Coordinator: Dr. Larry Ludlow
The Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation (ERME) program at the Lynch School combines the study of research design, statistical methods, and testing and assessment with a research focus on major contemporary education policy issues. The program is designed to prepare students for research and academic careers in education, social sciences, and human services.
The ERME program provides in-depth expertise in quantitative and experimental methods for research and evaluation, with opportunities for students to tailor coursework to their particular interests and background.
The doctoral curriculum emphasizes research methodology and data analysis and includes advanced coursework in research design, statistical methods, and testing and assessment as well as seminars in statistical and measurement topics. The doctora l degree requires a minimum of 54 credits beyond the M.Ed. and satisfactory completion of comprehensive exams and a dissertation.
Courses cover three main areas:
• research design and methods
• statistical methods
• testing and assessment
| Sequence | Course topics | |
| Research design and methods |
• Interpretation and evaluation of research | |
| Statistical methods | • Introductory and intermediate statistics • General linear models • Multivariate statistics • Psychometric theory • Seminars in statistical and measurement topics | |
| Testing and assessment |
• Classroom assessment |
Students may also conduct an independent study to pursue a particular area of interest.
The ERME program has been training doctoral students to examine educational programs, design quantitative research studies, develop assessment instruments, and analyze educational data to help inform policy-making for almost 40 years. Its outstanding faculty and rich intellectual resources provide students with the ideal setting for learning and professional growth.
ERME students have the opportunity to work on research projects with individual faculty members or in one of the Lynch School’s research centers. More specifically, many of our students work as research assistants in the 
Center for the Study of Testing, Evaluation, and Educational Policy (CSTEEP) and in the TIMSS and PIRLS International Study Center (ISC).
These projects often afford students with the opportunity to author and present papers at educational research conferences such as those held by the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and New England Educational Research Organization (NEERO).
Graduates are qualified for a wide range of positions in federal, state, and local government agencies; private research companies; non-profit organizations and foundations; and schools, colleges and universities.
At the doctoral level, opportunities for job placement include positions as
• principal investigators on research projects
• policy researchers and analysts
• program evaluators
• measurement specialists
• methodological consultants
• college and university professors