Evaluation & Applied Research Methods

Since the late 1960s, the School of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences at Claremont Graduate University has been a leader in providing graduate education in applied psychological science, evaluation, and applied research methods for "real world" settings. Many of our more than 1000 alumni with graduate degrees from SBOS hold major positions in evaluation and applied research in government, business, health care, consulting, community settings, and at major universities across the globe. Follow this link to see a sample of positions held by our alumni.

Click here to read about Career Opportunities in Evaluation.

CNN recently listed Evaluation in a "Top 10 List" of fields with excellent job opportunities. Follow this link to read more.

M.A. Co-Concentration Programs

We currently educate approximately 70 graduate students per year in our evaluation co-concentration masters programs. Our most popular co-concentration programs include:

Applied Social Psychology & Evaluation

Organizational Behavior & Evaluation

Applied Developmental Psychology & Evaluation

Applied Cognitive Psychology & Evaluation

Health Behavior Research & Evaluation

Public Policy & Evaluation

Positive Developmental Psychology & Evaluation

Positive Organizational Psychology & Evaluation

We also have evaluation co-concentration programs with human resources design, management, education, and public policy. Follow this link for more information on our M.A. programs with a co-concentration in evaluation.

We still have a few spaces available for excellent candidates for Fall 2010 admission. Please contact us immediately if you are interested in applying.

Ph.D. in Evaluation & Applied Research Methods

We offer a Ph.D. concentration in Evaluation and Applied Research Methods. This program prepares students for top leadership positions in evaluation and applied science. We have a very generous transfer-of-units policy for students who have already earned a Master's degree from another institution. That is, if you are applying for a Ph.D. degree you may transfer up to 24 units of relevant coursework and a Master's Thesis.

In addition, we offer Ph.D. students with primary concentrations in Psychology a sequence of evaluation courses that leads to a formal doctoral co-concentration in evaluation.

Follow this link for specific program requirements for the Ph.D. program in Evaluation and Applied Research Methods.

Financial Aid

Generous gifts to Claremont Graduate University have made it possible for us to realize our mission of making high-quality graduate education more accessible to a diverse group of students. We are happy to report that all evaluation students who request financial aid receive fellowships. In addition, significant increases in faculty research funding have resulted in a substantial increase in the number of stipends and the amount of tuition remission support we are able to provide. SBOS also regularly hires students for paid teaching assistantships. The CGU Office of Student Financing assists students with finding work study positions, private scholarships, and government loans. At the time a student is offered admission to one of our graduate programs, SBOS faculty contact students to discuss the details of their financial aid package.

For More Information

Advanced CGU graduate students and faculty would be happy to provide you with more information about the field and career opportunities in Evaluation and Applied Research Methods. To make a phone appointment with our Career Advisor or to arrange a visit to campus, please call or e-mail us at (909) 621-8084 or career.advisor@cgu.edu.

Non-Residential Certificate Program in Evaluation

SBOS offers select applicants a high-quality, competency-based certificate program, which can be completed from anywhere in the world. Follow this link for details about our evaluation certificate program.

Follow this link to download a syllabus for one of the non-residential courses, "Advanced Study in Evaluation Theory, Study, and Practice."

Professional Development Workshops & Symposia

SBOS offers professional development workshops in Evaluation and Applied Research Methods for those seeking continuing education. We regularly sponsor and organize symposia that bring together leading experts from around the world to discuss cutting edge topics in applied psychological science.

Recent volumes based on our Stauffer Symposia on Applied Psychology, Evaluating Social Programs and Problems: Visions for the New Millennium (Stewart I. Donaldson and Michael Scriven eds.) and What Constitutes Credible Evidence in Evaluation and Applied Research? (Stewart I. Donaldson, Melvin Mark, and Christina A. Christie, eds.) provide some of the most up-to-date information on the modern practice of evaluation.

A panel of internationally recognized scholars debate "What Constitutes Credible Evidence in Evaluation and Applied Research Methods". (From left to right: Michael Scriven, Gary Henry, Leonard Bickman, Sandra Mathison, Jennifer Greene, Thomas Schwandt, and Sharon Rallis.)

The Evaluation Debates

This summer we will be hosting two lively debates on the topics of Utilization-Focused Evaluation and Empowerment Evaluation with Dr. Michael Quinn Patton, Dr. Michael Scriven, and Dr. David Fetterman. Follow this link to learn more about how you can attend in person or watch online.

A recent conference on "What Constitutes Credible Evidence in Evaluation and Applied Research" included a series of talks and two contentious panel discussions on the topic. Follow the link above for free streaming video footage.

You can now download "The Claremont Debate: Lipsey vs. Scriven" from The Journal of MultiDisciplinary Evaluation (No. 3 Oct. 05). This paper summarizes the history and the controversial statements that set the context for the debate hosted on campus in summer 2004.

For highlights and streaming video of the Lipsey-Scriven debate, click on the link.

Links

Follow this link for many useful Evaluation resources.