Students in the Research, Evaluation, and Assessment concentration develop the conceptual and technical skills necessary to produce the highest quality research on higher and postsecondary education, including applied research related to institutional research, educational and administrative evaluation, program review, and assessment of teaching and learning. In addition to the strengths provided in this concentration and throughout the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education, you will benefit from studying higher education within an environment unparalleled in the depth of its resources related to social science research. The faculty affiliated with this concentration bring a diversity of perspectives connected to the other concentrations within the center (academic affairs, organizational behavior and management, and public policy), offering you a flexible opportunity to develop a productive career around the study of higher and postsecondary education. Students in this concentration are preparing for a wide range of professional positions related to improving the understanding, planning, management, and academic performance of higher education institutions and the systems in which they are organized. These include faculty or research positions within higher education programs or centers, as well as programs and centers focused more generally on social science research. Graduates interested in applied research careers work across the full spectrum of higher education institutions, in federal and state agencies of higher education, and in higher education associations. They work in a wide range of areas, including institutional research, academic and instructional affairs, institutional support and administration, evaluation and assessment, planning, president's and chancellor's offices, student affairs and services, financial affairs and services, and institutional development and alumni affairs. Students completing the concentration in Research, Evaluation, and Assessment will have a strong capacity to conduct research and provide leadership in the area of research. Students who focus in this area will have the capability to: Design and conduct a wide variety of academic or applied research projects in higher education. Utilize a variety of methods and techniques and apply them appropriately to the type of research undertaken. Guide the establishment of an academic or applied research program. Understand how to integrate research into useful academic, managerial, or policy initiatives designed to improve the performance of higher education. Provide leadership in the professional arena of research, evaluation, and assessment in their career. Students are assigned an academic advisor from among the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education (CSHPE) faculty members, based on shared professional interests. Students and advisors work together to develop a plan of study that is appropriate to the student’s background and career interests. As students progress, they meet annually with CSHPE faculty, who conduct an academic review of students’ progress to ensure all needs are being met.