What differentiates doctoral level professionals from bachelor’s and master’s level professionals are:
- The ability to systematically collect and analyze data.
- The ability to apply specialized knowledge (the scholarly literature) to understand the data.
What is important to understand, however, is that data can be collected and analyzed for two different reasons. Theoretical research produces original knowledge that is published in peer-reviewed journals to advice disciplines. Applied research is typically to answer a question that may or may not be original. In the DHS program, your focus will be on conducting applied research, specifically program evaluations (collecting and analyzing data to understand how a program is functioning in one way).
The focus is on three types of program evaluations:
- Formative program evaluation: Collect and analyze data to propose development of new program.
- Process program evaluation: Collect and analyze data to understand how a program is functioning.
- Outcome program evaluation: Collect and analyze data to determine if a program is effective.
For this discussion, consider an evaluation you might be interested in completing for your capstone project.
- What type of evaluation?
- How would you complete it (e.g., what organization would you work with)?
- How does this project help you realize your professional goals?
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