1. Evaluation Studies at the University of Minnesota Jean A. King & Stacy M. Johnson

2. Minnesota, the home of…

3. Sports teams (some better than others) Four seasons Boundary Waters

4. The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul Major urban center Diverse community Airline hub Lots of NGOs and foundations Arts scene

5. Evaluation program options Graduate degrees (MA and PhD) Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development (OLPD), Evaluation Studies Department of Educational Psychology, Quantitative Methods in Education (QME) Non-degree Evaluation Studies options Graduate minor in Program Evaluation Program Evaluation certificate (for professionals living in the Twin Cities)

6. Minnesota Evaluation Studies Institute Interdisciplinary training adjunct to academic programs Evaluation coaching/mentoring throughout the year for students and community evaluators Annual MESI conference in March “High quality/low cost” evaluation projects – Bell Museum Sustainable Shelter Exhibit – Hennepin County Foster Care “System” – U of MN Graduate School Review and Improvement Process – McKnight Foundation Collaborative Crop Research Program

7. Nuts and bolts... Admissions deadline for Fall 2012 – Early December, 2011 Typical timelines for degree completion Where do our graduates work? –Independent consulting firms –University research/evaluation centers –Government agencies (county, state, federal)

8. Funding possibilities (among others) Minnesota Evaluation Studies Institute (MESI) Institute on Community Integration (ICI) Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI) Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) Local evaluation consulting firms

9. What makes MN’s program exceptional 1.A critical mass of well-known people in the field 2.A supportive student culture 3.Many ways to build evaluator competencies through field-based projects 4.Extensive opportunities for international study and research 5.A long-term professional community of local evaluators (MN Evaluation Association)

10. One student’s experience Diverse group of students Full-time and part-time options Practical application of coursework

11. Valued experiences Learning from experts Research Assistant experiences

12. Contact information Jean A. King: kingx004@umn.edu Stacy M. Johnson: joh04296@umn.edu Evaluation Studies, OLPD: www.cehd.umn.edu/olpd/grad-programs/ES Quantitative Methods in Education, EPsy: www.cehd.umn.edu/EdPsych/Programs/QME Graduate School Application: www.grad.umn.edu/prospective_students/Application_Inform ation