Quick Facts
Next Start Date:
January 6, 2025
- Delivery: 100% Online
- Major Credits: 15
- Contact: Jenny McMath
Ball State University’s graduate certificate in institutional research prepares you to work in a field where data-driven decisions are vital to furthering higher education and other organizations’ successes. You’ll develop skills to support analytics with “Big Data” in many different industries, which you can apply to your current and future career.
Institutional research supports institutional and unit strategic planning, budgeting, accreditations, program review, and accountability efforts. The program is a perfect fit for most employees in current offices of institutional research, marketing, human resources, admissions, or diversity, equity, and inclusion.
What Skills Will I Gain?
The skills you learn in your courses are relevant to many careers and can be immediately applied to your line of work. A sample of those skills includes:
- Research Design
- Research and Statistical Methods
- Data Analysis
Career Outcomes
Your institutional research certificate will translate to any organizational structure that requires data analysis for decision making, not only in higher education but also in federal and state agencies, non-profits, and corporations, just to name a few. Below are examples of job titles you may hold:
- Data Analyst
- Director of Institutional Research
- Enrollment Analyst
- Student Success Research Analyst
Benefits of Our Institutional Research Certificate
You’ll learn from skilled faculty from a nationally recognized Teachers College. Your professors are experienced professionals in institutional research, educational psychology, quantitative psychology, and more. They take the time to get to know you and your career goals and help you achieve them.
The last course you will take is your practicum or internship. Apply the skills you’ve learned in the classroom to your internship. We’ll work with you to find a placement within your current workplace, or we can help arrange a virtual internship.
Earning your graduate certificate in institutional research, you’re already halfway to a master’s degree in educational psychology, quantitative psychology, and others. Earning both makes you more marketable to future employers.
Courses You Will Take
Ball State focuses on the student experience, emphasizing smaller class sizes, personal attention from faculty, and immersive learning. The commitment to the student experience is the same whether you’re on campus or online.
The courses you take can be tailored to fit your career goals and within other existing graduate programs. You will take a total of five courses (15 credits) in the following areas:
- Institutional research – 3 credits
- Research methods – 3 credits
- Statistics – 3 credits
- Elective course (either research or statistics-based) – 3 credits
- Practicum or internship – 3 credits
View All Courses
Meet Your Advisor
The role of your academic advisor is more than telling you which courses to take. For starters, they are student success specialists, and they are dedicated to your academic success. You’ll work with the same specialist from application to graduation.
Contact Jenny McMath, your Student Success Specialist, who can answer questions you have about our program.
Online Learning at a Glance
The 100 percent online graduate certificate in institutional research is designed with the working adult in mind. Courses are asynchronous, meaning you can complete them at a pace that fits into your daily routine without worrying about being late to class. Many students take one or two courses at a time until they find the right balance between work, classes, and other responsibilities.
You’ll still earn a reputable Ball State degree whether you’re taking classes in a physical or online classroom.
Ball State has joined the Federal Academic Alliance and is offering reduced tuition rates for all eligible, non-Indiana resident Federal Government Employees (civil servants), spouses, dependents, and retirees who enroll in online graduate-level programs and courses through Ball State’s Teachers College. Learn more.
More about Online Learning
Ready to Apply?
Are you interested in our program? Then it’s time to apply!
Please plan for at least 3-4 weeks for staff from your previous schools to send official transcripts to Ball State. We will review as soon as we receive all your application materials.
Get Started
Ball State is authorized by the U.S. Department of Education to accept online students from all U.S. states. However, if you are considering a program that leads to professional licensure, some states may have additional regulations. Review our state authorization website if you live outside of Indiana and contact us if you have questions.
Want to Learn More?
Do you have questions about this program or online learning? We’re here to help! You may request more information using our online form, or feel free to reach out directly to one of our staff.