The Learning Technologies PhD program is offered in two formats: residential and distributed. Both options require attendance at a once-per-year on-site meeting to meet state residency requirements. 

Admission requirements 

Admission to doctoral studies in the Department of Learning Technologies is based on several factors including a student’s academic qualifications, alignment of their interests to program topics, and the ability of faculty members to support a student’s intended topic area. Each prospective student will be evaluated by the faculty to ensure a good fit with the program in terms of their academic interests and our course offerings. Admission to the program will be considered only after the applicant meets or exceeds the University of North Texas’ admission standards for the Toulouse Graduate School. However, meeting the program standards does not automatically mean the student will be accepted to the program. The process is competitive and admission depends upon both the applicant’s qualifications and the capacity of faculty to mentor doctoral students. 

The minimum requirements for admission include the following: 

1. A master’s degree from an accredited institution with a grade point average of 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) or, under some circumstances, a bachelor’s degree with sufficient additional courses required to secure a master’s degree while working on the PhD. A total grade point average of 3.0 or a grade point average of 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) over the last 60 hours is required.

2. A Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score and/or an equivalent examination must be on file at the time the application is reviewed. Alternatively, students may be considered with submission of the following materials with their application. 

• A scholarly presentation on a learning technologies-related topic at a professional conference, or

• Completion of 6 hours of graduate course work in the field with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher, or

• A peer-reviewed, scholarly publication. 

No GRE is required under the following conditions: 

• Automatic waiver of GRE for students graduating from our LT Master’s in the last three (3) years 

• Waiver of GRE for students graduating from any UNT Master’s in the last three (3) years with GPA of 3.5 or above 

• Upon program review, waiver of GRE for students graduating from another university’s Learning Technologies-equivalent program in the last three (3) years with 3.5 or above 

3. For international students, the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) examination or successful completion of the UNT Intensive English Language Institute (IELI) through level 6 must be on file. International students who have completed the IELI program through level 6 and successfully completed the UNT Graduate Preparation Course (GPC) may submit the GPC in place of GRE scores. 

3. A personal resume or CV that includes a summary of teaching, administrative, and/or training experience. 

4. An application to the program that indicates desired delivery format (i.e., residential or online) and indicates a preference of academic faculty with which the student would like to work during their doctoral career. 

5. A personal statement (500–1,000 words) of career objectives, which may include: 

• Doctoral research areas of interest 

• Research, professional or community experiences that demonstrate motivation, commitment, and potential for doctoral work 

• Accomplishments; communication skills 

• Technology skills 

• Contribution to the diversity of the field 

6. Three letters of recommendation submitted on your behalf. Letters should be from former professors or others who you believe can evaluate your academic qualifications. These may include work supervisors who can assess your potential for success in the learning technologies doctoral program. 

7. Letter of intent submitted by a program faculty member (in-residence offering) or associate graduate faculty member (distributed offering) who would work with the applicant if accepted into the program. 

8. (Optional) Interview with program faculty may be requested by the admission committee.