Overview
The Ph.D. student's advisor is free to shape a schedule of courses tailored to the educational needs and research goals of the student. Courses can be classified in several categories.
All Ph.D. students will be required to take four semesters of the Ph.D. seminar. The Ph.D. seminar will taught by at least two faculty members, one from the statistical science and one from the social science group of the JPSM faculty.
First Year Seminar
This is a two term, six credit introduction to the integration of social science and statistical science approaches to the design, collection, and analysis of surveys. The seminar will focus on six to eight areas of the statistical and methodological literature that have benefited from alternative approaches. Students will demonstrate mastery of those literatures through critical review papers, ideas for extensions of the literature, and empirical projects related to the research reviewed.
Second Year Seminar
This is a two term, six credit seminar designed to develop and hone skills involved in the identification of research problems, specification of hypothesis/theorems to extend current understanding of the field, and planning for original research. A common set of readings in advanced research activities of JPSM faculty will be studied, with the faculty engaged in the research discussing areas of potential innovation. There will be four to six such topics, with students completing technical proposals for future research in each. Students will present the proposals in both written and oral form, and critique proposals.
Advanced Research Seminars
JPSM will also offer doctoral seminars focusing on topics such as longitudinal design, collection, and, analysis, advanced topics in survey statistics, and advanced topics in the social and cognitive foundations of survey measurement.
Courses in Other Departments
Students will also take courses in another department (or in some cases, other departments), as specified by their advisory committee. The departments (e.g., Economics, Psychology, Sociology, and Mathematics) will represent disciplines from which survey statistics and methodology draw. For some students two full years of courses will be required; for others, somewhat less.
