Skip to content

Studies & Degrees in Assessment, Evaluation and Research in Education

Assessment, evaluation and research in education is the field that produces the evidence schools and education systems work with. Assessment and measurement deal with how learning is tested: how an exam or a questionnaire is designed, and how to check that it measures what it is meant to measure. Evaluation asks whether a programme, a project or a policy works. Educational research supplies the methods for both: study design, statistics and qualitative inquiry.

Students learn to build and validate tests and other instruments, to design studies, to analyse data and to report results to teachers, school leaders and policy makers. The master's programme at the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG) shows the usual mix: two courses in inferential statistics, qualitative research, action research, monitoring and evaluation, educational measurement, the evaluation of interventions and a final graduation project.

Qualifications and levels

This is mainly a postgraduate subject. Students usually arrive with a first degree in education, psychology or another social science, often after some years of teaching, and specialise at master's or doctoral level.

  • Master's degrees. The Maestría en Medición, Evaluación e Investigación Educativa at UVG lasts two years, is taught in Spanish and fully online, and is addressed to graduates who hold a licenciatura from a university established in Guatemala. At Boston College in the United States, the M.A. in Research and Evaluation Methods consists of 10 courses for a total of 30 credits; full-time students can complete it in one year and part-time students in two to three years.
  • Related master's degrees. Some departments separate the statistical side. Boston College, for example, also offers an M.S. in Applied Statistics and Psychometrics.
  • Doctorates. Those who want to work as researchers or university teachers continue to a PhD, such as the Ph.D. in Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics, and Assessment at Boston College.
  • Spain. Official degrees follow the general structure set by Royal Decree 822/2021: bachelor's degrees (grados) of 240 ECTS credits and master's degrees of 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits. Educational evaluation and research methods are normally studied within an education or psychology degree and then in a master's programme.

Where to study it

SpainExchange lists two active schools under this subject, one in Guatemala and one in the United States. The Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, a private university in Guatemala City, is the one with a full degree in the field. The programme is online, but its page addresses graduates of universities established in Guatemala, so applicants with a foreign degree should ask the university about admission and about how the qualification is recognised in the country where they plan to work.

The language of instruction follows the country: Spanish in Guatemala, English in the United States. The field itself is international. The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), which runs the TIMSS and PIRLS studies, has measured students' achievement in mathematics, science and reading since 1958, and more than 100 education systems take part in its studies. In Spain, the Instituto Nacional de Evaluación Educativa (INEE) of the Ministry of Education publishes the national diagnostic evaluations and the Spanish reports of international studies such as TIMSS.

Careers

Graduates work where educational data are produced or used: ministries and evaluation agencies, testing organisations, universities, research institutes, school systems and non-profit organisations. UVG states that its graduates work in state institutions and in national and international organisations, in the management, monitoring and evaluation of programmes and projects. Boston College lists roles such as data analyst, research associate, evaluation associate, institutional research officer and survey specialist.

For the United States, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) describes two related occupations. Instructional coordinators, who among other duties analyse students' test data, typically need a master's degree and related work experience; their employment is projected to grow 2 percent from 2025 to 2035. Survey researchers typically need at least a master's degree, and their employment is projected to decline 5 percent over the same period. The American Educational Research Association (AERA), founded in 1916, describes its members as working in universities, research institutes, federal and state agencies, school systems, testing companies and non-profit organisations.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to be a teacher to study educational assessment and evaluation?

Not necessarily. The UVG master's programme asks for a licenciatura and its page does not name a specific field for that first degree. Teaching experience helps, and some jobs require it: the BLS notes that instructional coordinators typically need related work experience, such as teaching or school administration.

How long does a master's degree in this field take?

Between one and two years of full-time study in the examples on this page: one year full-time for the 30-credit M.A. at Boston College, two years for the online master's degree at UVG. Official master's degrees in Spain have 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits.

How much mathematics is involved?

Statistics is a core part of the subject. The UVG study plan includes two courses in inferential statistics and one in educational measurement, alongside qualitative research. Applicants do not need a mathematics degree, but they should be comfortable working with data.

Can I study it online?

Yes. The master's degree at the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala is taught fully online, with live sessions on weekday evenings.