Vanderbilt University Peabody College of education and human development has launched the Quantitative Methods and Data Analytics for Human Behavior M.S. program. Students will graduate with in-demand skills, ready to transform data into actionable knowledge across a range of industries. The M.S. program builds upon Peabody's longstanding M.Ed. in Quantitative Methods and offers students full- and part-time paths for completing the degree.
Career opportunities and demand
"Graduates of our M.S. program will apply rigorous quantitative methods and data analytics to understand human behavior across many settings," said Shane Hutton, principal senior lecturer and program director of the QMDA program. "Examples include clinical research in healthcare, assessment in schools, psychological research in clinical settings, consumer behavior in marketing, program evaluation in nonprofits and policy evaluation in government.
"I believe what sets our MS program apart is the synergistic emphasis on both measurement and methods, which ensures analytics are applied effectively to reliable, valid data in order to better understand people and guide decisions."
The program's broad applicability means that students can use their advanced psychometric modeling and data analytics skills in private, government and non-profit sectors.
Within four months of graduation, 94 percent of job-seeking Peabody graduates are employed or continuing graduate studies. Alumni, such as Stephen Robinson, MEd'20, and Yudong Cao, MEd'17, have launched successful careers in competitive positions.
"Peabody excels at equipping students with the skills needed to be exceptional in their field."
"Almost everybody else working in the autonomy and artificial intelligence branch is an aerospace engineer, but thanks to my background in psychology and measurement, I view the problems we face through a different lens. That perspective helps our team tackle problems in unique and innovative ways," said Robinson, a data scientist for aerospace applications at Dynetics. "Peabody excels at equipping students with the skills needed to be exceptional in their field."
"I would not be where I am today without every aspect of the Peabody experience."
Cao, a data science manager at Capital One, echoed Robinson's sentiments. "My quant methods degree from Peabody equipped me with the fundamental skills in quantitative model building and programming model pipelines using a multitude of languages and tools. The internship experience prepared me well to associate theoretical knowledge with actual business-use cases. I would not be where I am today without every aspect of the Peabody experience," Cao said.
Program overview and unique features
The 33-credit hour program blends theoretical expertise and practical application, offering a comprehensive curriculum that includes core courses, seminars and an internship. Full-time students earn their degree in 17 or 22 months, depending on whether they complete their internship in the summer following the spring semester of their first year or in the fourth semester. Students who attend the program part-time are expected to enroll in at least one course per semester.
"Our supportive, cohesive program scaffolds master's students as they hone their interests, build their analytics toolkits, and acquire valuable professional development in order to be industry-ready or prepared for competitive Ph.D. programs," said Sonya Sterba, professor of psychology and human development and director of Vanderbilt's Quantitative Methods doctoral program.
Core courses, such as Statistical Inference and Regression and Predictive Analytics, provide foundational skills in quantitative methods. The program includes unique features to help students tailor their education to their career needs. They can pursue interdisciplinary learning by taking electives outside the QMDA curriculum.
Additionally, students can base their internship on a project related to an existing or newly-accepted career position or pursue an internship through the program's partnerships with Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Owen Graduate School of Management and the Office of Data and Strategic Analytics.
"Fueling this QMDA M.S. program, we added six advanced graduate quantitative and analytics courses to the course catalog and incorporated responsible AI-literacy into our curriculum," said Kristopher Preacher, Lois Autrey Betts Professor of Education and Human Development and a professor in the QMDA program.
Application process and deadlines
Peabody College encourages prospective students to learn more about the Quantitative Methods and Data Analytics for Human Behavior program and to apply early to take advantage of priority decision benefits. Detailed application procedures and benefits are available on the How to Apply page.
- Priority Decision 1: January 3
- Priority Decision 2: February 3
- Rolling Decision: after February 3
