The Department of Educational Studies at USC’s College of Education is now offering the university’s first post-masters certificate in qualitative research.

The Graduate Certificate in Qualitative Research program was developed in direct response to increasing academic and industry demand for qualified research methodologists.

Open to post-masters graduates of any academic program from any accredited college or university, the 18 credit-hour certificate offers exploration and application of qualitative inquiry fundamentals including field research, in-depth interviewing, focus groups, participant observation, life narratives and ethnographies.

Program graduates have the skills required to design and develop studies, collect and analyze data, and evaluate the qualitative research of others for academic purposes, or public and private industries.

Interdisciplinary in nature, the program provides students the opportunity to tailor studies and projects to meet individual interests.

Designed to strengthen students’ existing area of focus, the program is comprised of nine hours of core theory and inquiry courses. Students then build their personal program of study by selecting six hours of approved elective courses specific to their area of interest from any college or school at USC or through transfer credit. The final three hours of coursework includes a public presentation of a culminating project. 

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education (CHE) approved the program in August 2014.

For more information about the Graduate Certificate in Qualitative Research, contact Michelle Bryan.

Course Instructors

Michelle Bryan, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Educational Foundations and Inquiry Department of Educational Studies

Payal Shah, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Educational Studies

Allison Anders, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Educational Studies