Educational institutions and human service agencies nationwide are faced with the need to evaluate their programs and products. Evaluators are needed to apply specialized tools and techniques for measuring an array of outcomes, e.g., conceptualize program models, clarify program objectives, design data collection schemes, construct instruments, analyze data, report results, and work with program personnel to facilitate the use of evaluation findings to improve program effectiveness. The M.A. specialization in evaluation is open to students from all areas and professional programs within Educational Psychology who have an interest in professional accountability, the effective management of human service and educational programs, and applied research on organizational operations and effectiveness.

Specialization in program evaluation consists of courses and field experience leading to the MA degree. Educational and human service programs and quantitative and qualitative evaluation methodologies are emphasized. The program is tailored toward the specific needs of students who may perform evaluations functions or be involved in the implementation of evaluation findings in the context of other career related doctoral programs in the Educational Psychology Department. Major components of the M.A. specialization are courses in evaluation theory and methods, a one semester practicum experience and masters report.

  Most Frequently Asked Questions About the Masters in Program Evaluation

  Masters Program in Evaluation Coursework

  Guidelines for Transforming the Prospectus into an MA Report for the Masters in Evaluation

  Options for Completing the Practicum Requirement for the Master's in Evaluation

Masters Program in Evaluation Coursework

Guidelines for Transforming the Prospectus into an MA Report for the Masters in Evaluation

There are four options suggested to students obtaining a masters in evaluation for transforming their prospectus into an MA report. Not every prospectus will apply to each option, although most are expected to apply to at least one.

1. The first option is to carefully examine the theory being tested for its relevance to program evaluation. For example, a prospectus that studied self-attribution theory might be relevant to program evaluation if the theory were to explain how interviewee responses could be influenced by self-attributions concerning the adequacy to comment on a program's effectiveness. Similarly, a prospectus that studied social-constructivist ideas might extend its implications to how evaluators acquire through their professional experiences the values from which they design their evaluations.

2. The second option is to illustrate how the methodology employed in the proposed research might apply to the evaluation of programs. For example, the student might explain how structural equation modeling could benefit the evaluator by capturing reciprocal effects between program participants and service providers, and, therefore, detecting the effect of program participants in changing the program as it is being delivered. Or, the student might show how a nested design used in the prospectus can be applied to socially intact groups, which often preclude the generalization of program effects to a larger population.

3. A third alternative is to show how the expected results of the proposed study might better inform how evaluations are conducted in the workplace. For example, a prospectus studying the effects of various organizational constraints on employee performance might be extended to show how organizations, if they adopted the proposed procedures, may become more open to evaluation and eventually self-evaluating. Or, a student who may be studying the effectiveness of a school-based intervention for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder might explain how the study's results can be used to design a system or statewide evaluation of the ADHD intervention. If the study predicts that fewer kids will exhibit the disorder in higher SES schools, the student might design a state-wide study that includes sufficient subjects from higher SES schools to make conclusions possible regarding the relationship between SES and ADHD?

4. A fourth option is for the student to complete a small "pilot," "feasibility" or "exploratory" study that applies the independent variable studied in the prospectus to a real world context, such as school, mental health or medical facility, industrial setting, or training application. This option requires that the student collect a small amount of data, analyze them with qualitative and/or quantitative techniques and report the results as tentative with the objective of determining the feasibility of a larger, more controlled study, which may be intended as the student's dissertation. With this option, the data collection effort lacks the sampling technique, sample size, and general thoroughness expected of a master's thesis.

These options take the form of an "Addendum" to the prospectus, which range from 10 to 25 pages, the fourth option commonly requiring a more extensive addendum.

The prospectus with its addendum is read by two readers, at least one of which is a faculty who teaches an evaluation course and one other reader of the student's choice, which may include one of the original members of the student's prospectus committee.

Options for Completing the Practicum Requirement for the Master's in Evaluation

The master's degree in evaluation requires the student to enroll in a three credit hour practicum (EDP 380 P7) that provides experience in carrying out evaluation or evaluation-related activities. There are several ways the student can complete the practicum requirement. With each of the following options, the student is asked to complete a description of the activity performed and the impact it may have had on the project and themselves.

1. The student can conduct an evaluation activity within the context of a program, applied intervention or behavior change strategy he or she may be currently employed. For example, the student may construct a scale to measure participant attitudes, collect qualitative or quantitative data, analyze data from an existing data base, or document a program's implementation. The student may also perform or propose an evaluation-related activity, such as conducting a needs assessment, formulating program/project objectives, or critiquing present or past evaluation efforts pertaining to the project. When conducting an evaluation activity within a project is not feasible, a proposed implementation plan for the activity may be submitted.

2. A student may also choose to work with a faculty member at the University, for which some evaluation or evaluation-related activity is on-going or would be of interest. The student completes the practicum requirement by performing a designated evaluation or evaluation-related task proposed by the faculty or initiating a new activity of interest to the faculty member. For example, faculty research data may be reanalyzed from an evaluation perspective or new analyses proposed which would employ an evaluation method.

3. A student may also complete the practicum requirement by performing an evaluation or evaluation-related activity at an agency, institution or company in the Austin area. The student takes the responsibility of calling potential practicum sites of interest and negotiating the scope of work. A number of sites in the Austin area have accommodated practicum students in the master's in evaluation program, which include: The Texas Education Agency, The Texas Department of Criminal Justice. The Austin Child Guidance Center, The Austin Independent School District, IBM Human Factors Group, Tracor Management Information Group, The University of Texas College of Education Center for Applied Research and Development, The University of Texas Measurement and Evaluation Center, The Texas Association of School Boards, The Texas Association of School Administrators, The Travis County Mental Health and Mental Retardation Center, and The Southwest Educational Development Laboratory. The student should be aware that the availability of a practicum experience at these sites often changes and that new sites continually merge and can be sought out at the discretion of the student.