Department of

Educational Measurement & Research

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

The Ph.D. degree in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Measurement and Evaluation focuses on the development of systematic inquiry skills essential to the study and evaluation of education processes and outcomes. The intent of the program is to develop personnel to work in universities, school districts, government agencies, commercial test publishing and program evaluation enterprises.

The doctoral program emphasizes research in inquiry methodology and applied problems in education and the behavioral sciences. A supervised practicum provides opportunities to apply methods of systematic inquiry in various settings. In sum, methodological skills are developed within a programmatic context that encourages growth of knowledge about education, considers important principles of research, and provides a clinical setting in which these elements can be fused into professional applications. The program of studies requires a minimum of 75 hours beyond the master’s degree.

Emphasis is placed on those aspects of research and evaluation design, measurement, statistical analysis, and systems approaches that are relevant to both decision-oriented and conclusion-oriented research. Inquiry methods include traditional experimental and quasi-experimental designs as well as survey, policy analysis, historical, ethnographic, case study, and naturalistic approaches. The intent of the program is to develop instructional and research personnel who can strengthen the training, research and development capabilities of agencies and institutions concerned with education.

While the doctoral program in measurement, research, and evaluation emphasizes methodology, concentration in substantive disciplines within education and/or the social sciences is possible. Concentration in a cognate provides a context within which the methods of systematic inquiry may be applied.

Program of Study