Quantitative Research in Education Certificate

Return to: 4140 Department of Educational Policy Studies

A Graduate Certificate in Quantitative Research in Education is available from the College of Education and Human Development to eligible students enrolled in a doctoral program at Georgia State University. To earn the certificate, students must complete a minimum of eight 3-credit-hour doctoral-level quantitative research methods courses with a collective GPA of 3.5 or higher in those courses, with no grade lower than a B in any course to be counted toward the certificate.

In addition, students must successfully defend a quantitative research dissertation. A faculty member from the Research, Measurement and Statistics (RMS) program of the Department of Educational Policy Studies is required to be on the student’s dissertation committee.

Certificate Requirements

Four of the Eight Courses Must be the Following

EPRS 8530 - Quantitative Methods and Analysis in Education I 3 Credit Hours
EPRS 8540 - Quantitative Methods and Analysis in Education II 3 Credit Hours
EPRS 8550 - Quantitative Methods and Analysis in Education III 3 Credit Hours
EPSF 9260 - Epistemology and Learning 3 Credit Hours

Remaining Four Courses

The remaining four courses must be doctoral-level quantitative method courses, bearing a call number of 8000 or higher, from the approved list of certificate courses. The list is updated yearly and available in the Department of Educational Policy Studies. A current list of these courses is provided below:

EPRS 8535 - Critical Quantitative Methodology 3 Credit Hours
EPRS 8600 - Statistical Programming and Data Management 3 Credit Hours
EPRS 8610 - Advanced Computer Methods for Educational Research 3 Credit Hours
EPRS 8620 - Program Evaluation I 3 Credit Hours
EPRS 8660 - Bayesian Statistics 3 Credit Hours
EPRS 8820 - Program Evaluation and Institutional Research 3 Credit Hours
EPRS 8830 - Survey Research, Sampling Principles and Questionnaire Design 3 Credit Hours
EPRS 8840 - Meta-Analysis 3 Credit Hours
EPRS 8920 - Educational Measurement 3 Credit Hours
EPRS 9350 - Introduction to Item Response Theory 3 Credit Hours
EPRS 9360 - Advanced Item Response Theory 3 Credit Hours
EPRS 9550 - Multivariate Analysis 3 Credit Hours
EPRS 9560 - Structural Equation Modeling 3 Credit Hours
EPRS 9570 - Hierarchical Linear Modeling I 3 Credit Hours
EPRS 9571 - Hierarchical Linear Modeling II 3 Credit Hours
EPRS 9830 - Research Ethics in the Professional and Social Sciences 3 Credit Hours
EPRS 9900 - Research Design 3 Credit Hours
PSYC 8430 - Psychological Research Statistics III 3 Credit Hours
Other Quantitative Methods courses as approved by the Certificate Coordinator and the Department Chair

Eligibility

In order to be eligible to earn the certificate, students must:

be enrolled in a doctoral program at Georgia State University
have completed at least three courses from the College of Education and Human Development Doctoral Research Core, with a collective GPA in those courses of 3.5 or higher
submit the application to the Department of Educational Policy Studies, with the endorsement of an RMS faculty member, prior to defending the prospectus.

Normal Time to Complete Program

Two additional semesters with 5 courses is estimated to be additional coursework which would be included within the doctoral program timeframe because it is likely that at least 4 courses meet both the certificate and doctoral requirements. The certificate program requires 8 courses. Courses beyond the three courses in the doctoral core which meet the certificate requirements may be included in the doctoral program of study for the student based on each student’s individualized program. Typically, at least one course meeting certificate requirements beyond the three from the doctoral core would be included in the student’s doctoral program for the student’s doctoral degree.

Learning Outcomes and Assessments

The RMS faculty evaluate students on the following learning outcomes for the certificate:

Addresses the research question(s) with appropriate methodology
Demonstrates knowledge of previous research and/or literature in the field
Document adheres to the standards of quality writing
Oral presentation communicates research in a manner appropriate for the material and audience
Potential for contribution to the discipline
Demonstrates knowledge in the field of the certificate program in the dissertation defense

On-Time Graduation Rates

On-time graduation rate is 100% based on the College of Education and Human Development doctoral program time-frame.

Program Costs

Current information is available at sfs.gsu.edu/resources/tuition/.

Occupations

The Quantitative Research in Education Certificate aids in the preparation of students to be employed as:

Education Teachers, Postsecondary (OC 25-1081)
Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other (SOC 19-3099)
Statistics Professors (SOC 25-1022)
Survey Research Professors (SOC 25-1069)
Survey Researchers or Survey Methodologists (SOC 19-3022)
Program Analysts (SOC 13-1111)
Research Methodology and Quantitative Methods (SOC 15-2041) for Statisticians
Research Methodology and Quantitative Methods (SOC 11-9199) for Managers and All Others

You can find additional information on the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) and occupational profiles on these professions at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*Net web sites: www.bls.gov/soc/ and www.onetcenter.org/.

Other Certificate Information

There is no state or accrediting agency that requires tracking placement rates. Students who receive a certificate also complete the doctoral program which is a higher credentialed program; thus, calculation of median loan debt for the certificate program is not required.