M.Ed. in Educational Psychology: Research, Statistics, and Evaluation

Transcription

1 M.Ed. in Educational Psychology: Research, Statistics, and Evaluation The M.Ed. program in Research, Statistics, and Evaluation 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 education departments, testing companies, or community colleges. Components of the M.Ed. program include introductory courses that focus on the fundamentals of research design. It also includes elective course 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 methodology, (c) gain hands-on research experience with a faculty member, and (d) acquire professional traits and communication skills for academic and professional jobs. The program is offered on-grounds in Charlottesville, Virginia. Applications are due by February 1 st. In This Document Degree Requirements... 2 Program of Study... 2 Required and Elective s... 4 Sequence Scenarios... 5

2 2 Degree Requirements The program of study requires a minimum of 0 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. To fulfill the credit-hour requirement the following conditions must be satisfied: no more than six credit-hours or 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 and 18 of these hours must be taken on-grounds 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 grade each exam. You must pass comprehensive exams to complete the degree. Program of Study The program involves a combination of required and elective courses that may be completed in three semesters. You have the option of completing the third semester during the first summer or second fall of your admission. There are advantages to both options. You should discuss them with your 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 710 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 800 Experimental Design: Stat II. Fall Semester (1 credit hours required) EDLF 710 Educational Statistics: Stat I (or) EDLF 800 Experimental Design: Stat II EDLF 7180 Tests and Measurements EDLF 7404 Qualitative Analysis (or) EDLF 700 Foundations of Educational Research EDLF 7150 Educational Psychology Research EDLF 7290 Seminar in Educational Psychology Credit Hours 1

3 Spring Semester (1 credit hours required) Credit Hours EDLF 800 Experimental Design: Stat II (or) EDLF 810 Correlation and Regression Analysis: Stat III EDLF 8440 Advanced Qualitative Analysis (or) EDLF 850 Multivariate Statistical Analysis EDLF 5160 Lifespan development EDLF 7290 Seminar in Educational Psychology 1 Choose one of the following: EDLF 6080 Education Policy EDLF 7060 Theoretical Perspectives on Educational Policy EDLF 7404 Qualitative Analysis (if not already taken in the fall) 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. Credit hours EDLF 8998 Masters Research Internship (or) EDLF 8999 Master s Thesis 6 Third Semester Option 2: Fall Semester (6 credit 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. Choose two of the following: EDLF 510 Data Management EDLF 5500 Selected Topics: Field Experiments EDLF 5500 Selected Topics: Mixed Methods EDLF 700 Foundations of Educational Research EDLF 7402 Program Evaluation EDLF 740 Survey Design and Instrument Construction EDLF 810 Correlation and Regression Analysis: Stat III EDLF 860 Seminar in Advanced Statistics: Multilevel Modeling EDLF 8450 Qualitative Data Analysis with Computers Credit hours 6

4 4 Required and Elective s The program of study takes into account required courses and elective courses. Every student in the program must take required courses. You may take as many electives as you choose as long as course and degree requirements are fulfilled. Required s EDLF 800 Experimental Design: Stat II EDLF 7180 Tests and Measurements EDLF 7404 Qualitative Analysis EDLF 7150 Educational Psychology Research EDLF 5160 Lifespan development EDLF 7290 Seminar in Educational Psychology EDLF 8440 Advanced Qualitative Analysis (or) EDLF 850 Multivariate Statistical Analysis Elective s EDLF 510 Data Management EDLF 5500 Selected Topics: Field Experiments EDLF 5500 selected Topics: Mixed methods EDLF 6080 Education Policy EDLF 7060 Theoretical Perspectives on Educational Policy EDLF 700 Foundations of Educational Research EDLF 7402 Program Evaluation EDLF 740 Survey Design and Instrument Construction EDLF 810 Correlation and Regression Analysis: Stat III EDLF 860 Seminar in Advanced Statistics: Multilevel Modeling EDLF 8450 Qualitative Data Analysis with Computers

5 5 Sequence Scenarios You have a number of choices to make when creating your program of study. Select courses that align with your prior education and career aspirations. To help you choose among the various possibilities, read the following scenarios and identify the one that you find most suitable. Use it as a guide and the options with your advisor. A Quantitative Methods Student You are a student who has taken an introductory course in statistics. You have a sound understanding of descriptive an inferential statistics. You know how to use and interpret results from correlation and simple regression, dependent and independent samples t-tests, and the chisquare test. First fall Semester take EDLF 800 Experimental Design: Stat II. First spring semester take (a) EDLF 810 Correlation and Regression Analysis: Stat III, and (b) EDLF 850 Multivariate Statistical Analysis. Second fall semester take (a) EDLF 740 Survey Design and Instrument Construction and (b) EDLF 861 Structural Equation Modeling. A Qualitative Methods or Program Evaluation Student You are interested in studying qualitative methods or wish to work as a program evaluator. You have never taken a statistics course or you have not taken a statistics course in several years. First fall semester take EDLF 710 Educational Statistics: Stat I. First spring semester take (a) EDLF 800 Experimental Design: Stat II, and (b) EDLF 8440 Advanced Qualitative Analysis. Second fall semester take (a) EDLF 8450 Qualitative Data Analysis with Computers, and (b) EDLF 7402 Program Evaluation.