Application Information

The Doctor of Philosophy Program in Assessment and Measurement provides high-quality, innovative training that features personalized attention of our faculty and use of the latest technology. Our program is designed to train assessment specialists to meet the increasingly visible accountability needs of both educational and social service agencies through expertise in appraising the effectiveness of programs in academic, healthcare, business and non-profit institutions.

Admissions Requirements

Admission to the Ph.D. program requires that applicants have completed an advanced degree (M.A./M.S.) in psychology, statistics, or a related field.

Undergraduate students who are interested in assessment should consider applying to the JMU's Psychological Sciecnes M.A. Program, which offers a concentration in quantitative methods (assessment, measurement, and statistics). Students who are accepted into the Ph.D. Program in Assessment and Measurement after completing the M.A. Program in Psychological Sciences will have already taken a number of courses required in the doctoral program. As a result, their doctoral program of study will be considerably shortened. However, completion of the M.A. in Psychological Sciences does not guarantee admission into the Ph.D. program in Assessment and Measurement.

To apply to the Ph.D. program, please follow the link below and attend to the instructions provided. We only admit students for the fall semester, and applications are due by February 1st.

Begin the application process for the Ph.D. in Assessment and Measurement Program

Graduate Assistantships

A limited number of assistantships are available to doctoral students at the Center for Assessment and Research Studies. These assistantships include a tuition scholarship for 27 credit hours and a stipend of approximately $13,668 per year. Students supported by full-time assistantships are expected to a carry a minimum course load of nine credit hours and are required to work 20 hours per week per semester. Graduate assistantships are also available through other departments across campus and involve assisting supervisors and/or faculty members with instruction, research, laboratory preparation and administrative tasks. More information pertaining to assistantship opportunities may be obtained by contacting the JMU Graduate School .

Our program offers a unique combination of technical and theoretical training in an applied context. You will have the opportunity to work with assessment faculty in collaboration with academic and student affairs faculty across our campus and beyond. We look forward to receiving your application materials.