Discover solutions to issues in educational research, assessment, and program evaluation through measurement, evaluation, and statistics. Upon graduation, you'll be equipped to help inform educational policy, practice, and curriculum and—most importantly—help schools and students succeed.
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Quantitative methods in education engages in the science and practice of educational measurement and evaluation, primarily through the development and application of statistical methods, informed by the study of teaching and learning statistics. In this program, you’ll study quantitative and qualitative research on the methods and uses of educational measurement, evaluation, and statistics to address practical problems. Our students and faculty explore new ways to improve teaching and learning and to meet the demands of practice, policy, and accountability.
Your curriculum requirements will depend on the degree (MA or PhD) and area of emphasis you choose.
Educational measurement and evaluation involve the development, selection, administration, analysis, reporting, and use of many forms of assessments in educational settings. You’ll investigate a variety of topics, including: assessment design, item writing and task development, scoring, scaling, equating, standard setting, item-response modeling, design and execution of validity and reliability studies, and the influence of measurement error and bias. This area of emphasis focuses specifically on maximizing fairness to promote educational equity as well as the evaluation of programs, organizations, policies, and individuals from early childhood through careers.
Statistics and statistics education involve a wide range of statistical methods, their underlying theories, principles of statistical reasoning, and research design in educational settings. You’ll investigate the impact of realistic educational data on statistical methods, such as multilevel modeling, longitudinal data modeling, structural equation modeling, and a range of multivariate methods. Students in this area investigate the modification of methods and the development of new methods; test the properties of statistical models; develop and explore methods to improve the teaching, learning, and assessment of statistics; and gain practical and research experience in statistics instruction.
The Department of Educational Psychology offers a minor in educational psychology with an emphasis in quantitative methods in education.
Visit the College of Education and Human Development's Finance and Funding page for information on tuition.
Submit your application materials by the December 1 deadline, and you’ll automatically be considered for Graduate School fellowships and departmental awards based on scholastic achievement. Notification of awards will be sent in March.
Note: Spring, summer, and fall (March deadline) applicants will not qualify for fellowships.
Get paid to work as a teaching assistant, graduate instructor or research assistant. Graduate assistantships are available through the department, College of Education and Human Development, and the University.
Note: Applicants who complete their applications by the March 1 deadline will be less likely to receive graduate assistantships than students who meet the December 1 deadline.
The Department of Educational Psychology is deeply committed to increasing the diversity of our undergraduate and graduate programs, of our teaching and learning, of our research and clinical practice, and of our outreach and service across fields of educational psychology. Visit our diversity page to learn more about our commitment to diversity and resources for supporting diversity and inclusion.
I enjoyed the program due to the approachable, challenging faculty and close-knit group of graduate students. I was fortunate to be part of a cohort that enjoyed working together in classes and projects, but also got along well outside the classroom.
Brandon LeBeau, PhD '13
Assistant professor, University of Iowa
Read more about Brandon's experience.
Claudio Violato, assistant dean, Medical School | cviolato@umn.edu
Danielle Dupuis, assistant director for research and assessment services, Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI)
Adam Rothman, associate professor, School of Statistics | arothman@umn.edu