UT Tyler Prepares for Second Ph.D. Program

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has authorized the planning of a Ph.D. program in human resource development, President Rodney H. Mabry announced.

This is the second doctoral program the THECB has authorized for UT Tyler. In April THECB authorized planning of a Ph.D. program in nursing.

“I am excited that The University of Texas at Tyler has the unique opportunity of providing a leadership role in preparing human resource development professionals who will directly impact the economic development of East Texas,” said Dr. Clayton Allen, UT Tyler’s chair of the Department of Human Resource Development and Technology.

This new Ph.D. program will be designed to prepare HRD researchers and practitioners for a rapidly changing and culturally diverse U.S. population and workforce.

“The demographic shifts occurring today at unprecedented rates are changing the face of our communities and organizations and present challenges to HRD professionals who work in constantly changing businesses, industries, education, government, healthcare and non-profit organizations,” said Allen.

The prestigious Washington Advisory Group endorsed the HRD doctoral program to the THECB stating it would “generate immediate demand and produce graduates who are a commodity nationally.”

The Washington Advisory Group led by Joe Wyatt, the chancellor emeritus of Vanderbilt University, was commissioned by The UT System Board of Regents to study the research capabilities of each UT campus.

The Perryman Economic Impact Study, commissioned by UT Tyler, also endorsed this doctoral program in January.

Having participated with Texas A&M University in a cooperative Ph.D. program in human resource development since 1989, UT Tyler has graduated 20 Ph.D. students and has 10 active doctoral students at this time. All students from this program have gained employment upon graduation, Allen added.

“UT Tyler has a strong foundation at the undergraduate and master’s levels in HRD and Technology. There are already 372 undergraduate students and 175 master’s students, including the additional 40 master’s students in the TeleCampus online program, enrolled in the discipline. These numbers are expected to double within the next five years,” Allen said.