Program Evaluation and Assessment

Overview

The Program Evaluation and Assessment program of University of Michigan-Dearborn is designed to prepare students for positions in assessment and evaluation particularly in educational settings or healthcare organizations. With an increasing emphasis on accountability, the demand for assessment and program evaluation is high in many fields. The curriculum will provide students with the knowledge and experience to understand theories, issues, and approaches in assessment and program evaluation; develop and administer formative and summative assessments and evaluation instruments, and analyze and interpret assessment or evaluation results for evidence-based decision making. Students in this program will develop these skills and knowledge with a choice of a concentration in either education or health.

The UM-Dearborn M.A. in Program Evaluation and Assessment is differentiated from other Michigan institutions in that it uniquely combines assessment and program evaluation with a concentration in either education or health. The program will develop leaders who understand how issues of assessment and evaluation impact both schools and communities. Graduates will be equipped to handle the complexities of research design encountered in evaluations in institutional/organizational settings.

What will I learn?

Graduates of the Master of Arts in Program Evaluation and Assessment program will become proficient in:

• Designing and implementing formative and summative evaluations

• Applying evaluation theory and diverse approaches in places of practice

• Gathering, analyzing, interpreting, and using multiple data sources to make data-evidenced decisions

• Understanding the types of requests from stakeholders in both formal and informal settings to know how to use a range of evaluation methods for assessing and furthering organizational goals