Education and Statistics (Dual Degree)
Susan Dynarski
The effects of public policy on educational outcomes are among Dynarski’s interests. She is particularly interested in how policies intended to improve education affect racial, gender, and income inequality. She has worked on issues in postsecondary education, including the effects of need-based grants, subsidized loans, and merit scholarships on college attendance. She’s also examining the effects of interventions in elementary and secondary school on student achievement and educational attainment.
Degree: Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Studies and Master of Arts in Statistics (Dual Degree)
The program is not accepting applications for fall 2013 or winter 2014. Please check our website for updates May 2014
Education researchers with strong backgrounds in statistics are in enormous demand, in schools and colleges of education, and also in research organizations such as the Educational Testing Service, the Rand Corporation, the National Opinion Research Center, as well as in government agencies.
The interdisciplinary culture of the University of Michigan, which has generated strong connections between statisticians and quantitative social scientists in economics, education, psychology, and sociology, provides an ideal environment for the training of educational statisticians. The program promises to engage students with the best thinking in applied statistics across a range of departments while applying their technical interests to challenging applied problems and methods in education. The students will have opportunities to work on high-quality research projects occurring within the School of Education, which is conducting a number of well-funded large-scale evaluations of educational interventions as well as secondary analyses of survey data.
Participating students develop an area of substantive interest in education (e.g., educational technology, literacy education, mathematics education). They must develop knowledge of research literatures in their chosen field with an emphasis on uncovering the key methodological challenges that face researchers in that field.
These students will gain a foundation in the mathematical foundations of applied statistics, including probability, statistical inference, linear models, and multivariate statistics; as well as applications to assessment, program evaluation, and survey research in education.
Students receiving this degree must meet the doctoral program requirements of the Educational Studies program as well as the dual-degree master's requirements of the Department of Statistics in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts.
Participating students will be encouraged to draw on multidisciplinary courses, colloquia, and seminars available at the university through the Survey Methodology Program, the Quantitative Methodology Program, the Social Statistics and Methodology Program, and other programs. A doctoral guidance committee formed in accord with the policies of the Educational Studies program but including at least one member of the Department of Statistics will provide information and advice to guide students in selecting among the vast resources of the university to advance student knowledge and research interests.
Plan of Study
Course planning sheets outline the School of Education course requirements. The requirements for the master of arts degree in statistics can be found on the Department of Statistics website.
The doctor of philosophy in educational studies program includes core requirements in educational studies and qualitative research coupled with extensive coursework in quantitative research methods. Additional electives and cognates allow students to focus their studies.
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8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
610 E. University Avenue, Room 4218
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1259
Phone: 734.763.9497
