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Educational Research - Master's and Doctorate

Availability: Hattiesburg Options

Do You Like Working with Data?

The curriculum is broad and applicable to multiple fields. Graduates are prepared for careers in high demand areas including assessment in higher education, educational testing, public/private sector program evaluation, and university faculty.

The M.S. is designed for those seeking terminal Master's degrees outside the P-12 setting.

The Ph.D. emphasizes Research, Evaluation, Statistics, and Assessment (RESA). Individuals with undergraduate degrees from accredited institutions may apply directly without a Master's degree. The M.S. degree is earned en route to the doctoral degree.

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Outcomes

The curriculum includes a sequence of foundational courses in Research, Evaluation and Assessment, and Statistics followed by advanced work in Research Design and Analysis that allows students to learn to:

  • manage, analyze, and interpret data
  • design and conduct original scholarly research
  • engage in ethical research practice
  • understand principles and procedures of test construction and measurement

As part of the curriculum, students rotate through a series of practicum courses.  Completed across multiple semesters, the practica allow students professional development opportunities as well as the chance to gain applied experience in teaching and the design, implementation, and analyses of research projects.

Research Support Center

Program faculty direct the Research Support Center to provide assistance to graduate students in many aspects of research including the dissertation process. Support includes, but is not limited to helping formulate research questions and objectives, research design, methodology, and data analysis.

Availability

  • University Faculty
  • Grant Evaluators
  • Institutional Effectiveness and Research Offices
  • Researchers and Statisticians
  • Evaluation and Assessment Developers
  • Public and Private Sector Consultants
  • Ken Thompson, 2015, 
    Registrar and Director of Institutional Research, Millsaps College
  • Bethany Miller, 2018, 
    Director of Institutional Research and Assessment, Cornell College
  • Josh Schutts, 2016,
    Assistant to the Dean for Quality Enhancement Plan, University of West Florida
  • Melanie DiLoreto, 2013, 
    Director of the Office of Assessment and Strategic Planning (CEPS), University of West Florida
  • Adam Swanson, 2015, 
    Associate Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness and Research, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
  • Kristal Pollard, 2018,
    Assistant Principal of Mannsdale Elementary School