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Educational Psychology: Research, Statistics and Evaluation - Master of Education
Program Overview:
The goal of the Research, Statistics & Evaluation program is to produce graduates with the requisite knowledge, expertise, experience, and professional traits to work productively as researchers, evaluators, policy analysts, assessment specialists, and/or professors in a variety of professional settings that may include: (a) universities, (b) government agencies (federal, state, local levels), and/or (c) contract R & D firms. RSE faculty strive to produce graduates who have a combination of three specific traits: (a) an understanding of historical and philosophical foundations of educational research, (b) methodological expertise in multiple modes of disciplined inquiry, and (c) practical experience in designing and conducting research (mentored experiences). Most students choose to develop a program of study with focus in quantitative methods, qualitative methods, or program evaluation.
The M.Ed. program in RSE prepares students for advanced graduate study in educational research or employment as a data analyst with an educational research organization. Our graduates have been accepted into competitive doctoral programs or employed in school systems, state educaton departments, testing companies, or community colleges.
Components of the MED program include introductory courses that focus on the fundamentals of research design. It also includes elective coures that assist students in acquiring a deeper understanding of and expertise in specific inquiry methods and analytic tools. By working with program faculty members, students learn to apply these methods to actual research problems in education.
Students in the program will (a) develop an understanding of research design in education, (b) obtain expertise in quantitative and qualitative research methodloty, (c) gain hands-on research experience with a faculty member, and (d) acquire professional traits and communication skills for academic and professional jobs.
Total Number of Credits required:
A minimum of 30 credit-hours of graduate coursework of which 6 credit hours may be a research internship or thesis paper. All students must complete a comprehensive exam after completing 26 credit hours of study. No more than 6 credits of graduate study may be transferred from another institution unless a formal cooperative program arrangement exists between the Curry School and that institution; at least 18 credit hours must be completed after admission to the program, and at least 24 credit hours of graduate study must be taken from the University of Virginia.
Required Courses:
The program involves a combination of required and elective courses that may be completed in three semesters. Students have the option of completing the third semester during the first summer or second fall of admission. There are advantages to both options. Students should discuss with the advisor. All courses listed below are required unless otherwise noted. Pay close attention to the fall and spring course sequence. Many courses are offered only once per year. Students must begin the statistics sequence with EDLF 7310 unless they have already taken a comparable course and earned a grade of B or better. In such a case, students may begin the statistics sequence with EDLF 8300 Experimental Design: Stat II.
Fall Semester (13 credit hours required):
EDLF 5330 Descriptive and Inferential Statistics: Stat I OR EDLF 7420 Experimental Design: Stat II (3 credits)
EDLF 7180 Tests and Measurements (3 credits)
EDLF 7404 Qualitative Analysis OR EDLF 74300 Foundations of Educational Research (3 credits)
EDLF 7150 Educational Psychology Research (3 credits)
EDLF 7290 Seminar in Educational Psychology (3 credits)
Spring Semester (13 credit hours required):
EDLF 7420 Experimental Design: Stat II or EDLF 8310 Correlation and Regression Analysis: Stat III (3 credits)
EDLF 8440 Advanced Qualitative Analysis (3 credits)
EDLF 8350 Multivariate Statistical Analysis (3 credits)
EDLF 5160 Lifespan Development (3 credits)
EDLF 7290 Seminar in Educational Psychology (3 credits)
Choose from one of the following:
EDLF 6080 Education Policy (3 credits)
EDLF 7060 Theoretical Perspectives on Educational Policy (3 credits)
EDLF 7404 Qualitative Analysis (if not taken in the fall) (3 credits)
Third Semester Option 1: Summer Semester (6 credit hours required)
This third semester option is ideal for students seeking to obtain practical research experience. It is a good choice for students who aim to enter the workforce upon graduation or enter a doctoral program the following fall semester.
EDLF 8998 Master’s Research Internship or EDLF 8999 Master’s Thesis (6 credits)
Third Semester Option 2: Fall Semester (6 credits hours required)
This third semester option is ideal for students seeking to extend their knowledge of research methods before entering the workforce or applying to graduate school. The additional coursework will not only enhance your expertise in research methods, but also make you more competitive when applying to graduate school.
EDLF 5310 Data Management (3 credits)
EDLF 7300 Foundations of Educational Research (3 credits)
EDLF 7402 Program Evaluation (3 credits)
EDLF 7403 Survey Design & Instrument Construction (3 credits)
EDLF 8310 Correlation and Regression: Stat III (3 credits)
EDLF 8360 Seminar in Advance Statistics: Multilevel Modeling (3 credits)
EDLF 8450 Qualitative Data Analysis with Computers (3 credits)
Culminating Project:
Comprehensive exams involve three questions that you complete during a three-hour testing session. Special accommodations are available for students with a documented disability. The exam will be proctored by a faculty member or their designee. Two faculty members will gradeeach exam. You must pass comprehensive exams to complete the degree
Educational Psychology Research, Statistics and Evaluation - Doctor of Philosophy
Program Overview
The RSE program balances breadth and depth in theory and practice through a variety of student experiences. The program consists of four interrelated components that provide a set of common core experiences, as well as flexibility to accommodate individual student interests and needs. The four components include: (1) a set of required foundational courses designed to develop students’ understanding of the nature, limits, and sources of human inquiry and knowledge to become proficient in planning, conducting, and interpreting findings of educational research and evaluation; (2) additional elective courses designed to assist students in acquiring a deeper understanding and expertise in specific inquiry methods and analytical tools; (3) mentored experiences where students acquire practical experience in designing and conducting research; and (4) a dissertation experience that involves practice experience in designing and carrying out research (including analyzing and reporting of results both in writing and orally) in the student’s area of interest.
Total Number of Credits required
The PhD program requires a minimum of 72 credits. Students must complete at least 54 credits of coursework. This includes content courses and research methodology courses, and up to 3 credits of research apprenticeship per semester, but does not include internship and dissertation credits. At least 36 course and apprenticeship credits must be completed after admission to the program. Students can apply up to 12 credits of dissertation work towards the total of 72.
Required Courses:
To earn a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Research, Statistics and Evaluation, the following minimum requirements must be met:
All students must successfully complete a program of study determined by the Program Committee in one of three strands (statistical methods, qualitative research, or program evaluation).
All students must successfully complete 21 foundational course units in RSE (listed below) in addition to course work specified by the program committee.
EDLF 7300 Introduction to Educational Research (3 credits)
EDLF 5330 Descriptive and Inferential Statistics: Stat I (3 credits)
EDLF 7402 Introduction to Program Evaluation (3 credits)
EDLF 7404 Qualitative Analysis (3 credits)
EDLF 7420 Experimental Design and Statistical Analysis: Stat II (3 credits)
EDLF 8310 Correlation and Regression Analysis: Stat III (3 credits)
EDLF 8440 Advanced Qualitative Analysis (3 credits)
Additonal Course options to be selected with advisement (21 credit minimum*)
EDLF 7060 Theoretical Perspectives on Educational Policy (3 credits)
EDLF 7080 Educational Policy: Professional Seminar (3 credits)
EDLF 7180 Tests and Measurements (2 credits)
EDLF 7190 Classroom Assessment (1 credit)
EDLF 8350 Educational Statistics IV: Multivariate (3 credits)
EDLF 8340 Measurement Theory (3 credits)
EDLF 8361 Structural Equation Modeling (3 credits)
EDLF 7320 Statistics Laboratory (1 credit)
EDLF 7350 Seminar in Educational Research (3 credits)
EDLF 7403 Survey Design and Instrument Construction (3 credits)
EDLF 8360 Hierarchical Linear Modeling (3 credits)
EDLF 8400 Program Evaluation Design (3 credits)
EDLF 8410 Advanced Seminar in Program Evaluation (3 credits)
EDLF 8450 Computer Assisted Qualitative Analysis (3 credits)
* Students may elect to substitute or augment these with method courses offered in other departments (e.g., psychology, economics, policy, mathematics)
For more detailed information, please refer to the Research, Statistics and Evaluation Policy handbook
