callers: 940-369-8652
www.unt.edu
http://www.coe.unt.edu/educational-psychology
E-mail: special_ed@unt.edu
Toulouse Graduate School
940-565-2383
Special Education
Master's Degree Program
Opportunities for graduate studies
The University of North Texas’ special education master’s degree program strives to make a positive impact on programs and provisions for children, youth and young adults with exceptionalities. Our primary focuses are in graduate training in autism, behavioral disorders, educational and diagnostic assessment, gifted and talented, and learning disabilities.
At UNT, you can pursue a Master of Education degree in Special Education as well as endorsements, certifications and emphases in:
- autism intervention
- behavioral intervention
- correctional special education
- educational diagnostics
- emotional/behavioral disorders
- gifted and talented education
- special education early childhood-12 program
- special education early childhood-12 IMPACT
- transitional programming for adolescents with behavioral disorders
- traumatic brain injury
Our graduates hold positions as teachers, diagnosticians, coordinators and supervisors in schools, juvenile correctional facilities, psychiatric hospitals, regional service centers and private/governmental agencies.
Our faculty members are highly competent and nationally known in their field. They remain up-to-date on current practices through research experiences, their high levels of academic preparation and the service projects they coordinate. You will have unique opportunities to participate in interdepartmental studies, become involved in community-based programming, and network with other professionals in special education and other fields.
The College of Education’s graduate programs were rated fourth of the nine public Texas universities rated by U.S. News and World Report in the 2010 edition of America’s Best Graduate Schools. The programs were rated third in total grant funded research and fourth in the average annual externally funded research expenditures per faculty.
Admission requirements
You will need to meet the admission requirements for the Toulouse Graduate School as well as provide the educational psychology department the following items:
- two letters of recommendation from a professor, supervisor or employer who can give evidence of your critical thinking ability (Letters of recommendation should be addressed to the advisor noted below for the program of interest.)
- resume or curriculum vitae that outlines your previous work or educational experiences, including teaching certifications and degrees held
- a personal statement outlining your goals, reasons for applying to the program and your career and research expectations with regard to work and further education
- GRE scores (Most successful applicants have a verbal GRE score of 450 or higher, a quantitative GRE score of 400 or higher, and an analytical writing GRE score of 4.0 or better.)
The admission requirements for the graduate school are outline at graduateschool.unt.edu or catalog.unt.edu. The additional materials should be mailed to the department to the attention of the advisor who works in your areas of interest.
Advisor/Area of Emphasis
| Lyndal M. Bullock | Behavioral intervention; correctional special education; emotional/behavioral disorders; transition programming for adolescents with behavioral disorders; traumatic brain injury |
| Bertina Combes | Early childhood-12 special education; learning disabilities |
| Mary Bailey Estes | Early childhood-12 special education; IMPACT alternative certification in special education |
| Endia Lindo | Learning disabilities; EC-12 special education; reading, language arts and curriculum |
| Smita Shukla-Mehta | Autism; behavioral disorders |
| Pamela Peak | Educational diagnostics; assessment |
| Tandra Tyler-Wood | Educational diagnostics |
Degree requirements
These requirements vary based on the area of specialization you want to pursue. Specific courses are outlined at catalog.unt.edu. General requirements are:
- 9 hours of required core courses
- 27 to 36 credit hours in area of specialization
Financial assistance available
Several of the special education graduate programs have received funding through the U.S. Office of Special Education that provides tuition and stipend support to help you pursue your graduate degree. Other scholarships and stipends may be available to help with funding. Visit www.graduateschool.unt.edu, www.coe.unt.edu or www.unt.edu/finaid for financial aid and scholarship opportunities.