Academics
The Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development offers doctoral and master's degrees, graduate-level certifications, undergraduate programs and enrichment courses and includes research institutes and community service centers.
Degrees, Certificates, and Specializations
Admission information, application forms and curricula for these programs can be found on their respective websites.
Explore Our Programs
Program Type
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Doctoral Programs
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Master’s Degrees
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Undergraduate Programs
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Graduate Specializations & Certificates
Area of Interest
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Applied Physiology & Health Management
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Counseling
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Dispute Resolution
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Higher Education
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Learning Sciences (Online)
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Liberal Studies
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PK-12 School Leadership
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Research
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Sport Management
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Sport Performance Leadership
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Teacher Education
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Wellness
Ph.D. Research
Prospective Students
The program offers apprenticeships with top scholars in highly interdisciplinary fields such as the Learning Sciences, Literacy, STEM Education, AI and Technology-Enhanced Learning, Teacher Education, Measurement and Psychometrics, Education Policy and Leadership, Applied Physiology, and several other allied and interdisciplinary areas.
Career and Personal Benefits
Graduates of the program are prepared to make significant contributions to research, policy, and practice through academic and research careers in their fields of interest. These highly proficient researchers tend to seek employment in one of three areas: academia, public organizations or large school districts, or private for-profit companies.
Master of Education (M.Ed.)
Prospective Students
Practicing educators who wish to broaden their academic preparation and classroom skills. Students may specialize in any 1 or 2 of the following areas: bilingual education, ESL, urban education, mathematics, literacy, STEM, special education, and learning therapy.
Career and Personal Benefits
Mastery of the content and skills should enable the graduate to be more effective and efficient in his/her job. Additionally, the specialization knowledge may allow the educator to pursue new career opportunities.
Master of Education (M.Ed.) with Certification Preparation
Prospective Students
The individual who would like to teach and already has a bachelor's degree but who does not have the appropriate teaching certification credentials to teach. This program allows students to pursue a graduate degree and teaching credentials simultaneously.
Career and Personal Benefits
Graduates often find that they have better presentation and organization skills, but more important, they have a Master’s degree and a new career opportunity.
Master of Bilingual Education (M.B.E.)
Prospective Students
Ideal for pre-service and in-service Spanish/English bilingual educators who have a near-native or native command of Spanish and English. MBE courses integrate the language and culture of students in the Spanish-speaking world, particularly students of Hispanic heritage living in the United States.
Career and Personal Benefits
Successful graduates are prepared to work as expert bilingual teachers, bilingual coaches, or leaders of bilingual programs in their schools or districts.
Master of the Learning Sciences (M.S.)
Prospective Students
This program is designed to address the needs of learning professionals across a broad spectrum from business HR, learning and professional development to government, university, and non-profit learning organizations. This multidisciplinary program will prepare you to design, assess, and create systematic approaches to improve teaching and learning in formal and informal settings.
Career and Personal Benefits
Graduates of this program are equipped to lead and innovate in a diverse array of educational and corporate environments. With a comprehensive understanding of how people learn and the technological tools to enhance educational experiences, alumni are prepared to tackle challenges in instructional design, data analysis, and the creation of engaging learning materials.
Bilingual Education Supplemental Specialization
Prospective Students
Teachers who work with students who do not speak English as their native language.
Career and Personal Benefits
Students who succeed in this 4-course sequence are qualified to take the TExES supplemental certification exam in bilingual education, a passing score on which qualifies them to work with students who do not speak English as their native language.
Educational Diagnostician Specialization
Prospective Students
Teachers who desire to possess the critical knowledge and skills to identify and make a positive impact on the individual learning needs of students.
Career and Personal Benefits
Those who successfully complete the program will be able to apply their advanced knowledge of assessment and instruction to improve the outcomes of students with special learning needs. The program's coursework will be applied toward SMU's M.Ed. degree.
English as a Second Language (ESL) Supplemental Specialization
Prospective Students
Practicing educators interested in working with ESL populations. The programs 4 courses may be applied toward SMU’s 36-credit hour Master of Education (M.Ed.) with a specialization in ESL.
Career and Personal Benefits
Graduates are prepared to take the TExES English as a Second Language (ESL) supplemental certification exam, a passing score on which qualifies them to work with ESL students populations.
Gifted and Talented Specialization
Prospective Students
Ideal for teachers of the gifted and talented, both specialists and regular classroom teachers.
Career and Personal Benefits
Those who successfully complete the 4-course sequence (12 credits) are prepared to take the Gifted and Talented TExES (Texas Examination for Educator Standards); those who pass the exam earn GT certification. Additionally, the program‘s courses can be applied to requirements for the M.Ed. degree.
Literacy Studies Specialization
Prospective Students
Teachers who desire to advance their knowledge of literacy instruction and assessment specifically for early literacy and late literacy and for those who desire to pursue Reading Specialist certification.
Career and Personal Benefits
Those who successfully complete the program will be more effective teachers, improving student outcomes in literacy. The program's coursework can be applied toward SMU's M.Ed. degree.
Early Literacy Scholarship
Prospective Students
K-2 classroom teachers in high-need public schools (including charters).
Career and Personal Benefits
Those who successfully complete the program’s 18-credit hours are equipped to provide comprehensive, coherent, and complete early-literacy programs in regular classrooms. The program’s coursework applies to the requirements of SMU’s M.Ed. program.
Learning Therapy Specialization
Prospective Students
Individuals interested in working with children or adults who have dyslexia or related language learning disorders.
Career and Personal Benefits
Those who successfully complete the specialization are qualified to take the Alliance National Registration Exam for Multisensory Structured Language Education at the therapy level, a passing score on which qualifies the individual for membership in ALTA as a Certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT).
Mathematics Specialization
Prospective Students
Practicing educators who wish to advance their content knowledge or pedagogical skills for the purpose of teaching mathematics.
Career and Personal Benefits
Those who successfully complete the 4-course sequence will have the skills and knowledge to model effective mathematics instruction, translate evidence-based research into classroom teaching, differentiate with diverse learners, and instill creative problem solving. The program’s coursework can be applied to SMU’s M.Ed. degree.
STEM Specialization
Prospective Students
Practicing educators who wish to advance their content knowledge or pedagogical skills for the purpose of teaching science, technology, engineering, and mathematics content.
Career and Personal Benefits
Those who successfully complete the program are equipped to be more effective STEM educators. Additionally, the program’s 4 courses can be applied to the requirements for SMU’s M.Ed. program.
Teach for America Educator Preparation Program
Prospective Students
TFA-approved Corps Members who wish to pursue Texas teacher certification.
Career and Personal Benefits
Those who successfully complete the program are recommended to take the Texas State Board for Educator Certification exams, passing scores on which enable them to pursue teaching credentials. Additionally, the credits earned through participation in this program apply to the requirements for SMU’s M.Ed. degree.
Urban Education
Teaching Specialization
Prospective Students
Urban Education courses are most applicable for pre-service, in-service and other educators who serve diverse student populations, wish to cultivate a justice-oriented culturally responsive classroom environment, and/or are eager to learn relevant classroom and behavior management approaches.
Career and Personal Benefits
Educators who complete these courses can expect to acquire in-depth knowledge surrounding culturally responsive curriculum development, reducing student behavioral infractions, enhancing teacher-guardian and teacher-student relationships, and inevitably increasing student outcomes. Additionally, educators can expect to garner an all-encompassing historical context of urban education.
Ed.D. in Educational Leadership
Prospective Students
This program is designed for educators, public officials, and non-profit administrators who are interested in expanding their leadership in service to Pre-K-to-12 students.
Career and Personal Benefits
The curriculum includes study of ethics in leadership, legal concerns, community engagement, change management, technology, district complexities, talent management, educational policy and politics, and budgeting and finance.
Master of Education: Accelerated School Leadership
Prospective Students
This program is designed to prepare educators for a variety of leadership positions in pre-K through grade-12 public, charter, private secular, and religious schools.
Career and Personal Benefits
Through classroom instruction, individual study, collaborative projects, and the application of research-based principles in field settings, students learn about the instructional, ethical, organizational, and administrative aspects of school leadership.
Master of Education: Urban Educational Leadership
Prospective Students
The M.Ed. in Urban Educational Leadership program is designed for educators who are interested in becoming leaders of urban schools.
Career and Personal Benefits
Students learn the unique and complex academic and administrative skills and knowledge required to lead an urban school. The program is offered through a unique partnership between SMU’s Simmons School of Education & Human Development and select districts.
Principal Certification
Prospective Students
This program is designed to prepare educators who already hold a masters degree for their Texas Principal Certification.
Career and Personal Benefits
With access to personalized study with district mentors and SMU faculty, our students graduate meeting all requirements for the Texas Principal Certification.
Educational Studies Undergraduate Major
Prospective Students
Undergraduates who wish to become teachers.
Career and Personal Benefits
Successful graduates are recommended to take the Texas State Board for Educator Certification exams, passing scores on which enable them to pursue credentials for teaching careers in the private and public sectors, graduate work in the social sciences, and informal education paths in non-profit organizations.
Master of Arts in Dispute Resolution
Prospective Students
Because conflict is a natural and recurring part of all aspects of society, students from all walks of life benefit from a Master of Arts in the study of dispute resolution and conflict management. These skills can enhance current career paths or launch new careers.
Career and Personal Benefits
Rooted in the social and behavioral sciences, the curriculum provides in-depth study of conflict theory with options for concentration in alternative dispute resolution, organizational transformation and conflict management, executive coaching, and healthcare collaboration and conflict engagement as they apply to business, family, education, public policy, religion, law and healthcare. Field-based opportunities in a variety of settings further enhance the skills of dispute resolution and conflict management.
Graduate Certificate in Dispute Resolution
Prospective Students
Because conflict is a natural and recurring part of all aspects of society, training in dispute resolution and conflict management can enhance the lives of individuals in a variety of professions and industries.
Career and Personal Benefits
The seven-course program offers a solid foundation in conflict theory and skill development. Students learn the skills of negotiation, problem solving, mediation, arbitration, and systems design through classroom instruction that includes simulations.
Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Collaboration and Conflict Engagement
Prospective Students
This program is designed for physicians, healthcare administrators, nurses, healthcare human-resource professionals, and those who seek healthcare leadership roles.
Career and Personal Benefits
The three-course curriculum teaches engagement and collaborative skills that are grounded in evidence-based social science, fundamentals of neuroscience, emotional and social intelligence, and the fundamental concepts of conflict and conflict escalation and de-escalation.
Executive & Leadership Coaching Concentration
Prospective Students
One of the fastest-growing fields of management consulting in America, SMU’s Executive and Leadership Coaching Concentration is designed for individuals who want to work as executive coaches or coaching consultants.
Career and Personal Benefits
The 3-course curriculum offers a comprehensive, classroom-based, learning experience in the areas of theory and practice, professional context, and International Coach Federation competencies. The Concentration can also be taken as a stand alone set of courses leading to a departmental certificate of completion.
Master of Science in Counseling
Prospective Students
Most students in the M.S. in Counseling program earned their undergraduate degrees in psychology, sociology, social work, ministry work, or education.
Career and Personal Benefits
The developmental and social sciences comprise the foundation of the curriculum. Students can choose to focus their studies on one or more of the following specialties: Clinical Mental Health; Marriage, Couple, and Family; and School Counseling with additional opportunity for concentrated study in Addiction Counseling, Child and Adolescent Counseling, Trauma Counseling, and LGBT Affirmative Therapy.
Successful graduates are able to pursue credentialing as Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC), Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT), or Certified School Counselors and work in community agencies, churches, hospitals, private practices, and schools. The opportunity to be licensed as Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor (LCDC) in the State of Texas is also available.
Master of Science in Sport Management
Prospective Students
SMU’s Master of Science in Sport Management degree is designed for students who have a passion for the business of sport and who aspire to hold senior-management positions in the billion-dollar sports industry.
Career and Personal Benefits
Cox School and Simmons School faculty members with real-world experience in professional leagues and teams, media and broadcasting, marketing and sponsorship, facilities and sports equipment, and apparel teach the essential business skills of sport management.
Ph.D. in Education with a Specialization in Applied Physiology
Prospective Students
The program is designed for the student interested in pursuing a Ph.D. with a strong research design and statistics focus in applied physiology.
Career and Personal Benefits
The curriculum is largely research and statistics based.
Bachelor of Science in Applied Physiology & Sport Management
Prospective Students
This program is designed for undergraduate students interested in working in the fitness, wellness, health, and sports industries.
Career and Personal Benefits
The B.S. in APSM degree program explores health, fitness, and human performance from the perspectives of business, physiology, and ethics. Students focus their studies in one of the following areas.
• Sport Management: equips students with the business skills necessary for a variety of careers in the sports industry - including media, marketing, facilities, equipment, and apparel sport professions.
• Applied Physiology and Health Management: provides in-depth study of the research-based training methods that are used to develop effective lifestyle prescriptions and that equip students with the skills to design and manage fitness and health facilities for a rapidly-growing older population.
• Sport Performance Leadership: designed for students interested in sport leadership, instruction, and coaching.
UG Minors in Applied Physiology & Sport Management
Prospective Students
Undergraduate “minors” serve students pursuing Bachelor’s degrees in departments other than Applied Physiology and Wellness.
Career and Personal Benefits
An undergraduate “minor” provides an opportunity to explore an academic area other than and in addition to the undergraduate “major” area. The Department of Applied Physiology and Wellness offers three minors: sport management, applied physiology and health management, and sport performance leadership.
Doctor of Liberal Studies
Prospective Students
The Doctor of Liberal Studies (D.L.S.) degree is designed for adult learners who want to challenge themselves with rigorous advanced study on a part- or full-time basis in a variety of topics with the goal of benefitting their workplace, professions and society.
Career and Personal Benefits
Under the guidance of senior faculty, DLS students engage in focused scholarly reading and research on an interdisciplinary topic or issue, culminating in a doctoral thesis that demonstrates interdisciplinary analysis, synthesis, and interpretation.
Master of Liberal Studies
Prospective Students
The pursuit of a human-centered, interdisciplinary, Master of Liberal Studies degree from SMU fosters growth for professional and community leaders. Students can pursue their lifelong intellectual passions and enhance their leadership contributions to their professions and the world.
Career and Personal Benefits
Designed to offer flexibility to students in planning their master’s level study, MLS coursework encourages creative and critical thinking by taking courses in humanities, organizational dynamics, social justice, arts, and culture. Students benefit from building vital skills and examining the human condition from a variety of perspectives in order to meet the problems of the 21st century.
Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (CAGS)
Prospective Students
This program is designed for students with a Master's degree who wish to pursue advanced graduate work in a focal area of interdisciplinary study.
Career and Personal Benefits
The Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study serves to provide adults the opportunity to pursue advanced study in the liberal arts in a focused and disciplined manner. The program encourages in-depth study of a core topic, while drawing upon various disciplines to provide a broad understanding of the subject.
Master of Education in Higher Education
Prospective Students
This program serves students who want to understand and analyze how institutions of higher education are structured and administered. Graduates are prepared to assume a wide range of roles including positions in student affairs, academic affairs, university administration, education non-profits and more.
Career and Personal Benefits
Our master's degree in higher education provides students with a holistic understanding of how universities and colleges function. Students will examine theory and engage in practical experiences that will provide them with the skills necessary to lead within varied organizational structures and to serve diverse communities.
Ed.D. in Higher Education
Prospective Students
This program is designed for mid-career professionals from postsecondary settings and institutions who want to assume advanced leadership roles.
Career and Personal Benefits
Students graduate as higher education practitioners equipped with the knowledge and skills to solve contemporary problems in their organizations and beyond.
