For the past 30 years, the University of North Texas has been at the forefront of the fast-growing field of educational, instructional and learning technologies.
Our coursework leads to a Doctor of Philosophy in Learning Technologies, which can be completed in residency or at a distance. We are the first university in Texas to offer a distance-delivered doctoral degree in Learning Technologies or a related area. The required coursework focuses on understanding and expanding the synergy of technology and learning/instructional systems theory. The program also provides:
Students are prepared for positions at universities and organizations that create, evaluate and teach about or test innovative applications of learning technology. Many of our doctoral graduates find employment in education; while others find work in business and industry.
Our faculty members are internationally known for advancing knowledge of technology tools and their applications in educational and instructional settings. Their expertise prepares students to be future educators and technology professionals.
The Ph.D. is offered as a residency-based program for those in the North Texas region and as a distance-delivered cohort program for those preferring the flexibility of an online program.
Residency students meet for courses at the state-of-the-art UNT Discovery Park. Students participating in the distance option take online courses throughout the year and attend a mandatory yearly face-to-face meeting during the fall. The annual meeting is held in conjunction with a major conference when possible.
Admission to doctoral study in Learning Technologies is competitive within the capacity of the program faculty to mentor doctoral students. Each prospective student will be subjected to evaluation conducted by the Learning Technologies program graduate faculty each term/semester for a limited number of openings. We encourage prospective students to submit all materials well in advance of the deadline due to the processing time.
Students must meet the admission requirements for the Toulouse Graduate School® and the following program requirements:
The Ph.D. degree consists of 60-69 credit hours, which includes:
Students work closely with faculty members during course work and the dissertation, providing support and encouragement, as needed.
Students enrolled in the distance-delivered cohort program receive additional guidance from associate graduate faculty mentors who are professionals in the field.
Grants from organizations such as the U.S. Department of Education, the Texas Education Agency and the Job Training Partnership Program provide financial support to students. For information on these opportunities, contact the department. For information about other financial assistance programs, visit the Financial Aid website.
Yunjo An, Associate Professor and Department Chair; Ph.D., Indiana University. Game-based learning; complex problem solving.
Rose Baker, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University. Workplace learning; performance improvement.
Demetria Ennis-Cole, Professor; Ph.D., Kansas State University. Computer education instruction and administration; systems development; user training.
Aleshia Hayes, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., University of Central Florida. VR, AR, and simulation-based learning.
Karen Johnson, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., University of Minnesota. Workplace learning and training solutions.
Gerald A. Knezek, Regents Professor; Ph.D., University of Hawaii. Technology integration; telecommunications; educational research and measurement.
Youngjin Lee, Associate Professor; Ph.D., University of Illinois. Learning analytics.
Lin Lin, Professor; Ed.D., Columbia University. Instructional technology; human-machine interaction; online teaching and learning; teacher professional development.
T. Fred McMahan, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., University of North Texas. Adaptive Virtual Environments; Computer Programming; VR; Augmented Reality.
Cathleen Norris, Regents Professor; Ph.D., University of North Texas. Mobile technologies; computer-based education; human factors; teacher professional development.
Thomas Parsons, Professor and Director of the NetDragon Digital Research Center, Ph.D., Fuller Graduate School of Psychology. Neuroscience and learning.
J. Michael Spector, Professor; Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin. Complex learning; program evaluation; simulation-based learning.
Tandra Tyler-Wood, Professor, Ph.D., University of North Carolina. Assessing learning and curricula for special needs students.
John Turner, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., University of North Texas. Team cognition and team learning; multi-level analysis methods.
Scott Warren, Professor; Ph.D., Indiana University. Digital learning environments; games and simulations to support literacy and learning; technology-supported research methods.