Learning Sciences

Doctoral students will develop an understanding of learning in multiple contexts (in and out of school) and the role of institutional arrangements that shape learning and development toward the goal of revisioning/reimagining/redesigning learning environments. Students will explore developing research agendas and designs in partnership with children, youth, families, educators, informal institutions, and schools and districts. Designs for learning and the study of learning will be deeply embedded within existing and emerging theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches and geared towards supporting graduates to create meaningful change for learners and families. Graduates will be prepared to contribute to the community-based design of learning opportunities including in settings like schools, museums, and community centers.  

Students may focus on many issues surrounding learning including analysis of:  

• Learning across scales
  • Particular learning moments
  • Collaborative learning sequences over time
  • Learning systems including learners embedded within classrooms embedded within schools embedded within districts and states 
• Design and implementation of learning environments
  • Design and implementation of learning reforms 
  • STEM learning and education  
  • Participatory designs, including Research-Practice Partnerships, Social Design Experiments, Community-Based Design, Family Co-Observation Partnerships  
• Research collaborations with  
  • Young children (ages 2-8) 
  • Youth (ages 12-18) 
  • Families (children and caregivers) 
  • Teachers (elementary, middle, high school) 
  • District- and state-level administration and support for teaching  
  • Out-of-school learning spaces (e.g., museums) 

Faculty in the Learning Sciences concentration have published in top-tier academic journals including the Journal of the Learning Sciences, American Educational Research Journal, Cognition & Instruction, Journal for Research in Science Teaching, Science Education, Journal of Teacher Education, International Journal of Science Education, and Learning, Culture and Social Interaction. They have also collaborated with children, youth, families, teachers, and district and state-level leaders to study existing learning and advocate for learning reform within classrooms.  

Why earn this degree from UNT? 

The Learning Sciences (LS) as a field has been growing over the past 30+ years. LS is still new to UNT, first launching in the Fall of 2023. Our LS community in the College of Education is both similar and unique from the broader field. Like the broader field, we are dedicated to understanding how sociocultural systems impact learning and designing innovative and transformative opportunities for learning through collaborative partnerships. Unlike most LS programs, the LS concentration in Educational Psychology allows students to take courses exclusively in the evenings so that they can continue to work in districts, museums, and other settings where they can implement their developing expertise in consequential ways and supports full-time students as well. Additionally, the LS faculty in EPSY at UNT have significant expertise in multiple qualitative, design, and collaborative-based research approaches and collaborate with other LS scholars across the US including at universities (e.g., Vanderbilt University, the Ohio State University) and research institutes (e.g., SRI International). 

 

Application to the Learning Sciences Concentration in the Department of Educational Psychology 

Background requirements 

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university 
• Applicants must meet the minimum master’s admissions requirements to the Toulouse Graduate School   

In addition to the requirements listed, those who apply should have an interest and passion for understanding processes of learning and supporting equitable changes within learning environments. Students without a masters-level degree in an education-related field will likely need to take additional courses. 

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 at https://tgs.unt.edu/future-students/graduate-admissions-traditional.   
• 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 at http://www.coe.unt.edu/educational-psychology/graduate-admissions. Our department requires all items and scores within two months of the submitted application. 
• Email Dr. Carrie Allen with questions about the Learning Sciences program

Application to the Learning Sciences Graduate Academic Certificate (GAC) 

• Students who are already part of an existing program at UNT can apply to the GAC through the form at https://tgs.unt.edu/webform/application-concurrent-graduate-academic-certificate-programs 
• Students who are not in another program can apply through https://goapplytexas.org/
•  Email Dr. Keifert with questions about the GAC.

Courses are offered in multiple formats (in-person, online, and hybrid), with most in-person courses offered in the evening.  Refer to catalog.unt.edu for specific course offerings.