Quantitative methods in education
Solve problems in education through research
Students in quantitative methods in education engage in the science and practice of educational measurement and statistics, primarily through the development and application of statistical and psychometric methods. All QME students will engage in coursework addressing fundamental topics related to statistics, educational measurement, research methods, and foundations in education (e.g., learning and cognition, social development). Students will also undertake additional coursework and complete a set of milestones that will specialize their knowledge and scholarship in educational measurement or statistics. Upon matriculation, graduates will be equipped to help inform educational policy, practice, and curriculum and—most importantly—help schools and students succeed.
Careers
- Test publishing firms
- Teaching and research at colleges and universities (PhD only)
- Research and evaluation centers
- Public school systems
- State departments of instruction
- Private industry
Quote from V.N. Vimal Rao, PhD '23
The strong theoretical and methodological foundation I developed in QME and EPSY supports my research and my mentoring of student researchers, while the teaching experience and knowledge of educational psychology I gained supports my teaching and mentoring of teaching assistants.
Get your MA in educational psychology with a focus on quantitative methods!
This program utilizes a cohort model that develops your knowledge and skill set related to research methods, statistics and educational measurement, as well as cognitive, and social psychology. The cohort model engages you in an academic community through shared coursework and regular meetings with faculty from QME as well as psychological foundations of education to help you develop as a scholar and researcher.
The cohort will also pair with a community partner (e.g., school district, not-for-profit organization) to undertake a shared research project. With the support of your MA mentors, you will work together with that partner to deep-dive into the research problem, by reading and synthesizing relevant literature, planning out the research process, and collecting and analyzing the data. This work will serve as the basis for your MA paper. The program culminates with you presenting your findings to the community partner, relevant stakeholders, and other faculty in the program.
The coursework and experiences in this program will set you up to succeed in the workforce or in further graduate study. For more information contact Andrew Zieffler (zief0002@umn.edu).
Learn more
Submit your application for the fall semester following the deadlines below. Note the dates are the same for both MA and PhD applicants.
December 1
To be considered for fellowships and departmental financial assistance, application materials must be submitted to the program and the Graduate School by the December 1 deadline. (Application fee waiver applications are no longer being accepted for this year and Spring 2025.)
March 1
If you're not seeking a fellowship or departmental financial aid, you have until March 1 to submit your application materials.
The QME program strives to provide funding opportunities to all incoming students. While we can’t typically guarantee funding, over the last five years, we have been able to fund over 95% of our students that were looking for funding (including our MA students)!
Tuition
Visit the College of Education and Human Development's Finance and Funding page for information on tuition.
Fellowships and awards
Submit your application materials by the December 1 deadline, and you’ll automatically be considered for Graduate School fellowships and departmental awards based on scholastic achievement. Notification of awards will be sent in March.
Note: Spring, summer, and fall (March deadline) applicants will not qualify for fellowships.
Graduate assistantships
Get paid to work as a teaching assistant, graduate instructor or research assistant. Graduate assistantships are available through the department, College of Education and Human Development, and the University.
Note: Applicants who complete their applications by the March 1 deadline will be less likely to receive graduate assistantships than students who meet the December 1 deadline.
Additional funding
Visit the College of Education and Human Development's Finance and Funding page for more information on funding.
Financial aid
Visit OneStop Student Services for more information on available financial aid.
The Department of Educational Psychology offers a minor in educational psychology with an emphasis in quantitative methods in education.
Quote from Rik Lamm, PhD '23
My background in the QME program has equipped me with the skills necessary for my current role as a Research, Evaluation, and Assessment Scientist for Bloomington Public Schools. These include developing non-cognitive surveys such as student climate surveys and parent engagement surveys, as well as analyzing data from academic assessments such as the MCAs. Additionally, QME has equipped me with the skills to interpret complex data in order to predict longitudinal trends. This ability leads to the development of research-driven strategies that benefit both students and teachers.
Faculty and staff
Haoran Li
Assistant Professor
Nana Kim
Assistant professor
Nidhi Kohli
Royal and Virginia Anderson Professor of Quantitative Methods in Education; Program Coordinator
Chelsey Legacy
Teaching assistant professor
Suzanne Loch
Senior teaching specialist
Michael Rodriguez
CEHD Dean; Campbell Leadership Chair in Education and Human Development; co-founding director of Educational Equity Resource Center
Andrew Zieffler
Teaching professor
Wenchao Ma
Associate professor, the American Guidance Service Inc. and John P. Yackel Professor in Educational Assessment and Measurement
Program affiliates
Adam Rothman
Associate professor, School of Statistics
Quote from José Palma, PhD '21
It is the combination of psychometric research and applied focus, in addition to knowledge gained from my academic journey, that makes me a competitive and atypical educational measurement researcher today.