Gifted and Talented Education

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This concentration prepares students for a number of careers, including the professoriate, gifted and talented district program coordinator, curriculum specialist, and state education agency director, among others. This degree also provides students with a Graduate Academic Certificate in Gifted Education if requested and applied for.

The doctoral program in educational psychology requires a minimum of 63 (78 hours if admitted without a Master’s degree) hours of course work and research experience.

Those entering the program without a master’s degree are expected to fulfill the following requirements, plus two core courses in the MS with a major in educational psychology, and a minimum of three additional graduate-level courses with the advisor’s approval.

Note: The following requirements are for students entering the program having completed a related master’s degree.

Educational psychology requirement, 9 hours

Major requirements, 21 hours

Concentration, 21 hours

Gifted and talented

EPSY 6110 - Individual Difference, Creativity and Problem Solving
EPSY 6610 - Theories and Paradigms of Giftedness
EPSY 6620 - Special Populations in Gifted Education
EPSY 6640 - Advanced Curriculum and Programming for Teaching the Gifted and Talented
EPSY 6650 - Developing Psychosocial Skills in Gifted and Talented Individuals
Plus 2 elective courses in related areas, with advisor’s approval

Supervised research practice, 3 hours

EPSY 6030 - Practicum, Field Problem or Internship

Dissertation, 9 hours minimum

EPSY 6950 - Doctoral Dissertation (3, 6 or 9 hours per semester)

Faculty

Selcuk Acar

Selcuk Acar

Associate Professor

Educational Psychology
Ph.D., 2013, The University of Georgia

Matthews Hall 316

940-565-4646

selcuk.acar@unt.edu

MOTES

Faculty Profile

Selcuk Acar, Ph.D., is an associate professor of educational psychology at the University of North Texas. He received his Ph.D. in Educational Psychology (with an emphasis in Gifted and Creative Education) from the University of Georgia. His primary area of research interest includes divergent thinking, assessment of creativity, and the education of the gifted and talented. Prior to UNT, Dr. Acar has worked at two different centers specialized in the field of creative education: Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development of University of Georgia, and the International Center for Studies in Creativity of SUNY Buffalo State. In addition to numerous book chapter and encyclopedia entries, Dr. Acar published over 50 peer-reviewed articles primarily on creativity. He has served as a PI in a 3-year grant by the Institute of Education Sciences to develop a new measure of original thinking called MOTES. He is currently serving as an Associate Editor at Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts and Journal of Creativity. He is also on the editorial board of Gifted Child Quarterly, Journal of Creative Behavior, Journal of Advanced Academics, and Creativity Research Journal. Dr. Acar is a recipient of APA Division 10’s 2022 Berlyne Award in recognition of outstanding research by an early career scholar and UNT College of Education’s 2021 Faculty Research Excellence Award.

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Jaret Hodges

Jaret Hodges

Assistant Professor

Educational Psychology
Ph.D. 2018, Purdue University

Matthews Hall 316

940-369-7942

Jaret.Hodges@unt.edu

Faculty Profile

Jaret Hodges earned a master's degree at the University of Houston, doctorate at Purdue University, and was a postdoctoral researcher at Duke University. His research interests include underrepresented populations in gifted education, rural gifted education, and gifted education policy. He also has an interest in promoting open science practices and the use of computer programming in education research.

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Rachel Mun

Rachel Mun

Associate Professor

Associate Professor, Educational Psychology
Ph.D., 2015, University of Washington

Matthews Hall 322-B

940-565-2028

Rachel.Mun@unt.edu

Faculty Profile

Rachel U. Mun is an Associate Professor at the University of North Texas in Educational Psychology. She received her Ph.D. in Education, Learning Sciences and Human Development from the University of Washington. She was also a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Connecticut with the National Center for Research on Gifted Education conducting research on identifying and serving underrepresented gifted learners. Her research interests are two tiered and best described as an intersection between culture, gifted education, and socioemotional well-being. At the micro-level, she explores socioemotional development and decision-making for high-ability students (emphasis on immigrants) within family, peer and academic contexts with the goal to promote well-being. At the macro-level, she examines ways to improve equitable identification and services for K-12 high-ability learners from diverse populations. She has published in Gifted Child Quarterly, Journal for the Education of the Gifted, Journal of Advanced Academics, Roeper Review and Parenting for High Potential.

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Anne Rinn

Anne Rinn

Department Chair of Educational Psychology

Director of the Office for Giftedness, Talent Development, and Creativity

Matthews Hall 322-B

940-565-4037

anne.rinn@unt.edu

Office for Giftedness, Talent Development and Creativity

Faculty Profile

Anne N. Rinn, Ph.D. is Chair of the Department of Educational Psychology and Professor of Educational Psychology and Gifted Education at the University of North Texas, where she also serves as Director of the Office for Giftedness, Talent Development, and Creativity. She has an undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Houston and a doctorate in Educational Psychology from Indiana University. Her research is related to the social and emotional experiences of gifted individuals and the psychosocial skills necessary for the development of academic talent. She has published around 100 journal articles and book chapters, as well as two textbooks: Social, Emotional, and Psychosocial Development of Gifted and Talented Individuals (Rinn, 2020) and From Giftedness to Gifted Education: Reflecting Theory in Practice (Plucker et al., 2017). She was co-editor of the Journal of Advanced Academics from 2017-2022.

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Educational Psychology — Gifted and Talented Education

Educational psychology requirement, 9 hours

Major requirements, 21 hours

Concentration, 21 hours

Supervised research practice, 3 hours

Dissertation, 9 hours minimum

Faculty

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