Psychometrics, Ph.D.

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Objective

The main objective of the Ph.D. program in Psychometrics is to develop scholars who possess sophisticated statistical and analytical capabilities and acquire the quantitative and methodological skills (e.g., measurement theory, statistical analysis, research design, evaluation, and qualitative tools) needed to construct valid measurements and assessments of what and how individuals learn. A secondary objective for the program is to develop a new cadre of researchers and practitioners, who have the analytical skills and cultural competence to effectively yield innovative interventions that address issues within the discipline itself as well as inform policies that influence minority or special populations (e.g. African Americans) and those within urban environments. Scientific research serves as the primary vehicle to advance theories that explain how people learn, teach, and differ from one another. Students will be prepared to conduct and apply research concerned with the discovery and validation of psychological processes and principles with the potential to optimize human development and learning, and to improve the methodological techniques that are employed in this process.

Students in Psychometrics will be instructed in a coordinated program of statistics, psychological testing, educational assessment, program evaluation and other applied research techniques. Students in the program will be equipped to be culturally competent vis-à-vis the needs of those within the urban environment. The program will afford students the opportunity to demonstrate competencies in the quantitative, research-oriented commonalities relevant to disciplines within the behavioral and social sciences and education as well as their applications in teaching and instruction, industry and business, and health.

Admission Criteria

Admission is based on the successful completion of the following requirements:

A Master’s degree with a thesis or the equivalent thereof in Psychology, Mathematics, Education, or a related field, from a regionally accredited college or university; or,
A cumulative grade point average of at least 3.5 in all previous baccalaureate work;
A formal application with an official copy of GRE scores and official transcripts submitted to the Graduate School. Test scores may not be more than 5 years old prior to the date of application;
Students for whom instruction has not been in English must submit results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL);
Three academic letters of recommendation;
A writing sample or original research paper from your master’s program (or, if applying with a baccalaureate degree, a writing sample or original research paper from your major);
A three-page typed exposition regarding the candidate’s personal academic and professional plans and the reasons for selecting Morgan State University;
A successful interview with the Psychology Department Doctoral Committee.

General Requirements Once Enrolled

Students entering the program with deficient GRE quantitative scores and verbal scores are required to enroll in and pass with a grade of “B” or better a foundational graduate course in statistics or mathematics and expository writing courses. No credits will be granted toward the degree.

Students who have not completed prerequisite credits necessary to succeed in some Psychometrics methodology and/or statistics courses may be required, upon entering, to take undergraduate and/or master’s level courses before enrolling in Ph.D. level courses.

Students must also demonstrate professional competency in all of the following skills/methods related to their research:

Foreign language; (but not one’s native tongue); or
Literacy in computer languages and programming; and,
Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) or other related and relevant statistical research software; and,
Research or institutional practicum in tests or measurements.

The student may satisfy the foreign language requirement in the following manner.

Option IFL: Passing a departmental foreign language examination.

Option IIFL: Enrolling in and earning a grade of “C” or higher in two intermediate foreign language courses (203-204) in the same language at the undergraduate level. Courses taken prior to acceptance and matriculation in the graduate program may not satisfy this requirement. (Graduate financial aid may not be applied toward these courses.)

Option IIIFL: Completing an approved study abroad program (minimum of six weeks), which includes formal enrollment in the study of a foreign language with evaluation of performance by authorized faculty of an accredited institution.

Students may satisfy the literacy in computer language and programming requirement in the following manner:

Option ICL: Passing a departmentally designed literacy and programming examination.

Option IICL: Enrolling in and earning a grade of “C” or higher in two intermediate computer science courses in the same language at the undergraduate level. Courses taken prior to acceptance and matriculation in the graduate program may not satisfy this requirement. (Graduate financial aid may not be applied toward these courses.)

Option IIICL: Completing an approved internship (minimum of six weeks), which includes formal enrollment in the study of computer literacy and programming with evaluation of performance by authorized faculty of an accredited institution.

Option IV CL: Demonstrating a high degree of proficiency in understanding computer language using a minimum of three software applications; demonstrating the ability to independently choose appropriate software and conduct complex statistical analysis with evaluation of performance by authorized faculty of an accredited institution.

Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA in all of their course work at the end of each academic semester. Students are required to pass a written comprehensive examination. The comprehensive examination may be repeated only once.

Upon completion of required course work and the comprehensive examination, students must register for the six-credit Dissertation Seminar, PSYC 998 - Dissertation Seminar . Thereafter, until the dissertation is completed, students must be in residence by registering each semester for three hours of Dissertation Guidance, PSYC 997. The dissertation must involve significant, original research, using primary resources and representing a contribution to the field of Psychometrics. Candidates must be enrolled at the time of the oral defense. (See Graduate School Dissertation and Thesis Handbook for guidelines on writing the dissertation.)

Students are required to complete the degree within seven years from entering the program.

General Requirements

Program Areas/Emphases:

Psychometrics focuses on research methodology with an emphasis in educational and psychological analysis and measurement as it relates to test design, instrument construction, scale analysis, and measurement theory. Persons working in this area typically have strong interests in supporting areas of statistics and research design, computer applications, and/or mathematics. Within the psychometrics area, students can pursue one of 2 concentrations:

Applied Statistics
Measurement and Assessment (Test Construction and Development)

Program Requirements

Ph.D. (63 credit hours)

Complete requirements for M.S. (30 credit hours)
9 additional credits in Statistics
9 additional credits in Measurement and Assessment (Test Construction/Development)
6 credit hours in Electives
3-6 credit hours for Internship (length may vary from 6 – 12 months)
6 credit hours for Dissertation Research

Note:

Credit for prerequisite courses, professional competencies and writing competencies are not counted as credit towards the degree.