Best Master's in Educational Assessment, Testing, and Measurement Programs in 2026
All 7 programs reviewed from the IPEDS database, ranked on degrees awarded and local teacher pay. CIP 13.0604.
A master's in educational assessment, testing, and measurement trains specialists to design, analyze, and interpret the tests and evaluations that schools, districts, and testing organizations rely on. Students often come from teaching, psychology, or data backgrounds and want to work in psychometrics, assessment development, or district data and accountability offices. This is a technical, research-oriented degree rather than a classroom teaching credential, and it does not by itself lead to a state teaching license.
- Most master's programs run 30 to 36 credits and take about two years, with many built to be completed part-time by working teachers.
- 3 of 7 ranked programs offer an online or hybrid option.
- Graduate programs are ranked on degrees awarded, cost-of-living-adjusted local pay, and institutional standing, not the undergraduate stats that do not describe a master's.
- 1
Northwest Missouri State University
57score- 37Master's/yr
- Master of Science in Education in Educational Diagnostician with School Psychological Examiner Certification
- Online
About the programNorthwest Missouri State University offers an online Master of Science in Education in Educational Diagnostician with School Psychological Examiner Certification, a 30 credit-hour program that satisfies the requirements for Missouri's School Psychological Examiner designation with no additional test. The accelerated design can be completed in as few as twelve months, making it a fast route for educators moving into diagnostic roles. Embedded field experiences and a required mentorship with a practicing educational diagnostician or school psychologist keep candidates connected to real assessment work, while a capstone case-study presentation and professional portfolio demonstrate readiness. Approved by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and accredited through AAQEP and the Higher Learning Commission, the program carries the endorsements that matter for state credentialing. It fits working teachers ready to specialize in special education eligibility and assessment. As a master's degree in educational assessment, testing, and measurement, it adds to the master's-level educational assessment, testing, and measurement options in Missouri.
Why it ranks hereSchool siteA master's degree earns its rank on program-appropriate signals, not undergraduate ones: established scale, local teacher pay, and institutional strength. On the first, it is clearly established, turning out 37 master's degrees a year, one of the larger cohorts in the specialty.
- 2
Boston College
55score- 9Master's/yr
- $98,060Metro teacher pay
- Master of Arts in Research and Evaluation Methods
- On-campus
About the programBoston College's Lynch School offers a Master of Arts in Research and Evaluation Methods through its MESA department, a ten-course, 30 credit program that is STEM-eligible and can be finished full-time in a single year or part-time across two to three. Students may weight their electives toward assessment, measurement, evaluation, or statistics, giving the degree a customizable emphasis even without formally named tracks. The program leans into hands-on projects and completes with a comprehensive exam, keeping the training applied rather than purely theoretical. A distinguishing social-justice lens runs through the work, framing methods as tools for equity across K-12, higher education, and public health settings. It suits students who want technical research skills paired with a commitment to using them for the public good. As a master's degree in educational assessment, testing, and measurement, it adds to the master's-level educational assessment, testing, and measurement options in Massachusetts.
Why it ranks hereSchool siteFor a graduate program we set aside undergraduate figures and weigh three things instead: how established it is, the local market its graduates enter, and the institution's standing. On the first, it is clearly established, turning out 9 master's degrees a year, a steady if smaller cohort. Its graduates step into Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, where elementary teachers earn a median $98,060, roughly $90,573 once local cost of living is factored in, a real-world read on what the credential is worth in that market.
Area teacher pay: Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025, adjusted for local cost of living via U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities. A location figure, not this program's graduate earnings.
- 3
University of Alabama at Birmingham
51score- 27Master's/yr
- $62,630Metro teacher pay
- Master of Arts in Education in School Psychometry
- Online
About the programThe University of Alabama at Birmingham offers a fully online Master of Arts in Education in School Psychometry, a minimum 31 credit-hour program that leads to Alabama Professional Educator Certification in School Psychometry. Grounded in a scientist-practitioner model, the curriculum trains candidates in cognitive and academic and behavioral assessment so they can carry out the testing that drives special education decisions. A field-based practicum and internship of six hours are completed within the student's own employing school district, keeping the training tied to real students and settings. The online delivery paired with in-district placements reads as a program built for practicing school professionals moving into psychometrist roles. It offers a direct, certification-focused route into educational assessment. It is a master's degree in educational assessment, testing, and measurement at the master's level, based in Alabama.
Why it ranks hereSchool siteA master's degree earns its rank on program-appropriate signals, not undergraduate ones: established scale, local teacher pay, and institutional strength. On the first, it is clearly established, turning out 27 master's degrees a year, a steady if smaller cohort. Its graduates step into Birmingham, AL, where elementary teachers earn a median $62,630, roughly $68,341 once local cost of living is factored in, a real-world read on what the credential is worth in that market.
Area teacher pay: Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025, adjusted for local cost of living via U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities. A location figure, not this program's graduate earnings.
- 4
University of the Southwest
48score- 22Master's/yr
- Master of Science in Education (MSE) in Educational Diagnostics (Licensure)
- Online
About the programUniversity of the Southwest offers an online Master of Science in Education in Educational Diagnostics on a licensure track that prepares New Mexico candidates for a diagnostician's license. The program centers on testing in intellectual functioning, achievement, and behavioral screening, training candidates to identify exceptionalities that establish special education eligibility. Beyond diagnosis, coursework emphasizes developing individualized remediation recommendations, so graduates leave able to connect assessment results to instructional support. Built to New Mexico Public Education Department standards developed under CAEP, the degree is aligned with state credentialing, though out-of-state candidates are advised to confirm acceptance with their own education departments. It reads as a focused, practitioner-oriented path for educators entering diagnostic roles in schools. It is a master's degree in educational assessment, testing, and measurement at the master's level, based in New Mexico.
Why it ranks hereSchool siteMaster's programs are judged differently here. Undergraduate stats do not apply, so the ranking looks at whether the program is established, the pay its graduates walk into locally, and how the university stands behind it. On the first, it is clearly established, turning out 22 master's degrees a year, a steady if smaller cohort.
- 5
Southwestern Oklahoma State University
42score- 36Master's/yr
- $48,200State teacher pay
- Master of Education in School Psychometry
- On-campus
About the programSouthwestern Oklahoma State University offers a Master of Education in School Psychometry built for educators moving into the psycho-educational assessment role inside schools. The 33-hour program runs in a hybrid format, with evening and weekend courses many students attend by Zoom, a schedule that accommodates people already working in education. Required internships and practicums put candidates directly into assessment work, and a low faculty-to-student ratio signals close mentoring through that clinical training. Admission requires an OSBI background check, reflecting the sensitive school-based testing environment graduates will enter. The program prepares candidates for the specialist role that supports school psychology and student evaluation across the K-12 setting. Its practicum-heavy design points squarely at practitioners who will administer and interpret assessments in real schools. As a master's degree in educational assessment, testing, and measurement, it adds to the master's-level educational assessment, testing, and measurement options in Oklahoma.
Why it ranks hereSchool siteFor a graduate program we set aside undergraduate figures and weigh three things instead: how established it is, the local market its graduates enter, and the institution's standing. On the first, it is clearly established, turning out 36 master's degrees a year, one of the larger cohorts in the specialty. Its graduates step into Oklahoma statewide, where elementary teachers earn a median $48,200, roughly $54,871 once local cost of living is factored in, a real-world read on what the credential is worth in that market.
Area teacher pay: Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025, adjusted for local cost of living via U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities. A location figure, not this program's graduate earnings.
- 6
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus
38score- 5Master's/yr
- Master of Arts in Research and Evaluation Methods
- Higher Learning Commission-accredited
- Hybrid
About the programThe University of Colorado Denver offers a Master of Arts in Research and Evaluation Methods, a 30 credit degree available fully online or on campus and organized around stackable certificates. Students can build the program from focus areas including Applied Measurement, Applied Statistical Modeling, Classroom Assessment, Culturally Responsive Methods, Program Evaluation, and Qualitative Methods and Analysis, letting them tailor a methodological toolkit to their interests. Training spans a wide range of tools, from Excel and SPSS to R, Dedoose, Qualtrics, Tableau, and SQL, signaling equal attention to quantitative and qualitative inquiry. The degree culminates in a practicum, independent study project, or master's thesis alongside a written comprehensive exam, so applied work and academic rigor both figure in. Backed by Higher Learning Commission accreditation, it fits evaluators and researchers who want breadth and flexibility. This program offers a master's degree in educational assessment, testing, and measurement in Colorado.
Why it ranks hereSchool siteMaster's programs are judged differently here. Undergraduate stats do not apply, so the ranking looks at whether the program is established, the pay its graduates walk into locally, and how the university stands behind it. On the first, it is clearly established, turning out 5 master's degrees a year, a steady if smaller cohort.
- 7
Houston Christian University
37score- 3Master's/yr
- Master of Education in Educational Diagnostician
- On-campus
About the programHouston Christian University offers a Master of Education in Educational Diagnostician that prepares experienced teachers to become certified assessment specialists in Texas public schools. The 36-credit program is built around a public-school internship where candidates administer standardized test batteries and write Individual Assessment Reports, so the clinical work mirrors the job graduates will hold. Its admission expectations, prior teacher certification and two to three years of classroom experience, mark it as a step-up credential for practicing educators rather than an entry point. Coursework and a comprehensive exam lead toward Educational Diagnostician certification through the State Board for Educator Certification, contingent on passing the TExES exam. Delivered in a hybrid format that blends online and on-campus courses, it fits teachers who continue working while they study. The design centers the applied evaluation skills that define the diagnostician role. As a master's degree in educational assessment, testing, and measurement, it adds to the master's-level educational assessment, testing, and measurement options in Texas.
Why it ranks hereSchool siteFor a graduate program we set aside undergraduate figures and weigh three things instead: how established it is, the local market its graduates enter, and the institution's standing. On the first, it is clearly established, turning out 3 master's degrees a year, a steady if smaller cohort.
How we rank
Each master's program is scored 0 to 100 against the other master's programs in its specialty on the measures the federal data actually supports at the graduate level: the number of master's degrees it awards each year (30%), counted as a sign that the program is established rather than rewarding sheer size: a program reaches full credit at about fifty degrees a year and awarding thousands more adds nothing, so a high-volume online degree factory earns no advantage here; the median wage for elementary teachers in the program's local area (30%), from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The wage is the metropolitan-area figure where the school sits in a metro (about 85% of programs) and the state figure otherwise, and it is adjusted for the local cost of living using the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, so a high nominal salary in an expensive metro does not outrank a lower salary that goes further. It is a measure of local earning potential in the field, not the earnings of this program's graduates, which are not published. The third and largest measure is a program-strength score (40%), 0 to 100, led by the institution's Carnegie research classification, so a very-high-research university outranks a small teaching college on institutional standing. It adds a bonus where the program names a national programmatic accreditor like CAEP or AAQEP, but does not lean on it, because several states approve educator preparation through their own boards rather than CAEP, and a strong flagship should not be marked down for its state's accreditation choice. A clearly identified degree and licensure pathway adds a little more, and private for-profit programs, whose graduate outcomes are documented as weaker, take a deduction. Graduation rate, admission rate, and tuition are deliberately NOT scored: the first two are institution-wide undergraduate figures that describe the wrong population, and verified graduate tuition exists for too few programs to rank on fairly. Cost is shown on each card where we have it, but it does not affect the ranking. Every master's program is ranked and shown, with no per-state cap.
- Established program size, degrees awarded per year, capped so volume alone does not win: 30%
- Local-area teacher pay, cost-of-living adjusted (BLS + BEA): 30%
- Program strength, institutional research standing plus accreditation, less a for-profit deduction: 40%
Prefer a single measure? See most popular, highest area pay.
How much a master's in Educational Assessment, Testing, and Measurement program costs in 2026
Graduate tuition is priced by the credit rather than the year, and most master's in Educational Assessment, Testing, and Measurement programs run 30 to 36 credits, so the total turns on a school's per-credit rate and whether you pay the in-state or out-of-state figure. Public universities are usually the least expensive for residents, while private and out-of-state rates run higher. Because IPEDS reports only an institution-wide undergraduate tuition that does not describe a graduate program, each card shows a researched per-program cost wherever a school publishes one, rather than a misleading campus-wide number.
Sticker price is rarely the final cost. Graduate students can borrow through federal Direct Unsubsidized and Grad PLUS loans, and teachers have targeted help: the TEACH Grant provides up to $4,000 a year for a commitment to teach a high-need subject in a low-income school, and Public Service Loan Forgiveness can clear the remaining balance after ten years of qualifying payments in a public school or district. Many districts also reimburse part of a master's for teachers who earn it on the job, since a graduate degree usually moves them up the salary schedule.
Sources: program data from IPEDS; the TEACH Grant and Public Service Loan Forgiveness from Federal Student Aid.
Ways to earn your master's in Educational Assessment, Testing, and Measurement
Online delivery is central at this level: 3 of the 7 ranked programs offer an online or hybrid option, which fits teachers and other professionals who study while working full time. Programs are often organized as cohorts on evening, weekend, or asynchronous schedules, with any required field hours arranged near you. A typical master's runs about two years part-time, or twelve to eighteen months full-time.
The right format depends on why you are enrolling. Licensed teachers pursuing a master's for advancement or an added specialization can usually study fully online while they keep teaching. Career-changers who need an initial teaching license should instead look for a Master of Arts in Teaching or another licensure-track program, which pairs coursework with a supervised student-teaching placement or a paid residency and so includes in-person clinical time.
Sources: program and delivery data from IPEDS.
How to earn a master's in educational assessment, testing, and measurement
The path builds statistical and measurement expertise for careers in test design and educational data.
- 1
Earn a bachelor's degree
Complete an undergraduate degree, ideally with some coursework in statistics, psychology, mathematics, or education. A comfort with quantitative reasoning helps you succeed in graduate measurement courses.
- 2
Strengthen your quantitative background
Brush up on statistics and, if you can, basic data-analysis software before applying. Some applicants gain experience as teachers, tutors, or research assistants that grounds the coursework in real classrooms.
- 3
Choose and apply to a program
Look for master's programs in educational measurement, assessment, psychometrics, or quantitative methods, several of which are available online or part-time. Applications generally require transcripts, a statement of purpose, and references.
- 4
Complete the coursework
Study test theory, item development, reliability and validity, statistics, and research design, typically across roughly 30 to 36 credits over about two years part-time.
- 5
Finish a capstone, thesis, or practicum
Many programs end with an applied project, thesis, or internship with a testing organization or district assessment office, giving you a work sample for the job market.
Requirements summarized from each state's department of education and the relevant national accreditor. Exact requirements vary by state.
Frequently asked questions about a Master's in Educational Assessment, Testing, and Measurement
Who is a master's in educational assessment, testing, and measurement for?
A master's in educational assessment, testing, and measurement is for teachers, school data staff, psychology and math graduates, and others who enjoy statistics and want to build or interpret educational tests. Students aim for roles in psychometrics, assessment development, and district accountability and research offices. Strong quantitative interest matters more than a specific undergraduate major.
Does a master's in educational assessment, testing, and measurement lead to a teaching license?
No, a master's in educational assessment, testing, and measurement does not lead to a teaching license. Educational measurement is a technical and research field, not a teacher-preparation program, so it does not grant a state teaching license on its own. If you already hold a license, this degree can move you into specialist and data roles rather than the classroom.
What jobs can you get with a master's in educational assessment, testing, and measurement?
It leads to jobs as psychometricians, assessment or item developers, data analysts, and research associates at testing companies, state education agencies, school districts, and universities. The skills also transfer to broader educational research and program-evaluation roles.
How long does a master's in educational assessment, testing, and measurement take, and can you study online?
It takes about two years part-time for most master's programs, and a number are offered online or in hybrid formats. Online study is common for working professionals adding measurement skills to an existing career.
Is a master's in educational assessment, testing, and measurement accredited?
The program is accredited when you choose a university with regional institutional accreditation, which signals academic quality and helps ensure your degree is recognized by employers and graduate schools. Because this is not a licensure field, it is not governed by a teacher-preparation accreditor.
Is a master's in educational assessment, testing, and measurement worth it?
The degree is worth it for people drawn to data and test design, since it opens specialized roles that are hard to enter without formal training in measurement and statistics. Its value depends on your interest in quantitative work and demand at testing organizations and education agencies. Reviewing job postings in psychometrics and assessment can help you gauge fit before enrolling.
Answers draw on IPEDS, the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, and each state's department of education.
Data sources for our Master's in Educational Assessment, Testing, and Measurement ranking
- Program counts and degrees awarded: IPEDS, US Department of Education. Cost figures are researched from each program's own published tuition, since IPEDS reports only undergraduate tuition.
- Program descriptions: each school's official catalog and program pages.