About

The doctoral concentration in Autism Intervention focuses on the preparation of personnel to assume leadership roles in research, education, and training. In addition to the required course work, all doctoral students will have opportunities to accomplish a number of professional competencies including submitting a grant application, submitting a manuscript for publication consideration, course instruction, and presenting at professional conventions. The requirements are designed to increase the capacity of graduates to provide effective leadership in the area of autism programming and policy development and to conduct valid, empirical intervention-based research that will bridge existing research-to-practice gaps and improve outcomes for students with autism spectrum disorders and their families.

A Master's Degree in Special Education or a closely related field is required for application to the doctoral program. Candidates with master's degrees in other fields will be required to take up to five additional courses in Special Education, with advisor's approval.

Apply

Applying to a graduate program at UNT is a two-step process. 

  • First, you will need to apply online through the Toulouse Graduate School (TGS) at www.goapplytexas.org. Submit application fee and official transcripts from all schools attended to Toulouse Graduate School as outlined in the directions  here.   
  • Second, you will need to complete a departmental application. The departmental application for doctoral students includes three recommendation letters (signed/on letterhead), a resume/CV, and a personal statement. You can view the details of these requirements  here. Our department requires all items and scores within two months of the submitted application. 
Courses

The doctoral program in special education requires a minimum of 63 hours of course work and research experience in one of the following two concentrations:

  • Developmental Disabilities and Autism Concentration
  • Learning Disabilities and Behavior Disorders

A master’s degree with a major in special education or a closely related field is required for application to the PhD. Candidates with master’s degrees in other fields will be required to take up to five additional courses in special education, with advisor’s approval.

The following requirements are for students who enter the program with a related master’s degree.

Educational psychology PhD core, 6 hours

And one of the following

Educational Research core, 15 hours

Special Education core, 21 hours

One of the following concentrations, 9 hours

Developmental disabilities and autism spectrum disorders

Learning disability and behavior disorders concentration

Supervised research/practice, 3 hours

Dissertation, 9 hours minimum

 

Educational Psychology Faculty