Specialization leading to a Master of Education degree.
(30-32 credits)
The Educational Research and Assessment Master’s degree is designed to ground students in applied research methodology in education, as well as in data-based decision-making for school evaluation and improvement. Unlike other programs that specialize in particular content areas, the Educational Research and Assessment program provides students with research skills that can be applied in any field of education. A student may choose to focus on research methods and statistics courses (especially valuable for those interested in conducting research, entering psychology/sociology fields, or pursuing doctoral studies), or courses that align with the Advanced Certificate in Data-Based Decision Making, which are useful for expertise in school and student performance data, and school evaluation and improvement.
Advanced Certificate in Data-Based Decision Making
The Advanced Certificate in Data-Based Decision Making is designed for the administrator, educator, or education-based research specialist who seeks to become an expert in understanding, analyzing, and utilizing the data that presently exist for schools, and ways to collect additional data for both schools and classrooms to improve the quality of education.
Candidates in this program will learn about research methods with the purpose of assessing the quality of education and gathering data and will learn quantitative and qualitative techniques for analyzing the data and making data-based decisions. This certificate is particularly appropriate for school administrators educators who seek to become a data specialist or consultant for K-12 schools, or those interested in education policy. Required courses are marked with an asterisk.