Qualitative Studies Certificate

The Graduate Certificate in Qualitative Studies (GCQS) is for any graduate student interested in conducting methodologically sound, rigorous, evidence-based qualitative research. You will learn a variety of techniques from faculty members across campus and be able to tailor the focus of your studies towards your research and career goals.

Course Requirements

Core Courses
EDUC 830Qualitative Research Methods I: Philosophical Foundations of Qualitative Research3
EDUC 868Qualitative Research II: Data Collection3
EDUC 869Qualitative Research III: Data Analysis3
Electives
A total of 6 credit hours are required. Choose from the electives list below. 16
Minimum Hours15
1

For any courses not listed below, please contact your program director to request approval.

Pre-Approved Electives
EDUC 878Seminar in Educational Studies 23
EDUC 883Case Study Methods3
EDUC 905Leading Organizations to Equitable Practice 3
EDUC 922Mixed Methods Research3
EDUC 977Autoethnography Educational Research3
AAAD 790Black Feminist Ethnography3
ANTH 808Researching and Writing Lives3
ANTH 809Ethnographic Methods3
ANTH 860Art of Ethnography3
ANTH 897Seminar in Selected Topics (Ethnographic Research Design)3
ANTH 898Seminar in Selected Topics1-4
COMM 841Performance Ethnography3
FOLK 841Performance Ethnography3
HBEH 754Advanced Qualitative Research Methods in Health Behavior and Health Research3
NURS 979Qualitative Analysis3
PUBH 724Migration and Health2
SOCI 720Participant Observation and In-Depth Interviewing3
2

Please note that this is a special topics course and is approved for certificate requirement completion when the course topic is qualitative research topics.

Non-Course Certificate Requirements

  • QuaLab Culminative Activity Requirements

In addition to completing course work, students are required to participate in at least one of the following culminating activities to complete all requirements for the Certificate. Culminating activities are sponsored by the Interpretive Research Suite and Carter Qualitative Thought Lab (QuaLab). Culminative activity options include:

  • a research-oriented activity related to the I-SEEC Change project (Innovative Studies for Engaging Educational Community Change), the overarching signature research project of the QuaLab;
  • a teaching-oriented activity during which students would develop mastery of specific software and then teach that software in workshops, within courses and/or to small groups; 
  • a service-oriented activity where students would contribute to the online repository of teaching ideas, practices, units, exercises, etc. of qualitative research methods maintained by the QuaLab;
  • and a methodology-oriented workshop, which will offer both theoretical and applied elements to support others’ understanding of a particular approach to qualitative research. The workshop will be recorded and offered as a resource to the graduate certificate’s qualitative community. 

Students will also have the opportunity to attend any guest lectures, workshops, and discussion groups facilitated by the QuaLab (attendance is not required, but highly encouraged).