Curry School of Education

The goal of the RSE program is to produce graduates with the requisite knowledge, expertise, experience, and professional traits to work productively as researchers, evaluators, policy analysts, assessment specialists, and/or professors in a variety of professional settings that may include: (a) universities, (b) government agencies (federal, state, local levels), and/or (c) contract R & D firms. RSE faculty strive to produce graduates who have a combination of three specific traits: (a) an understanding of historical and philosophical foundations of educational research, (b) methodological expertise in multiple modes of disciplined inquiry, and (c) practical experience in designing and conducting research (mentored experiences). Most students choose to develop a program of study with focus in quantitative methods, qualitative methods, or program evaluation.

Program Overview

The RSE program balances breadth and depth in theory and practice through a variety of student experiences. The program consists of four interrelated components that provide a set of common core experiences, as well as flexibility to accommodate individual student interests and needs. The four components include: (1) a set of required foundational courses designed to develop students’ understanding of the nature, limits, and sources of human inquiry and knowledge to  become proficient in planning, conducting, and interpreting findings of educational research and evaluation; (2) additional elective courses designed to assist students in acquiring a deeper understanding and expertise in specific inquiry methods and analytical tools; (3) mentored experiences where students acquire practical experience in designing and conducting research;  and (4) a dissertation experience that involves practice experience in designing and carrying out research (including analyzing and reporting of results both in writing and orally) in the student’s area of interest.

Contact

Timothy Konold
Professor
Director, RSE Program
Curry School of Education
University of Virginia
konold@virginia.edu