Special Education

Doctoral Degree Program

Opportunities for graduate studies

The University of North Texas' Department of Educational Psychology offers a full range of programs leading to professions in special education. Faculty members in special education programs are highly competent, professional and nationally known in the field. You will have unique opportunities to participate in interdepartmental studies, become involved in community-based programming and network with professionals in special education and other disciplines.

The focus of the programs is reflected in the phrase "competence, excellence and leadership." Special education programs respect and encourage student diversity with regard to race, ethnicity, disabilities, sexual orientation and other areas of concern. The program strives to be sensitive to the American with Disabilities Act and to the educational needs of students.

Ph.D. degree

The doctoral degree in special education is offered in conjunction with the Federation of North Texas Area Universities. Your interests and specializations are developed through the use of internships, directed studies and minor-area course work. You are expected to have successful teaching or related experiences before the completion of the program.

The minimum program requirements assume the appropriate bachelor's and master's backgrounds. Your individual courses of study will vary and may include more than the minimum hours. Depending upon federal funding and UNT financial aid programs, financial assistance may be available in the form of scholarships and stipends. The special education doctoral program includes the following courses. Refer to the UNT Graduate Catalog for details.

• Core courses (minimum of 33 semester hours at the 6000 level) - Specific doctoral-level courses are required for all special education majors.
• Specialization core (6 semester hours) - UNT doctoral programs in special education are part of the Federation of North Texas Area Universities. This core requires you to take two courses at Texas Woman's University, which is also in Denton.
• Minor Courses/Supporting Core (12-18 semester hours) - The minor area is chosen by you in conjunction with the major professor. This area is chosen to complement your professional goals or enhance your ability to conduct research in an area of interest.
• Research and tool requirements (minimum of 27 hours) - A 6-hour basic statistics core from educational psychology (EPSY) and a 9-hour core from computer education and cognitive systems (CECS) are required (in lieu of a foreign language). You will take an additional 12 hours in either CECS or EPSY courses.
• Dissertation (12 hours) - You are required to complete a minimum of 12 dissertation hours.

Admission requirements

Admission to the special education doctoral program takes into consideration several factors deemed important for success in graduate studies. No one factor determines your eligibility for admission.

Admission to the federation doctoral program is a two-step process. You must first apply to and meet the general admission requirements of either the graduate school at TWU or the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies at UNT. You should apply to the school that best meets your research and career objective interests.

If you meet the initial admission standards, your application will be forwarded to the Special Education Federation Admissions Committee for review. Initial acceptance into the federation doctoral program is contingent upon you meeting program admissions standards:

• a minimum of 3.0 GPA on master's work
• GRE scores (verbal, quantitative, analytical writing) (There is no required minimum GRE score used for admission into the Graduate Special Education Program. Most successful applicants to the programs 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.)
• three years of successful teaching experience with the appropriate populations or related, acceptable experience
• 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 people who can testify to your ability to do advanced graduate work submitted to the Special Education Federation Application Review
Committee (After reviewing the information, the admitting university may require a personal interview.)
• completion of the Special Education Federation Written Admissions Examination within the first 12 hours of course work to receive unconditional admission
• approval of the Special Education Federation Admissions Committee.

If you are deficient in any of these areas, an appeal may be made to the Special Education Federation Admissions Committee. In addition to the listed criteria, the committee may consider your related work experience, publications, presentations to professional organizations, leadership roles, teaching excellence, awards and other factors that might provide evidence of potential success in the doctoral program.

Financial assistance available

The doctoral program has received funding through the U.S. Office of Special Education provides tuition and stipend support for a limited number of qualified students who desire to pursue a doctoral degree in special education specializing in doctoral leadership in behavioral disorders.