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.
Loading…
Loading…
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.
The statistics concentration includes a wide range of statistical methods and their underlying theories and applications; principles of statistical reasoning; and research design in educational settings. Students focusing in statistics will learn and examine the usefulness of methods, such as: multivariate regression, hierarchical linear modeling, longitudinal data modeling, and structural equation modeling. They’ll also explore a range of multivariate methods for analyzing realistic educational, psychological, and more generally, social and behavioral sciences data. In addition, students will research the development of new methods, modification of existing methods, and test the properties of statistical models.
The educational measurement concentration involves the development, selection, administration, analysis, reporting, and use of many forms of assessments in educational settings. Through coursework and research, students will explore topics, including: assessment design, item and test development, scoring, scaling, equating, standard setting, validity and reliability, item-response modeling, cognitive diagnosis modeling, computerized adaptive testing, and the influence of measurement error and bias. This area of emphasis focuses specifically on the development of next-generation psychometric methods and maximizing fairness in assessment to promote educational equity.
The Department of Educational Psychology offers a minor in educational psychology with an emphasis in quantitative methods in education.
The QME program strives to provide at least partial funding opportunities to all incoming and current PhD students.
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.
It is the combination of psychometric research and applied focus, in addition to knowledge gained from my academic journey, that makes me a competitive and atypical educational measurement researcher today.
José Palma, PhD '21
Postdoctoral researcher, University of Texas - Austin
Read more about José'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