JPSM Brochure

The Joint Program in Survey Methodology is one of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences’ 10 diverse, interdisciplinary departments and

JOINT PROGRAM IN

Survey Methodology

programs, all committed to investigating and improving the human condition. www.bsos.umd.edu AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES BE EMPOWERED ANTHROPOLOGY BE CULTURAL CRIMINOLOGY & CRIMINAL JUSTICE BE JUST ECONOMICS BE EFFICIENT GEOGRAPHICAL SCIENCES BE GLOBAL GOVERNMENT & POLITICS BE CIVIL HEARING & SPEECH SCIENCES BE HEARD

Survey Methodology at Maryland Survey data and analysis inform many of the major government

JOINT PROGRAM IN SURVEY METHODOLOGY BE COUNTED PSYCHOLOGY BE UNDERSTOOD SOCIOLOGY BE SOCIAL

decisions that affect our lives, on issues ranging from unemployment to crop yields to health care. At the Joint Program in Survey Methodology, we’re discovering new knowledge about and increasing the accuracy of key estimates. Our program brings together faculty from the University of Maryland and the University of Michigan, as well as researchers from Westat, a leading survey organization based in Rockville, Md.

BE C O UN T ED

Through these collaborations—and the unique resources and opportunities they afford—we are transforming the student experience. We inspire Maryland pride and educate the next generation of professionals by working closely with government agencies in nearby Washington, D.C. to train employees and to advance survey methods and analyses. The Census Bureau, the National Center for Health Statistics and the Bureau of Justice Statistics are just a few of the agencies that fund our efforts to train students and conduct research to improve the quality of surveys. These top-tier agencies are invested in our efforts to turn imagination into innovation. Ultimately, survey data can affect policy in ways as profound as measuring poverty, predicting electoral outcomes, evaluating media consumption and fighting crime.

1218 LEFRAK HALL 7251 PREINKERT DR. COLLEGE PARK, MD 20742 WWW.JPSM.UMD.EDU P 301.314.7911 / F 301.314.7912

Research Overview

Faculty Research Highlights

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Our faculty, students, partners and alumni focus their work in four main areas: »» Interviewer Effects and Behavior »» Survey Nonresponse »» Small Area Estimation »» Modes of Data Collection WE ARE THE PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SECTORS’

go-to institution for survey and data analysis training.

“I got a great part-time job doing research with the National Academy of Sciences through one of my professors. Survey methodology is a growing profession, but it remains a somewhat small group of individuals, and some of the top experts in the field are our professors.”

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It might seem that traditional jobs are becoming a thing of the past, but no trace of growth in freelance or “gig” employment can be seen in official statistics based on household surveys. Together with colleagues in the Department of Economics and at the Census Bureau, KATHARINE G. ABRAHAM is creating better measures of the changing structure

ADRIANNE BRADFORD, M.S. JPSM ’16 Research Associate, Committee on National Statistics

of work that incorporate the information contained in administrative records derived from tax filings. This work is part of a broader research agenda focused on using administrative data to develop improved statistics to inform policymakers’ understanding of the labor market. In the

Our Consortium and Collaborators

spring of 2016, Abraham was appointed by President Obama to chair >>

the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking, a bi-partisan body charged to recommend how federal administrative data can be better

The Joint Program in Survey Methodology has been sponsored by the

tapped for policy evaluation purposes.

Federal Interagency Consortium on Statistical Policy. Its award-winning faculty is drawn from the University of Maryland, the University of

Demand for data scientists and survey statis-

Michigan, and Westat, a leading survey organization based in Rockville,

ticians is rising now that the digital revolution

Md. Our sponsors—all members of the Interagency Council for Statistical

provides companies, agencies and nonprofits

UNDERGRADUATE OFFERINGS

Policy—include the Social Security Administration, the National Science

with an unprecedented amount of data. Thus,

»» Minor in Survey Methodology

Foundation, and the United States Census Bureau.

FRAUKE KREUTER created a Massive Open

Academic Offerings

>>

Online Course in Questionnaire Design, which

»» Junior Fellows Internship Program

attracted more than 70,000 learners within its GRADUATE OFFERINGS »» Master of Science in Survey Methodology

• Social Science • Survey Statistics • Data Science »» Professional Master’s Degree

• International Program in Survey and Data Science

JPSM Points of Pride DRAWN FROM UMD, THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, WESTAT AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, OUR AWARD-WINNING FACULTY ARE EXPERTS IN THEIR FIELDS; THEY ARE FREQUENTLY INVITED TO PUBLISH, LECTURE, AND INFORM PUBLIC POLICY.

»» Ph.D. in Survey Methodology

• Statistical Science • Social Science

first year. She also launched an international, long-distance professional

>>

education program, with collaborating universities in Germany, Chile,

UNIQUE RESEARCH CENTERS AND PROJECTS ADDRESS MAJOR SOCIAL ISSUES.

• Statistical Science • Survey Methodology

from Facebook. She still maintains strong ties to the Federal Statistical System, and also has served in advisor roles for the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Center for Educa-

100%

DUE TO HIGH DEMAND AND THE SPECIALIZED NATURE OF THEIR TRAINING, 100% OF OUR ALUMNI ARE EMPLOYED UPON GRADUATION.

»» Certificate Program

China and Australia. For this effort, Kreuter won a faculty research award

tional Statistics, and the Energy Information Association.

PARTHA LAHIRI is improving statistical methodology that can link multiple complex big databases in order to extract maximum possible information at the lowest possible cost. In order to facilitate researchers’ access to confidential databases, he is developing statistical methodology that can produce synthetic data to protect sensitive information contained in the original databases. His research

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT »» Applied Data Analytics Training Program »» Short Courses

OUR LOCATION NEAR WASHINGTON, D.C. ALLOWS FOR EXCEPTIONAL INTERNSHIPS AND OPPORTUNITIES.

SMALL CLASS SIZES ALLOW FOR EXCELLENT CONNECTIONS WITH FACULTY AND OTHER STUDENTS.

»» Citation Program

• Introductory Survey Methodology • Economic Measurement

300+

can help improve government fund allocation formulas and regional planning. For example, more than $130 billion are allocated each year to states and localities based on the Model-Based Small Area Income & Poverty Estimates produced by the Census Bureau. Lahiri’s refined methodology could keep low-income students fed and get them the

MORE THAN 300 OF OUR ALUMNI ARE WORKING IN GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, ACADEMIC SETTINGS AND PRIVATE SURVEY RESEARCH FIRMS.

books and other resources they need to succeed in school.

Learn more at www.jpsm.umd.edu