Main Office
Matthews Hall, 316

Mailing address:
1155 Union Circle #311335
Denton, TX 76203-5017
940-565-2093

Web site: www.coe.unt.edu/educational-psychology

Abbas Tashakkori, Chair

Faculty  

The Department of Educational Psychology offers course work in research design and measurement; applied statistics; program evaluation; the education of special populations and gifted learners; human development; family sciences; sport pedagogy and sport psychology.

Certification and degree programs in the department focus on such areas as non-traditional education, research and evaluation design, special education, gifted education, human development and family studies.

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.

Research

Faculty in the department have extensive research interests that include but are not limited to academic, social and behavioral assessment; designing effective instructional environments for exceptional learners; behavioral management systems for special populations, parent and professional communication and collaboration; establishment of partnerships to facilitate services for exceptional individuals; programs and procedures for gifted learners; identification of gifted and talented learners; academic acceleration; early entrance to school for college; social and emotional aspects of giftedness; cognitive development and information processing of traditional and special populations; program evaluation; strategies for working with adult populations; the study of developmental norms and family relationships; and applied statistics and measurement.

Grants and Assistantships

Teaching and research assistantships are available to full-time doctoral students, on a competitive basis. Funded by grants from the U.S. Department of Education, tuition and stipend support is available for both full-time and part-time master’s and doctoral students in various areas of special education, including emotional and behavioral disorders, transition and correctional special education, mild/moderate disabilities, and autism intervention.

For students in the autism intervention program, funds are available only for students who currently teach in rural areas and are not able to come to the Denton or Dallas  campus for instruction on a regular basis, thus requiring online courses.

Academic Support and Outreach Services

Two EPSY offices provide a variety of academic, research and outreach services to students, faculty and the community at large:

Office of Research Consulting

The EPSY Office of Research Consulting (ORC) supports the research needs of faculty and students across the UNT community by providing methodological and statistical advice on grants, research, dissertations and classwork. ORC is dedicated to enhancing the research atmosphere at UNT by improving statistical understanding of students and faculty, providing seminars and support on latest developments in data analysis and research methods, archiving publicly available national and international research data, and providing consulting on grant proposals and funded projects.

Office of Family Science Education, Research and Policy

The EPSY Office of Family Science Education, Research and Policy facilitates collaborative and interdisciplinary family science research and training projects by faculty and students across the UNT community. The goal of the OFSERP is to meet the needs of students, professionals and families through research, training, consultation and policy development resources.

Degree Programs

The department offers the following degrees at the master’s and doctoral level:

• Master of Science with a major in educational psychology  
• Master of Education with a major in special education  
• Doctor of Philosophy with a major in educational psychology  
• Doctor of Philosophy with a major in special education  

Specializations in special education include autism spectrum disorders, educational diagnostician, emotional and behavioral disorders, and mild/moderate disabilities. Specializations in educational psychology include family studies; gifted and talented; human development; learning and cognition; research, measurement and evaluation; sport pedagogy; and sport psychology.

Depending on the degree attained, graduates of these programs normally seek employment in business and education as teachers, program administrators, supervisory personnel, assessment specialists, curriculum development specialists, research and evaluation specialists, and community college and university faculty members. Graduates may also be prepared to seek careers in parent education and/or family life, child life and life span development.

Applicants must also meet requirements for admission to the Toulouse Graduate School. For admission to any of the programs in this department, the applicant should submit all required materials to the department. Please contact the EPSY Coordinator of Graduate Admissions (Laura.Musgrove@unt.edu) for details.

Alternative Teacher Certification

See the College of Education  section of this catalog for information about UNT’s Alternative Teacher Certification option in special education .

Programs

• Educational Psychology, MS
• Special Education, MEd

• Educational Psychology, PhD
• Special Education, PhD

Courses

• EDSP 5615 - Positive Behavioral Interventions in Educational and Related Settings
• EDSP 5620 - Educational Programming for Children/Youth with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
• EDSP 5630 - Field Experience with Children/Youth with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders I
• EDSP 5640 - Field Experience with Children/Youth with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders II
• EDSP 5650 - Special Education in Juvenile Correctional Facilities
• EDSP 5660 - Transition of Youth with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
• EDSP 5665 - Advanced Transition Planning for Students with Emotional/Behavioral Disorders
• EDSP 5670 - Teaching Social Skills to Children and Youth with Disabilities
• EDSP 5684 - Traumatic Brain Injury I
• EDSP 5685 - Traumatic Brain Injury II
• EDSP 5710 - Special Education Programs and Practices
• EDSP 5730 - Educational Aspects of Students with Mild to Moderate Disabilities
• EDSP 5740 - Learning Strategies for Promoting Proficiency in Reading and Language Arts for Exceptional Learners
• EDSP 5750 - Learning Strategies for Promoting Proficiency in Math and Content Area Subjects for Exceptional Learners
• EDSP 5755 - Adapting Curriculum to Meet Special Learning Needs
• EDSP 6270 - Analysis of Trends, Issues and Research in Special Education
• EDSP 6275 - Advanced Studies in Evidence Based Practices in High and Low Incidence Disabilities
• EDSP 6280 - Program Analysis in Special Education
• EDSP 6290 - Special Education and Public Policy
• EDSP 6295 - Seminar in Professional Leadership in Special Education
• EDSP 6300 - Program Development for Providing Quality Services to Children and Youth with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
• EDSP 6310 - Current Research and Best Practices in the Education and Treatment of Children/Youth with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
• EDSP 6320 - Computing Applications for Special Populations
• EDSP 6325 - Advanced Studies in Emotional/Behavioral Disorders
• EDSP 6410 - Theoretical Issues in Learning Disabilities
• EDSP 6420 - Advanced Studies in Mild/Moderate Disabilities Programming
• EDSP 6430 - Literacy Research for Special Populations
• EDSP 6440 - Research Issues in Special Education
• EDSP 6520 - Biomedical Aspects of Autism
• EDSP 6530 - Advanced Studies in Autism
• EDSP 6540 - Evaluation of Autism Programs