Joint Program in Survey Methodology (JPSM)

Educational Programs at JPSM

JPSM offers a variety of educational programs including master's and Ph.D. programs in survey methodology, certificates in survey methodology and survey statistics, citations in introductory survey methodology and economic measurement, short courses, and summer internships. Its students include staff from the federal statistical agencies and from the many survey firms in the Washington, D.C. area that serve the statistical agencies. In addition, JPSM attracts and trains new entrants to the field of survey research.

JPSM began accepting students into the master's degree program in 1993. Because its primary goal is training survey practitioners, the master's program remains JPSM's central educational offering. As of September 2006, more than 140 students had graduated from JPSM with master's degrees. At that time, more than two thirds of the degree-seeking students were enrolled in the master's program. The master's program consists of a set of core courses, covering data collection, basic statistical methods, applied sampling, and total survey error. In addition, students get hands-on experience with surveys. Each year, the students conduct a survey, the JPSM Practicum; the master's students also offer survey consulting and are required to complete an internship at a survey firm. The master's program offers two “tracks,” or concentrations—one in statistical science, the other in social science. Students in both tracks take the core courses. Those in the statistical science track take additional classes in probability and statistics, sampling, and survey estimation. Those in the social science track take additional courses in questionnaire design, cognitive processes related to surveys, and the analysis of survey data.

The purpose of the Ph.D. program is to train the next generation of researchers and teachers. The first doctoral students were accepted in 1999; as of September 2007, 13 students were pursuing Ph.D. degrees. Six doctorates have been awarded. Like the master's program, JPSM's Ph.D. program offers concentrations in statistical science and social science. Ph.D. students must meet three major requirements. After their first year, they are required to pass a qualifying exam. The qualifying exam covers the material in the required courses for the master's students. Doctoral students in statistical science are expected to be proficient in the topics covered in the core master's courses as well as the master's-level statistical science courses; similarly, doctoral students in the social science track must demonstrate their proficiency in the material covered in the classes required for the social science master's students. At the end of their second year, doctoral students must pass a comprehensive exam, demonstrating their mastery of even more advanced material. Finally, the doctoral students must complete a dissertation describing original research in survey statistics or survey methods.

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