Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Learning Technologies @ The University of Texas -Austin

Minimum Coursework Total: 60 hours
(excluding dissertation)

This comprehensive program provides knowledge and skills in areas such as instructional systems design, learning and instructional theories, instructional materials development and design of learning environments using various technology-based systems and tools. Graduates assume academic, administrative, and other leadership positions such as instructional evaluators, managers of instructional systems, and professors and researchers of instructional design and performance technology.

I. General Requirements Minimum: (21 hours)

A. Learning and Instructional Theory (3 hours)

• EDP 382L: Instructional Psychology
• EDP 380G or 382L: Psychology of (Human) Learning
• EDC 384P: Instructional Systems Design
• EDC 385G: Learning Theories: Instructional Implications

B. Curriculum Theory and Development (3 hours)

• EDC 381J: Curriculum Organization
• EDC 383N: Curriculum Theory

C. Cultural Foundations (3 hours)

• EDC 380G: Anthropology of Education
• EDC 385G: Literacy and Culture
• EDC 385G: Race and Ethnic Relations in Schools
• EDC 385K: General Foundations of Education
• EDC 385H: Introduction to Multicultural Education
• OR other relevant courses

D. Research Methodology (12 hours)

3 hours must be a research philosophies overview course, such as:

• EDC 384P: Approaches to Human Inquiry
• EDA 387Q: Introduction to Systems of Human Inquiry
• EDP 382: Philosophy of Social Science

3 hours must be a quantitative research methods course, such as:

• EDC 684 PB: Research Design and Analysis II
  prerequisite, one of the following courses:
  • EDC 684PA: Research Design and Analysis I,
  • EDP 370 Intro to Statistics, or
  • EDP 380E Fundamentals of Statistics
• EDA 381P: Quantitative Research Design And Analysis
• EDP 482K: Experimental Design And Statistical Inference

3 hours must be a qualitative research methods course, such as:

• EDC 385G: Qualitative Research in Educational Settings
• EDC 385H: Ethnographic & Qualitative Research Methods
• EDA 381Q: Qualitative Research Design
• EDP 384: Qualitative Research Methods

3 hours must be a more specialized research methods course, such as:

• EDC 385G: Advanced Qualitative Research
• EDC 385G: Qualitative Research Methods: Mixed-Method Investigations
• EDC 385G: Sociolinguistic Research and Teaching
• EDC 684PB: Research Design and Analysis II
• EDP 380P: Measurement and Evaluation
• EDP 380P: Evaluation Models and Techniques
• EDP 380P: Test and Scale Construction
• EDP 380P: Computerized Adaptive Testing
• EDP 382K: Correlation and Regression Methods
• EDP 382K: Factor Analysis
• EDP 382K: Survey of Multivariate Methods
• EDP 380P: Applied Psychometrics
• EDP 384; Intro To Survey Research
• EDP 382K: Structural Equation Modeling
• ANT 381K: Topics in Anthropological Methodology
• HIS 395: Bibliography and Methods in Historical Research
• HIS 397K: Historiography
• PSY 384K: Advanced Statistics
• PSY 391P: Design, Measurement, and Analysis
• SOC 387L: Survey Research Methods
• SOC 388K: Field and Observational Methods
• SOC 388L: Historical and Comparative Methods
• SOC 396L: Evaluation Research

II. Directed Research Requirements (Minimum: 12 hours)

All students in the doctoral program will take the following:

• EDC 385: Analysis of Research in Learning Technologies (3 hours)
• EDC 396: Doctoral Seminar: Learning Technologies (3 hours)
  Prerequisite: At least 30 hrs. coursework completed or with the approval of LT Program Coordinator/Advisor
• EDC 396T: Directed Research in Curriculum & Instruction* (6 hours)

* EDC 396T can be taken more than once for credit.

III. Learning Technologies Requirements Minimum: 27 hours

Students who have already taken courses similar to the required ones listed below and need course substitution should discuss with their assigned advisor and then seek approval from the LT Program Coordinator/Advisor.

A. Required Courses (12 hours)

• EDC 384P: Advanced Instructional Systems Design
  prerequisite - EDC 384P: Instructional Systems Design
• EDC 385G: Interactive Multimedia Design and Production OR Multimedia Authoring
• EDC 385G: Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning
• EDC 385G: Ed. Comm. Seminar: Teaching and Learning with the Internet

B. Elective Courses (9 hours)

• EDC 385G: Designs and Strategies for New Media
• EDC 385G: Constructivism and Instructional Design
• EDC 385G: Learning Technologies Planning and Management
• EDC 385G: Motivation and the Design of Instructional Technology
• EDC 385G: Technology, Teacher Learning & School Change
• EDC 385G: Technology Scaffolds for Problem-Based Learning
• EDC 385G: Current Issues in Learning Technologies

(Not all courses are offered every year. Please check the course schedule.)

C. Special Interest/Expertise Area (6 hours)

2 courses, selected with the assistance and approval of your advisor, that address a disciplinary or interdisciplinary interest area that relates directly to your research agenda or professional goals in Learning Technologies. These courses can be in or outside the department. EDC 397P: Graduate Internship is strongly recommended.

IV. Outside Department Requirements Minimum: 6 hours
This is not an additional two-course requirement.

Students are strongly encouraged to select courses outside the Curriculum and Instruction department which complement their research interests. This opportunity can lead to awareness of faculty members who might serve on the Comprehensive Exam and/or Dissertation committees.

Coursework taken outside of the department and listed under section I of this document can fulfill this requirement.

V. Dissertation (Minimum: Two consecutive semesters of dissertation work)

Students in the Curriculum and Instruction department are required to register for at least 6 hours of dissertation credit during each fall and spring semester during the time that they are working on their dissertation research.

Dissertation credit is accrued while taking EDC 699R and EDC 699W.

EDC 699R should be scheduled first. The dissertation proposal defense should take place during the semester in which EDC 699R is taken.

Special accommodations for fewer hours of dissertation credit per semester must be arranged with the departmental graduate advisor, typically occurring only while the student is working outside the university full-time.

Download the Ph.D. degree plan( for students enrolled before Fall 2009)