The Educational Research and Evaluation (EDRE) program at Virginia Tech offers doctoral preparation in the areas of measurement, program evaluation, qualitative research methods, and statistics as they are applied in educational and other behavioral sciences. Graduates of the EDRE program are prepared for academic positions as research methodologists, corporate positions in research and testing agencies, or government positions as researchers, evaluators, or administrators of research programs in education or other areas of the behavioral sciences. The degree program is only available on the Blacksburg campus, but some courses may be taken at the Northern Virginia campus.
Faculty members and students in the program conduct research relating to issues in education and other behavioral sciences, particularly as they relate to measurement, qualitative research methods, and statistics. Faculty in the program also provide research expertise to faculty members and graduate students in the School of Education by serving as methodology specialists on research projects and doctoral dissertation committees and by teaching courses in the areas of measurement, program evaluation, qualitative research methods, and statistics.
Historically, the EDRE program was established in 1971 and was the first Ph.D. program in educational research in the State of Virginia. Over the years, the program has featured a small but high-quality group of students, granting 131 Ph.D.s to date (2007).