Requirements

Each student must complete at least 14 semester hours of study in approved core and elective courses, distributed as follows :

• At least 7 semester hours in core courses

NOTE: If a student elects to complete both BSTT-440 and STAT-431, only one of those courses may count toward fulfilling the core course requirement.

• Additional hours in elective courses
• Courses from the list of core courses may be taken as electives if they are not used to meet the core course requirement.
• Independent study may be undertaken as an elective course, with the approval of the student's academic advisor and one of the GCSRM co-directors. No more than one independent study course may be used as an elective course.
• Master's thesis research or doctoral dissertation research hours may not be used for GCSRM credit.

Students must earn a grade of at least B for all core and elective courses. A student may take a course no more than twice to satisfy this grade requirement. Students who do not meet this requirement will be dismissed from the GCSRM program automatically.

Program Proposal

Prior to submitting an application, the student must consult with his/her academic advisor and with a member of the GCSRM faculty from his/her academic unit (if the academic advisor is not a member of the GCSRM faculty) to prepare a proposed program of study that fulfills the GCSRM curriculum requirements. Applicants also are encouraged but not required to consult with one of the GCSRM co-directors.

Students may pursue a generalist program or specialize in one of the following areas:

• Sampling
• Questionnaire Design
• Data Collection
• Data Analysis

The proposed program of study subsequently may be revised, subject to approval, to reflect changes in a student's interests and goals. Any revision(s) to the program of study must be submitted and approved no later than the end of the semester immediately prior to the semester in which the student intends to complete his/her UIC graduate degree.

Relationship of CSRM to Study for a UIC Graduate Degree

The GCSRM is to be undertaken concurrently with completing course work toward a UIC graduate degree in the student's major academic unit. A student who elects the GCSRM must meet all degree requirements of his/her academic unit and the UIC Graduate College, as appropriate. In no case is it to be construed that the requirements for fulfilling the Interdepartmental Graduate Concentration in Survey Research Methodology transcend, supplant, or negate those of any participating academic unit or of the UIC Graduate College.

Graduate degree requirements vary in their flexibility both across degrees and UIC academic units. Therefore, the fit between degree requirements and the GCSRM curriculum will vary. In some cases, a student will be able to complete both academic unit and GCSRM course requirements within the normal number of hours required for his/her graduate degree. For example, a doctoral student might be permitted to use GCSRM courses to fulfill all or part of the requirements for a minor/collateral area. In other cases, it may be necessary for a student to complete additional hours beyond those required for his/her graduate degree.

There may be situations where an academic unit will agree to waive or substitute a degree requirement in favor of a GCSRM course. This decision is entirely under the purview of the student's academic unit. Students should discuss making petition for such a waiver or substitution with his/her academic advisor.

If a doctoral student elects to include the GCSRM among the areas for his/her preliminary examination, a member of the GCSRM faculty must serve on the examination committee.

Prerequisites

Students must meet the prerequisites for individual courses. In general, these include introductory courses in statistics and social science research design. Students who lack these prerequisites must complete them in addition to the GCSRM requirements.

Core Courses List    [course descriptions and schedule]

Survey Planning & Design, CHSC-447, 3 hours
Introduction to Survey Sampling, STAT-431, 4 hours
Sampling & Estimation Methods, BSTT-440, 3 hours
Survey Questionnaire Design, CHSC-577, 3 hours
Survey Data Collection Methods, PA-582, 2 hours
Survey Data Reduction & Analysis, PA-588, 2 hours
Practicum in Survey Research, PA-579, 2 hours

Elective Courses List   [course descriptions and schedule]

Cross-Cultural Survey Measurement, PA-581, 2 hours
History of Survey Research, PA-586, 2 hours
Internet Surveys, PA-584, 2 hours
Polling, Public Opinion, & Public Policy, PA-578, 4 hours
Psychology of Survey Research: Cognitive & Social Processes, PA-583, 2 hours
Public Opinion & Political Communication, POLS-467 (same as COMM-467), 4 hours
Rating Scale & Questionnaire Design & Analysis, ESPY-504, 4 hours
Sampling Theory I, STAT-531, 4 hours
Sampling Theory II, STAT-532, 4 hours
Survey Nonresponse, PA-580, 2 hours
Survey Research Ethics, PA-585, 2 hours

Additional Relevant Elective Courses

A student may substitute credit from another course for a GCSRM course with the permission of his/her academic advisor and a GCSRM co-director. In general, no more than one course or independent study course may be substituted. However, under special circumstances, a student may petition for approval of additional courses.