Interdisciplinary Evaluation Science: Degree Requirements

Core Courses

Area A: Evaluation Core (9 credits) 

• EVAL 680: Foundations of evaluation
• EVAL 755: Evaluation models and management
• EVAL 615: Research design and methods

Area B: Mixed Methods Core (12 credits)

• EVAL 770: Quantitative methods and analysis
• EVAL 780: Survey research
• EVAL 771: Qualitative methods and analysis
• EVAL 781: Mixed methods research

Concentration

Area C: Concentration (9 credits) 

• Students may concentrate in one of nine concentrations spanning six colleges across the University. Concentrations range from methodologically-focused coursework, such as business analytics, statistics, and bioinformatics data science, to content-focused coursework, such as education policy, public policy, and health policy.
• In the event that a student’s area of interest is outside of the scope of existing concentrations, students may create a 9-credit individualized plan of study, in conjunction with their advisor. This plan of study may include 3-9 credits of coursework and/or up to 6 credits in a practicum or independent study research project.

Certificates

• Students completing the program will earn two certificates for their Core coursework: (1) a Program Evaluation Theory and Design Certificate and (2) a Research Methods Certificate. 

• Core courses are offered 100% virtually. 
• Nine concentrations are offered 100% virtually. 
• Additional concentration courses may be offered in-person or hybrid, to capitalize on already existing on-campus courses to meet student specific needs. 

The Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Evaluation Science has a 9-credit concentration in a methodological or methods-focused content area.

Methodological Concentrations^* include:

• Applied Statistics (in partnership with the Department of Applied Economic and Statistics/CANR)
• Business Analytics (in partnership with Lerner Business and Economics)
• Bioinformatics Data Science (in partnership with Bioinformatics and Computational Biology) 

Methods-Focused Content Concentrations^* include:

• Education Policy (in partnership with the School of Education/CEHD)
• Higher Education Policy (in partnership with the School of Education/CEHD)
• Early Childhood Policy (in partnership with the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences/CEHD)
• Public Policy (in partnership with the Biden School of Public Policy and Administration/CAS)
• Health Policy (in partnership with the College of Health Sciences/Nursing)
• Educational Technology (in partnership with the School of Education/CEHD) 

 ^*Students will need to meet any established criteria for the concentration they choose.

The following table outlines the course requirements for each concentration: 

Students will be assigned an advisor upon admission. The advisor will work with the student to plan their concentration coursework. By the end of the first semester, the student, in consultation with the advisor, will have established a proposed plan of study. Individualized plans of study that are not predetermined concentration areas must be approved by the student’s advisor. Concentrations will appear on student transcripts; the description/title of an individualized plan of study will not appear on transcripts.

In rare circumstances, students may need to alter approved programs of study once they have entered the program for reasons such as scheduling conflicts or the creation of new courses directly related to the students’ goals. Students who wish to make changes to their program of study should first obtain permission from their advisor. The student must then make a written request to the Faculty Governance Committee to revise the program of study. Because most degree requirements can be met by more than one course (i.e., different courses in the participating units may be used to meet the requirements), variance in degree requirements is expected to be a rare event.

If students are involved in research projects involving human subjects, even administration of a survey, approval must be obtained prior to beginning any study. Information about obtaining approval may be found on Human Subjects in Research. If a project involves animal subjects, an Animal Use Proposal must be completed and submitted to the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. 

The program can be completed in 2 years of part-time study (6-credit hours/semester for 4 semesters and 6 credit hours during two winter and/or summer sessions). Though, students may take three to four years for program completion. The program can also be completed in 1 year of full-time study (12 credit hours/semester for two semesters and 6 credit hours during the winter and summer sessions). There are no full-time residency requirements.

Table 3. Course Sequencing (Part-Time)

Table 4. Course Sequencing (Full-Time) 

*Course offering schedule may need to be altered for full-time students.

At the midpoint in a student’s program, the advisor will review the student’s program of study to determine if he or she is making satisfactory progress through the program. Students who are not making satisfactory progress will be placed on academic probation for one semester. If performance has not improved by the end of the probation semester, the student may be terminated from the program. A minimum average of B (GPA of 3.0) is required for successful completion of the program.

The University policy for students entering a master’s degree program is ten consecutive semesters to complete the degree requirements. An extension of the time limit may be granted for circumstances beyond the student’s control. Requests for time extensions must be made in writing and approved by the student’s advisor and the director of the Interdisciplinary Evaluation Science program. The director will forward the request to the Office of the Dean of the Graduate College, who will determine the student’s eligibility for a time extension and will notify the student in writing of its decision to grant an extension of time.

Students must have a minimum overall grade point average of 3.0 to be eligible for the degree. In addition, the grades in courses specific to the Interdisciplinary Evaluation Science program must equal at least 3.0. All graduate-numbered courses taken with graduate student classification at the University of Delaware are applied to the cumulative index. Credit hours and courses for which the grade is below “C-“ do not count toward the degree even though the grade is applied to the overall index. Candidates should see that all final grades have been submitted by their instructors. If a student should be recommended for termination for failure to make satisfactory progress, they may follow the grievance procedures for the Graduate College.