Survey Research and Methodology

Description

For a brief description of the program, application requirements and contact information, view the graduate program summary.

Program Director and Graduate Chair: Robert Belli, Ph.D.

Survey Research and Methodology (SRAM) Graduate Programs of Study

The SRAM degree programs prepare students for professional positions and leadership in survey research disciplines in the U.S. context and around the world. The skills and knowledge SRAM students acquire enable them to collect, interpret, and present empirical data in cogent and powerful ways relevant for professional contexts.

The SRAM program offers a certificate as well as a master of science (MS) and a doctor of philosophy (PhD) degree. The curricula are interdisciplinary and combine theory with practical application. Students receive a thorough grounding in all aspects of survey methodology from study design through data collection to data analysis.

The MS program is a two-year, non-thesis program designed to train students to fill the expanding need in the public and private sectors for people who are able to design, execute and analyze survey research. Graduates can expect to find challenging, creative and well-paid positions in the private and nonprofit sectors; in media, research, government, and business. The program requires 47 credits; 29 in the core and elective areas, 9 in a minor area of emphasis and 9 in an internship and a related practicum. Core areas studied include general survey methodology, applied sampling, intermediate and advanced statistics, cognitive aspects of survey design, and cross-cultural and cross-national methodology. Minor areas of emphasis in the MS degree can include business, educational psychology, marketing, political science, psychology, public administration, sociology or statistics.

The PhD program is a four-year program that requires a dissertation of original work that advances knowledge in the field of survey methodology. In addition to advanced opportunities in government, business and nonprofit sectors, PhD graduates are expected to have opportunities in academic settings. The PhD requires completion of the MS program in Survey Research and Methodology or a comparable qualification. The PhD program requires a minimum of 90 credits. Students will have a choice of emphasis (study tracks) in either statistics or design and implementation more generally.

Both MS and PhD programs in Survey Research and Methodology are based on interdisciplinary curricula and the combination of theory and practice in instruction.

The Certificate program is an 18-credit, six-course program which provides a firm grounding in survey research methods in a limited amount of time. The program can be completed in nine months, August to early May. It is designed to meet the needs of people possibly already active in the business world who recognize the advantages to be gained through a solid understanding of survey methods and data analysis. It should suit anyone who wants to add this important area of expertise to their qualifications without engaging in an MS-length course of study. At the same time, all Certificate courses can count towards an MS in Survey Methodology. Core courses include the principles of survey analysis, the total survey error paradigm, applied sampling, questionnaire design, and data collection methods. Students choose a sixth elective course from among a range of core course options in the SRAM MS program.

Applications to SRAM. Students seeking admission must apply through the UNL Office of Graduate Studies. The application can be found at: www.unl.edu/gradstudies/prospective/app-degree.shtml.Applications are due by January 15 of each year.

Graduate Studies also requires MS and PhD program applicants to submit test scores from all sections of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) or from the GMAT (for students seeking to minor in marketing); two official copies of transcripts from all colleges/universities attended. Where relevant, applicants from abroad are also required to submit TOEFL results. These items should be mailed to:

Graduate Admissions Office
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
1100 Seaton Hall
Lincoln, NE 68588-0619

All applicants must submit a personal statement explaining their interest in pursuing a degree in survey research and methodology and include three letters of recommendation. The personal statement and letters of recommendation are to be sent to:

SRAM Program Admissions
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
201 North 13th Street
Lincoln, NE 68588-0241

SRAM Funding Opportunities. The Gallup Organization funds a number of scholarships for the SRAM degree programs. SRAM applicants interested in applying for one of these scholarships are asked to take the Clifton StrengthsFinder®. Students accepted into the PhD degree program normally receive SRAM graduate assistantships. For more information on these funding opportunities and the Clifton StrengthsFinder®, please contact the SRAM office. All UNL programs have possibilities to fund exceptional out-of-state students.

Research Opportunities. Students in the graduate programs in Survey Research and Methodology have access to research opportunities through assistantships, on-going faculty research, conference participation, as well as internships and practica in the MS program.

Opportunities Abroad. The Survey Research and Methodology graduate program has an on-going one-semester exchange opportunity with the post-graduate program in Quantitative Analysis in the Social Sciences (QASS) at the Catholic University in Brussels, Belgium. Both SRAM and the QASS are heavily invested in the modeling and analysis of quantitative survey data, and the communication of these analyses to key decision and policy makers. The QASS program attracts leading quantitative faculty from across Europe and the U.S. to provide up-to-the-moment instruction on the latest developments in quantitative methodology and analysis.

Master of Science Program Description

The curriculum constitutes a total of 47 credit hours of study, divided between 29 credit hours in the core and elective research areas, 9 credit hours in the student’s minor area of emphasis, and 9 credit hours in the student’s internship and practicum.

Master of Science Curriculum. An introductory (undergraduate) statistics course is a program prerequisite. New students lacking this prerequisite will be expected to fulfill this requirement without program credit in their first semester of study.

Major Requirements (29 credits) Core Areas: One course (or equivalent) from each of the 9 areas listed below (26 credits) and one elective (3 credits) are required.

1. Professional Development:
   • SRAM 890
2. Data Collection Methods: Face-to-face, telephone, mail, and internet data collection methods; impact of data collection methods on survey errors; mode effects
   • SRAM 818
3. Research Design: Experimental design; quasi-experimental design; panel designs; and quantitative v. qualitative data collection and analysis
   • SRAM 898
   • SRAM 922
   • STAT 802
4. Survey Error and Measurement: Reliability, validity, bias; measurement models; and scale analysis
   • SRAM 921
   • EDPS 870
   • PSYC 948
5. Sampling: Sampling design; variance estimation and adjustment; and response rates and bias
   • SRAM 815
   • SRAM 915
   • STAT 804
6. Instrument Design and Evaluation: Questionnaire design; cognitive and communicative processes in answering survey questions; question- and response- order effects; attitude measurement; measurement of facts and behaviors.
   • SRAM/PSYC 946
   • SRAM/PSYC 947
   • One SRAM course TBA
   • One SRAM course TBA
7. Cross Cultural Survey Research: Study design; study specifications; study management; instrument design; instrument adaptation and translation; instrument testing; data collection
   • SRAM 817
   • SRAM 920
8. Intermediate Statistics: Multivariate analysis; ordinary least squares and logit regression; and analysis of interaction effects
   • SRAM 816
   • EDPS 969
   • SRAM/SOCI 863
   • SRAM/EDPS 941
   • SRAM/EDPS 942
   • STAT 870
9. Advanced Statistics: Structural equation modeling; modeling categorical data; discriminant analysis; general linear models; and conjoint analysis
   • PSYC 944
   • PSYC 945
   • SRAM/MRKT 824
   • SRAM 898
   • SRAM/SOCI 902
   • SRAM/EDPS 971
   • SRAM/EDPS 972
   • STAT 873
   • STAT 875
   • STAT 880
   • STAT 882
   • STAT 883
   • STAT 885
   • STAT 970

Please Note: One course each (or equivalent) from the intermediate and advanced statistics areas, or two courses from the advanced statistics area (6 credits) are required. Courses in the Core Areas may NOT be taken as Pass/No Pass. SRAM students are required to earn a grade of B or better in each Core Area course.

Research Electives (3 credits). With the major adviser’s approval, students choose one additional course to broaden their training in survey research and methodology. A course used to fill one of the required content areas may not also be used as an elective. However, with the adviser’s approval, a student can take a second course from a required topic area and have this count as an elective. Electives may include courses in research methods, analysis, the theory of public opinion, program evaluation, qualitative methods, philosophy of science, market research, consulting, data reporting or other areas, at the adviser’s discretion.

Minor Requirements (9 credits). Students in survey research and methodology choose a minor area of emphasis from a wide variety of fields such as: sociology, political science, psychology, educational psychology, marketing, statistics, journalism, public administration, or education. This allows students to hone their skills and knowledge for particular future career environments. Students will select a minor area adviser in their selected area who will assist in the selection of courses in this area. Some minor areas require 12 credit hours. In such cases, students may elect to use one course as both a research elective and as a minor requirement.

Internship and Practicum (9 credits total). Students in the survey research and methodology MS program are required to complete an internship (6 credits) and practicum (3 credits). Internship opportunities will be arranged with one of several commercial survey and market firms, media groups, governmental agencies, academic research establishments and nonprofit associations. These internships normally take place between the students’ first and second years of residence.

Internship (6 credits). The internship is a crucial component of student training in the SRAM program and reflects our philosophy of combining survey practice with theory. As part of their participation in actual research settings, students may be required to attend seminars covering ethics, contribute to grant writing, and work with statistical packages (e.g., SPSS, SAS, LIMDEP, GAUSS, S-PLUS, Stata) or data collection systems (e.g., CAPI, CASI, CATI).

Practicum (3 credits). Students complete a written practicum that is based on elements of their internship.

More information on the internship/practicum can be found at: http://sram.unl.edu/prospectiveandcurrentstudents/PACS1.asp.

MS Comprehensive Examination

M.S. students must pass a written comprehensive examination covering the core areas of survey research and methodology at the M.S. level. A Final Examination Report (found at: http://www.unl.edu/gradstudies/current/degrees#masterss) must be submitted to the office of Graduate Studies four weeks prior to the administration of the final exam. This report will be accepted after all course work on the Memorandum of Courses has been completed, or is in process, and any incompletes have been removed. The comprehensive final exam will be administered during the semester in which the student intends to graduate with the exception of summer graduates. Students intending to graduate in August must take the final exam in the spring semester. Dates for MS comprehensive examinations are decided on an annual basis, depending partly on Graduate Studies grade result deadlines.

Doctor of Philosophy Program Description

The PhD program builds on the kind of skills and knowledge acquired in the SRAM MS program in Survey Research and Methodology. To be admitted into the PhD program, applicants must usually have completed a masters degree or its equivalent in Survey Research and Methodology, or a related field accepted by the Graduate Committee. Anyone accepted into the program may be required to complete courses that demonstrate that their credentials match the skills and knowledge that students acquire from earning an MS in Survey Research and Methodology. These required courses must be completed in order to become eligible to have a Supervisory Committee appointed. Decisions about which courses are required will rest with the Graduate Committee.

The PhD program consists of a minimum of 90 credit hours. These may include transfer credits for students who have earned degrees outside of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln; 45 credit hours must be earned after the appointment of the PhD student’s Supervisory Committee. No courses may be taken on a Pass/No Pass basis and all PhD students are required to maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher.

The PhD program is designed to train students both in the issues that govern sound survey research practice and in the theoretical frameworks of those disciplines that contribute to Survey Research and Methodology. Students will opt for either statistical or design and implementation tracks, each of which have their own sets of requirements. The PhD dissertation must consist of an original research contribution that advances knowledge in the field of Survey Research and Methodology and demonstrates the candidate’s expertise in both practice and theory.

Doctor of Philosophy Curriculum

Language and Research Tool Requirement Prior to admission to candidacy, students must demonstrate proficiency in technical and scientific writing. The student’s supervisory committee may require course work as part of the language and research tool requirement.

Core Courses (minimum of 15 credit hours) Core courses are designed to ensure that students acquire the methodological and theoretical skills necessary to design sound Survey Research and Methodological studies. Ph.D. students must satisfy the core course requirements of the SRAM MS program. The following courses (or equivalents) are also required:

• SRAM 915 - Advanced Sampling
• SRAM 921 – Total Survey Error
• SRAM 947 – Questionnaire Design
• SRAM 998 – Advanced Topics in Survey Analysis (Special Topics)
• SRAM 998 - Survey Management (Special Topics)

Statistical or Design and Implementation Tracks (minimum of 15 credit hours) Each student’s supervisory committee will tailor a program of study that best matches the student’s interests and strengths. Students will decide either to follow a statistical track or to follow a design and implementation track in their course of studies. Within either track, their studies will concentrate on essential aspects that contribute to Survey Research and Methodology.

Within the statistical track, students will be required to complete course work and seminars dealing with statistical, probability and sampling theory. For example, courses on the general linear model, mixed and hierarchical linear models, issues in advanced sampling, finite mixture models, analysis of data from complex sample designs, missing data imputation and related topics will be included in this track.

Within the design and implementation track, students complete course work in their areas of interest such as cognitive and social psychology, health and educational research, cross-cultural comparative research, or in any social science discipline that is dependent on survey data to draw scientific inferences.

PhD Comprehensive Examination In order to advance to candidacy (to be able to submit a dissertation), the student must pass a written comprehensive examination demonstrating mastery in core areas of Survey Research and Methodology and also in the student’s specialty area which is chosen from the statistical or the design and implementation tracks. In general, students are expected to pass the comprehensive examination before submitting a dissertation proposal.

The general purpose of the SRAM PhD comprehensive examination is to demonstrate mastery in both core and specialty areas of Survey Research and Methodology. The goal of the exam on core areas of survey methodology is to demonstrate each student’s breadth of knowledge across the fundamental areas of survey methodology. The goal of the exam on a student's specialty area is to demonstrate depth of knowledge in a particular area in which the student wants to be considered an expert after completion of the Program.

Details of the Ph.D comprehensive examination

PhD students will be provided with a reading list with regard to the core areas of survey methodology. In addition, students will be required to develop their own reading list for their specialty area. This needs to be submitted in a timely fashion for approval by the student’s supervisory committee.

The examination will consist of two five-hour sessions over two days. The examination will be closed book, that is, no books, notes, or electronic files of any kind are to be used. Students will be presented with four questions for each session, and will be required to answer three of these in each session, thus answering six questions in total. Day one of the final exam will cover core areas, day two will cover the student’s specialty area.

Students have the choice to write their answers by hand or to type in their answers electronically on a computer. Examinations will be proctored. The scheduling of the examination, and who will serve as graders of the examination, requires approval by the student’s supervisory committee and the majority consent of the core SRAM faculty.

Steps for Ph.D. comprehensive examination

1. The supervisory committee works with the student to a) create a proposed reading list for the specialty section of the examination, b) determine who will be the proposed question writers and graders for the specialty section (who must be either supervisory committee members or SRAM core faculty), and c) determine a proposed date in which the examination is to take place.
2. The supervisory committee chair notifies all of SRAM core faculty with a) the proposed specialty section reading list, b) the proposed question writers and graders for the specialty section, and c) determine a proposed examination date. The provision of these materials must be submitted to the SRAM core faculty (including the graduate chair) at least one month before the proposed examination date. SRAM core faculty are defined as Graduate Faculty who have at least a .5 FTE in SRAM.
3. The graduate chair determines whether there is majority approval from the SRAM core faculty on the examination provisions that are proposed by the supervisory committee (via the supervisory committee chair). The graduate chair notifies the supervisory committee chair of any necessary revisions to the proposed plan within two weeks following the provision of materials. If any revisions are to be made, the supervisory committee must a) resubmit the revised plan to each of the SRAM core faculty, and b) allow for an additional week to receive majority approval from the SRAM core faculty on revisions to the plan. If the revisions are deemed to be inadequate, the process continues to cycle until majority approval is obtained. The date of the examination will be postponed as needed to accommodate majority approval.
4. Under the auspices of the Graduate Chair, the graduate committee seeks agreement among the SRAM core faculty who will serve as the question writers and graders for the core section of the examination to meet any agreed upon examination date.
5. As needed, approved examination question writers and graders will be informed that they are to determine a grade (a letter grade, letter grade range, or a judgment as to failure, pass, or high pass) and to provide comments on how the grade was determined for each question to which they are responsible, and which the student has answered.
6. Following the administration of the examination, the Graduate Chair collects the grades and comments from each of the graders of the core section of the examination, and the Supervisory Committee Chair collects the grades and comments from each of the graders of the specialty section of the examination. The Graduate Chair submits the core section grades and comments to the Supervisory Committee Chair. On the basis of these grades and comments, the Supervisory Committee makes a determination on whether the student has passed the examination.
7. If the Supervisory Committee Chair is the Graduate Chair, the Director serves in the capacity of the Graduate Chair for the purposes of these proceedings.

Dissertation Research (minimum of 12 credit hours). As an original contribution to the knowledge base of Survey Research and Methodology, the dissertation must consist of an empirical study that includes analysis of primary or secondary data sources, or both. For completion of degree requirements, in addition to a written dissertation, students must pass an oral dissertation defense as required by Graduate Studies.

Certificate Program Description

The University approved and certified Certificate in Survey Research and Methodology is designed to meet the needs of people active in the business world who recognize the advantages to be gained through a firm grounding in survey research methods and analysis.

SRAM faculty have backgrounds in Statistics, Survey Science, Sociology, Cognitive Psychology, Marketing, Political Science, Linguistics, and Educational Psychology. We are thus ideally situated to meet the needs of students from a wide range of public and private sector organizations.

The time needed to complete the 18 credit Certificate program depends on the number of courses per semester a student completes. Assuming a 9 credit per semester workload, the 18-credit, and 6-course program can be completed in nine months, beginning end of August and finishing early May.

Five courses from the MS program are required courses for the Certificate qualification. Certificate students choose their sixth elective course from among the SRAM MS core curriculum offerings (excepting intermediate statistics courses).

Certificate Curriculum

• SRAM 816 – Principles of Survey Analysis
• SRAM 819 – Applied Sampling
• SRAM/PSYC 947 – Questionnaire Design
• SRAM 921 – Total Survey Error
• SRAM 818 – Data Collection Methods
• One elective from SRAM MS core curriculum with the exception of an Intermediate Statistics course

Minoring in Survey Research and Methodology

Students from other departments at UNL can choose to minor in survey research and methodology at either the MS or PhD level. The courses expected for each minor are required below. Contact the SRAM Graduate Chair for more information.

MS minor in Survey Research and Methodology

12 credits from SRAM MS core curriculum as approved by a minor advisor who must be a member of the SRAM core faculty. The minor would likely include courses in Instrument Design and Evaluation, Data Collection Methods, and Sampling. SRAM core faculty consist of Graduate Faculty with at least a .5 FTE in the SRAM program.

PhD minor in Survey Research and Methodology

• SRAM 819 – Applied Sampling
• SRAM/PSYC 947 – Questionnaire Design
• SRAM 921 – Total Survey Error
• SRAM 818 – Data Collection Methods
• An Intermediate or Advanced Statistics course from the SRAM MS core curriculum
• One elective from SRAM MS core curriculum with the exception of an Intermediate Statistics course

Electives must be taken with the approval of a minor advisor who must be a member of the SRAM core faculty. SRAM core faculty consists of Graduate Faculty with at least a .5 FTE in the SRAM program.

Advising

All students majoring in Survey Research and Methodology and students enrolled in the Certificate program are assigned an SRAM advisor. MS students must also select a minor areas advisor.