The Quantitative Methods area offers two major specializations of statistics and measurement.

The study of quantitative methods takes advantage of the range of resources at the UW-Madison and includes course work in statistics, mathematics, and computer sciences, and in other units of the School of Education.

Researchers in all areas of education develop measuring instruments, design and conduct experiments and surveys, and analyze data resulting from these activities.

Educational research has a strong tradition of employing state-of-the-art statistical and psychometric (psychological measurement) techniques.

Because of this tradition, quantitative methods has long been an area of specialization within educational psychology.

Graduates in this area teach, serve as consultants to educational researchers, and conduct research on statistics and psychometrics in education-related fields.

Please read this article in gradPSYCH about the "hot" field of quantitative psychology.

Faculty Listing

The graduate program emphasizes the following four objectives:

1. To develop a strong foundation in mathematics and statistical theory, as the basis for growth over a professional career.
2. To develop a high level of expertise in the application of statistics or psychometrics to educational research.
3. To develop the ability to serve as a consultant to educational researchers, and to employ the appropriate quantitative methods in a wide variety of contexts.
4. To develop the capability of conducting and publishing high-quality research.

The study of quantitative methods takes advantage of the wide range of resources available at the University of Wisconsin.

COURSE WORK

Within the Department of Educational Psychology, the Quantitative Methods area offers two major specializations: Statistics and Measurement.

Through course work in the departments of Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science and in other units of the School of Education, students can acquire the knowledge and skills to be professionally successful.

As in all other areas, the course work is heaviest during the first two years. After the beginning three-semester statistics, students begin to specialize in advanced statistics or psychometric courses. Typically, students in the Quantitative Area take an outside-of-the-department minor in Statistics or Computer Sciences.

Click here for a detailed description of the area requirements.

RESEARCH FACILITIES AND EXPERIENCES

Quantitative majors receive on-the-job experience by serving as teaching assistants for introductory courses, as well as by being project-assistant consultants in our own Laboratory of Experimental Design, a School of Education facility that helps students and faculty with design of research measurement and data-analysis issues related to their research.

Students also gain quantitative experience in the School of Education's Testing and Evaluation Center, by working on research grants with our faculty or with faculty in other departments, other research centers within the School of Education such as the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER) and by working with Madison-area businesses and on other funded research projects outside of the University. Computer experience is readily obtained in the School of Education’s Center for Instructional Materials and Computing (CIMC), which houses several PC and Macintosh computer labs and statistical software.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

A wide variety of employment opportunities are available to Quantitative area graduates.

Students majoring in measurement obtain positions with testing companies, state and local testing programs, as well as with federal agencies involved in testing.

Those students majoring in statistical methods also have a range of employment opportunities. These include positions with educational research organizations, state and federal agencies and private industry.
Excellent teaching and research opportunities exist for both statistics and measurement majors at the university and college level. 

QUANTITATIVE METHODS FACULTY

Daniel Bolt
Jee-Seon Kim
David Kaplan
Ronald Serlin
James Wollack
Affiliated Faculty Geoffrey Borman, Educational Leadership and Policy Ananlysis