Quantitative methods in education
Solve problems in education through research
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.
Careers
- Test publishing firms
- Teaching and research at colleges and universities (PhD only)
- Research and evaluation centers
- Public school systems
- State departments of instruction
- Private industry
Latest news
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Dates and deadlines
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Degrees and coursework
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.
Areas of emphasis
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.
Curriculum
MA curriculum (33 credits)
PhD curriculum (72 credits)
Educational psychology minor: emphasis in quantitative methods in education
The Department of Educational Psychology offers a minor in educational psychology with an emphasis in quantitative methods in education.
Tuition and funding
Tuition
Visit the College of Education and Human Development's Finance and Funding page for information on tuition.
Fellowships and awards
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.
Graduate assistantships
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.
- John P. Yackel/Pearson Graduate Internship
- Jack Merwin Graduate Assistantship
- All University of Minnesota graduate assistantships
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.
Diversity
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.
Faculty and staff
Mark DavisonAmerican Guidance Service, Inc./John P. Yackel Professorship in Educational Assessment and Measurement
mld@umn.edu
- Educational measurement
- Scaling (particularly multidimensional scaling)
- Assessment of growth in educational settings
Robert delMasCEHD Distinguished Teaching Award
delma001@umn.edu
- Statistics education research
- Activity-based instruction
- Curriculum development
- Assessment development
- Mixed-methods research methods
Nidhi Kohli Program coordinator, Yackel Professor in Educational Assessment and Measurement
nkohli@umn.edu | Lab
- Structural equation models
- Finite mixture model
- Longitudinal models, including latent growth curve models, mixed-effects models, and growth mixture models
- Development and validation of new scales/instruments
Frances LawrenzAssociate department chair
lawrenz@umn.edu
- Science and mathematics program evaluation
- Assessment instrument development
- Quantitative and qualitative research methodologies
- Mixed methods
Suzanne LochSenior teaching specialist
chova001@umn.edu
- Helping students think critically about the statistics they consume every day
Michael RodriguezCEHD Interim Dean; Campbell Leadership Chair in Education and Human Development; co-founding director of Educational Equity Resource Center
mcrdz@umn.edu
- Psychometric properties of tests
- Effects of item formats
- Use of constructed-response versus multiple choice
- Sociocultural psychometrics
- Improving accessibility of assessment of students with disabilities and English language learners
Joseph Rios jrios@umn.edu
- Noneffortful responding in low-stakes testing
- Assessment of English Language Learners
- International comparative assessment
- Improving evidence-based practices in educational measurement
Andy Zieffler zief0002@umn.edu
- Teaching and learning of statistics
- Measurement and assessment of statistics education research
- Statistical computing and integration of computing into statistics curriculum
Adjunct faculty
Claudio Violato, assistant dean, Medical School | cviolato@umn.edu
Program affiliates
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