Curriculum

QRGP 6300 - Foundations of Qualitative Research (3 credits)

This course introduces students to the epistemological, theoretical, methodological, and procedural foundations of qualitative research. Students will learn common factors qualitative approaches to inquiry share as well as learning the specifics of the major qualitative research methodologies such as generic qualitative description, grounded theory, phenomenology, ethnography, narrative analysis, and discourse analysis. Students will also be introduced to the variety of professional settings in which qualitative research is utilized including academia, business and organizations, international development, and private consultation.

QRGP 6301 - Qualitative Data Collection (3 credits)

The course provides students an opportunity to learn the basics of qualitative research design with a focus on qualitative data generation, collection, and preparation. Students will learn how to select appropriate research sites, gain access to data sources, design and manage sampling strategies, conduct individual and group interviews, carry out field observations, collect documents, transcribe, and compose field notes. Students will also learn quality control measures such as maintaining research journals and diaries.

QRGP 6302 - Qualitative Data Analysis I (3 credits)

This course covers best practices in generic qualitative, ethnographic, and grounded theory analysis. Students will learn how to conduct within-case and across case analysis, coding and conceptualization, transforming data, and report writing. Students will also learn quality control measures such as constant comparison, member checking, peer debriefing, and conducting audit trails.

QRGP 6303 - Qualitative Data Analysis II (3 credits)

This course covers best practices in phenomenology, narrative inquiry, and discursive analysis. Students will learn how to conduct thematic analyses, phenomenological reduction, creative synthesis, microanalysis, and report writing. Students will also learn quality control measures such as bracketing, epoché, and verisimilitude.

QRGP 6305 - Qualitative Research Design (3 credits)

This course covers knowledge and skills needed to design a qualitative research study and compose a qualitative research proposal. Students will learn how to construct and justify a qualitative research study, synthesize the relevant research literature, generate discovery-oriented research questions, select sites and samples, create a manageable method including a quality control system, address ethical issues, and discuss potential implications and limitations. Students will compose their own qualitative research proposals and Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects (IRB) protocols and consent forms.

Choose one of the following:

QRGP 6304 - Appraising Qualitative Research (3 credits)

This course covers the appraisal and review of products emanating from qualitative research including papers, articles, posters, grant proposals, books, book prospectus, dissertations, theses, and systematic reviews. Students will learn how to assess the quality of qualitative research products, construct and use criterion-based rubrics, and compose reviews. Students will also serve as ad hoc reviewers for The Qualitative Report (TQR).

QRGP 6306 - Conducting Qualitative Research I (3 credits)

This course covers the activities involved in the initiation of a qualitative research study. Students will start the study they proposed in QRGP 6305 Qualitative Research Design.

QRGP 6307 - Conducting Qualitative Research II (3 credits)

This course covers the activities involved in the culmination of a qualitative research study. Students will complete the study they proposed in QRGP 6305 Qualitative Research Design and started in QRGP 6306 Conducting Qualitative Research I.

QRGP 6308 - Writing Qualitative Research (3 credits)

Students will learn how to write up their qualitative research inquiries from the earliest steps of their studies through the manuscript submission process using writing and representational styles consistent with their research design and purpose. To this end, students will produce their own original qualitative research papers that incorporate the basic elements of qualitative research reports and best practices for communicating their methodological choices and research findings in transparent and coherent prose. Students will also learn how to evaluate the quality of their compositions and revise their drafts via the use of rubrics and manuscript checklists. While it is not necessary that other Qualitative Research courses have been taken in the Certificate Program, it is a requirement that you have conducted your own research-this course will assist writing up results of a qualitative study.

QRGP 6309 - Arts-Based Qualitative Research (3 credits)
This course presents various ways in which to incorporate arts-based strategies into qualitative research design, in order to generate additional data, address researcher bias, deepen qualitative analysis, and enhance the presentation of research findings. For example, the course will explore ways in which the use of collage can be used to both strengthen researcher bracketing and reflexivity, as well as a data generation technique in combination with journaling. The course will also address how poetry can be used as a technique to both validate and represent research findings; students will practice found data poetry in developing findings, and the use of various poetic forms to convey key findings. In addition, students will be introduced to photo voice, a method that involves study participants taking photos to capture their lived experience and understandings of particular social phenomena. Throughout the course, ethical issues related to arts-based qualitative research will be considered and discussed. Offered occasionally.

QRGP 6310 - Autoethnography (3 credits)
This course introduces students to the historical, epistemological, theoretical, methodological, and procedural foundations of autoethnography. Students will learn a variety of approaches to autoethnography including individual, collaborative, critical, interpretive, and transformational forms and will practice appraising the quality of different types of autoethnographic reports. They will also learn how to conceive and conduct an autoethnography. Offered occasionally.

Below is a sample of a degree plan for a full-time student who begins their studies in Fall term. Degree plans will be modified based on a student's enrollment date and pace of study.